I doubted my eight-year-old daughter Rose when she said she would someday marry a man who would live with and care for her disabled brother, Gabriel. During high school, I watched her date one selfish teen after another. Each one ignored Gabriel. But when my daughter met Luis in a trigonometry class at the junior college, the first thing he did after shaking my hand was ruffle Gabriel’s hair and ask, “What’s up, buddy?” Gabriel glanced up and smiled. Warmth flooded my chest. Now, years later, Rose stood across from Luis exchanging vows of forever. My eyes filled with tears.
Angela Lam teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two memoirs. Instagram and X: @authorangelalam