Nightmare

The air was thick with warmth, the kind that clung to your skin and made it hard to breathe.

I stood in the crowded auditorium, cap and gown awkwardly draped over my body. The sounds of applause echoed around me, mixing with the excited chatter of families and graduates.

My name had just been called, and I was walking across the stage, a polite smile plastered on my face. 

When I turned to face the audience, scanning the sea of faces, my chest tightened. Rows and rows of people cheering for their loved ones, but the two faces I had desperately hoped to see were absent. My smile wavered, but I forced it to stay in place. 

Oh yeah that was my graduation ceremony it had happened years ago.

Grandma was there, of course. Sitting near the back, she gave me the biggest smile and a proud wave.