The truth was simpler.
I didn’t want anyone to notice that I had no one.
## Graduation Approached
As graduation got closer, everyone became excited.
People discussed dresses and suits.
They compared graduation announcements.
They planned parties.
They talked about where their families would sit.
I tried not to participate.
My grandmother kept asking me about the ceremony.
“What time does it start?”
“Where should I park?”
“Are you getting your diploma on stage?”
I gave her short answers.
I didn’t want to tell her what I was thinking.
I wanted to skip it.
Why should I stand on a stage surrounded by hundreds of people while the seats where my parents should have been remained empty?
What was the point?
One morning, I finally said it.
“I don’t think I’m going.”
My grandmother looked up from her tea.
“What?”
“I don’t want to go to graduation.”
She stared at me.
I looked down.
“What’s the point if no one’s going to be there?”
For a moment, she said nothing.