Engaging Introduction
My son's golden curls always attracted attention.
Strangers stopped us in grocery stores to admire them. Cashiers asked if they were natural. Friends joked that he looked like he belonged in a shampoo commercial.
Leo was four years old when his hair first started curling. Soft waves at first, then tighter ringlets that framed his face like a halo. I loved them. My husband, Derek, loved them. Leo loved them.
But my mother-in-law, Margaret, did not.
She made her opinion known at every family gathering. "Boys should have short hair." "He looks like a girl." "When are you finally going to cut that mop?"
I always smiled and changed the subject. Derek always squeezed my hand under the table. We were united. We were patient. We were waiting for the right time to tell her the real reason Leo was growing his hair.
She had no idea. None of them did.
Not the reason. Not the promise. Not the secret that made every curl matter.
The Backstory (What She Didn't Know)
