Inside was the exact midnight blue suit he had admired online for weeks.
His dream suit.
His eyes filled with tears.
“Aunt Viki, I… I can’t.”
“You can,” she said softly. “It’s yours.”
Evan stared at the expensive fabric, then turned toward his sister.
“Viki,” he said. “How on earth did you pay for this?”
Viki lowered her eyes.
Then, she reached up and placed both hands on the edges of her beanie.
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
“Viki?” I whispered. “What is it?”
She slowly pulled it off.
I stopped breathing.
Tony gasped.
Evan simply stared.
Her beautiful dark waves were gone.
Every last inch.
The woman who had spent her life caring for 28 inches of hair stood before us completely bald.
Tony looked from her head to the midnight blue suit.
“Aunt Viki,” he whispered. “Why?”
She folded the beanie carefully in her hands.
“I sold it.”
The words seemed to stop the room.
“I found a wigmaker who buys long, healthy hair,” she explained. “He paid me enough to buy the suit.”
Evan’s face changed.
“You sold your hair?”
She nodded. “All 28 inches.”
He shook his head.
“No, Viki.”
His voice rose as tears filled his eyes.
“You shouldn’t have sacrificed your beauty for a school dance. Do you have any idea how beautiful your hair was?”
“I know.”
“You spent your whole life caring for it.”
“I did.”
“You should have talked to us.”
“We all knew you couldn’t afford the suit.”
“We would have figured something out.”
“I couldn’t let Tony miss out.”
Evan gestured toward the garment bag.
“You think he’d want this after learning what it cost you?”
“I won’t,” Tony said.
We turned toward him.
Tears were streaming down his face.
“I can’t wear it.”
He zipped the bag closed and pushed it toward her.
“Take it back.”
“You’ve worked too hard for this,” Viki replied.
“So did you.”
His voice broke.
“I don’t deserve your hair.”
Viki took a slow breath.
Then, she stepped closer to Evan and gently took his trembling hands.
“I wasn’t going to keep it much longer anyway.”
