My brother spent 5 months secretly building my prom gift in our neighbor’s garage. I worried about how nearly 400 people would react when he opened the uneven wooden box—but I wasn’t prepared for the message he had hidden inside the lid.
At my high school, prom began with a tradition called the Senior Send-Off. Every senior received a handmade gift from a sibling, cousin, or close family member. Most gifts were displayed around the ballroom, but relatives could request a few minutes onstage to explain what they had created.
A week before prom, Mom told me that my 15-year-old brother, Owen, had asked her to sign him up.