Archie and his daughter looked at each other with secretive grins before tossing back the remainder of their whiskeys. “No!” they called out in unison.

What better way to ensure a daughter meets a mother’s high standards? A mother must pick out a ball gown herself. Victoria hadn’t picked her own prom dress when she was in high school, so why should this event be any different? In her mother’s full-length mirror, she stood erect, because the bodice wouldn’t allow even a minor slouch. Victoria was convinced her mother had strapped and laced her into a medieval contraption. Katherine had tucked her breasts deep within the neckline several times before she’d been satisfied there was no trace of cleavage. Victoria just did her best to breathe through the pain of the tight bodice. Her only accessories were a pair of drop pearl earrings and a single strand of pearls at the base of her neck. And of course, she looked fantastic in the gown, the royal blue silk taffeta skirts swishing around her ankles. When her mother finally stepped behind her, gently lifting her chin and pushing her shoulders back, her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

“Oh darling, you look beautiful.” Katherine sniffed. “You look like one of those duchesses from the old times.”

Victoria caught her mother’s eye and smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

“I wish you allowed me to dress you more often,” Katherine said, quickly dabbing at her eyes. “Remember how much fun we used to have?”

Victoria paused before answering, remembering a different past that involved her mother shouting “Archie, she’s sweated out her curls!” Archie would sigh and tell them both to stop sweating the small stuff. “Yes,” she said, swallowing the truth.

By the time she sat in the grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel, sweating and unable to breathe, Victoria couldn’t wait to make an exit. If she planned it right, she could call for a car right after the ceremony and just before the reception. She glanced at her phone, for the eighth time, and willed someone to rescue her. Her friends had wished her good luck before leaving, but their involvement was minimal as no one wanted to deal with her mother.

She wished John were with her.