Letting go

He watched as his beautiful girl stepped forward. Her speech was inspirational and uplifting; all about overcoming adversity, of reaching inside and finding strengths you hadn’t realised were there. He’d heard her practice it a thousand times.

Now, however, he didn’t hear her words. All he knew was the sudden overwhelming realisation that his girl had grown up.

The world spun, every moment of the last ten years whirling around him, rushing together and culminating in this one. Fingers squeezed his in understanding, sharing both his pride and his loss.

“Nibblet’s all grown up, love.”

Buffy nodded through her tears.