Jasmine entered journalism.
Heather became an accountant.
Holly became a veterinarian.
Anne studied medicine.
Those futures did not unfold neatly.
Lily dropped out for two years after becoming pregnant.
Violet’s first record contract failed.
Heather nearly lost her scholarship after working too many hours.
Jasmine was arrested while covering a protest because police ignored her press credentials.
Daisy encountered professors who assumed she entered engineering through charity rather than talent.
Anne developed panic attacks during medical school and hid them until she collapsed.
Richard could not solve everything.
He tried.
Sometimes help meant money he did not have.
Sometimes it meant driving through the night.
Sometimes it meant not driving anywhere because his daughter asked only to be heard.
When Lily became pregnant at nineteen, several townspeople waited for proof that Richard’s “experiment” had failed.
Richard heard them at the factory.
“Told you those girls would bring trouble.”
He turned toward the speaker.
“My daughter is not trouble.”
Lily expected anger when she told him.
Richard sat beside her on the porch.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to keep the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Then we plan.”
“You’re not ashamed?”
“I’m worried.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“No.”
He looked toward the yard where eight sisters waited behind curtains pretending not to listen.
“I have survived nine babies before.”
