The man who stepped in when my father refused to walk me down the aisle

remembered. Tired. Still unmistakably hers. ” I covered my mouth. “I wish I were there. ” Rosa smiled faintly. ” My vision blurred. ” The recording crackled. ” I stopped breathing. ” I looked toward the workshop. ” My eyes filled completely. Then Grandma said the line I would carry into my wedding. ” A breath. “I love you. ” The recording ended. Rosa reached across the table and held my hand. Neither of us spoke for a while. Then she opened the velvet pouch. Inside were Grandma Elena’s pearl earrings. “For Saturday,” Rosa said. I touched one carefully. ”