Then Annie’s mother arrived at our front door and asked me a question that changed everything.
“Do you know why your daughter really did it?”
I thought I was about to hear a story about friendship and generosity. Instead, I discovered a truth about my daughter that forced me to reconsider everything I believed about her.
The Daughter Who Loved to Sew
Since her father, Daniel, died two years earlier, Lily and I had learned to navigate life together.
It had not always been easy. I worked extra hours to cover our expenses, while Lily tried to balance school, friendships, and the difficult emotions that came with losing her father during her early teenage years.
Sewing became her refuge.
Daniel had found her a secondhand sewing machine when she was younger, and she gradually taught herself how to use it. Before long, she was making skirts, jackets, and dresses that looked as though they had come from a professional boutique.
