“What do you mean too late?”
“The dress is GONE!
Sold to a bride who cried when she saw it.”
“Gone? You actually sold it?”
“To someone who told Adrian he was incredibly talented. Who made him feel valued for the first time in months.”
“But it was MINE!”
“It’s gone, Danielle.
Just like your relationship with Adrian.”
The scream that followed was so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear.
On the day of Danielle’s wedding, Adrian and I were having pancakes. Then a few days later, his phone buzzed.
“Mom, look at this.”
Mia had sent photos from her wedding. She looked radiant in Adrian’s dress, absolutely glowing beside her new husband.
Her message made my heart swell: “Adrian, thank you for creating the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.
You have an incredible gift. I’ve already recommended you to three of my friends. Never let anyone make you doubt your talent.
:)”
“She wants to hire me for her sister’s wedding next spring,” Adrian said, grinning.
“That’s wonderful, honey.”
“And Mom? I think Aunt Danielle actually did me a favor.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“If she’d kept her promise, I might never have learned that my work has real value… that I don’t have to accept being treated badly just because someone’s family.”
***
Last night, Adrian surprised me with dinner and a movie — his treat with his first professional commission payment.
“What’s all this for?” I asked as he plated homemade pasta.
“For showing me what real love looks like, Mom. For teaching me that I’m worth fighting for.”
Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is refuse to let someone treat your child as disposable.
Danielle got her wedding day, but Adrian got something far more valuable: the knowledge that his work matters, his feelings matter, and his mother will always stand between him and anyone who tries to diminish him.
With his earnings, he then bought me the softest cashmere sweater I’ve ever owned… a pale blue one with pearl buttons.
“It reminded me of that dress I made,” he said when he gave it to me this morning. “But this one’s for someone who actually deserves beautiful things.”
That’s my boy. And I couldn’t be prouder!
Source: amomama
