The Rom-Commers

by Katherine Center

You had to maximize joy when it fluttered into your life. You had to honor it. And savor it. And not stomp it to death by reminding everyone of everything you’d lost.

I just wanted to be happy—simply, uncomplicatedly happy—for like one evening. Was that too much to ask?

Timing really was everything, I guess.

Real life was allowed to be disappointing. Heck, real life was guaranteed to be disappointing.

My dad was always the dad everybody wanted. If there were a dad store, he’d be a bestseller. They’d have rows and rows of him for sale, right up front. He was always warm and encouraging and connected and goofy—even before.