When Violet wanted to attend a music program in Chicago, he said no because he feared the city.
When Rose wanted to join a civil rights student group, he worried demonstrations would put her in danger.
When Jasmine dated a boy Richard disliked, he followed them once and was caught.
His daughters accused him of control.
Sometimes they were right.
“You raised us to stand,” Iris told him. “You cannot ask us to sit whenever standing scares you.”
The pendant did not exist in this story, but the lesson did.
Richard apologized.
Not immediately.
He was still a father.
But eventually.
PART FIVE — THE FIRST DAUGHTER WHO LEFT
At seventeen, Rose received a scholarship to a university in Washington, D.C.
Richard was proud until the acceptance letter became real.
Then he began finding reasons she should attend a college closer to home.
The car was unreliable.
Travel was expensive.
The city was dangerous.
Her sisters needed her.
Rose listened quietly.
Then she said, “You promised we would know keeping us together was not the same as keeping us trapped.”
Richard did not sleep that night.
The next morning, he sold the last piece of Anne’s jewelry he still owned—a gold watch—and bought Rose a plane ticket.
At the airport, she hugged each sister.
When she reached Richard, she whispered, “I’m not leaving you.”
“I know.”
“You look like I am.”
“I’m practicing.”
“For what?”
“Having eight more daughters.”
She laughed through tears.
Rose became a lawyer.
Lily studied physical education and later coached high school athletes.
Iris became a historian.
Violet studied music.
Daisy became an engineer.
