Tess’s eyes lit up when she opened the box under the Christmas tree. She beamed at Burt. “Thank you so much, Grandpa, they are so beautiful! They will be perfect with my princess dress and fairy wings! Papa! Look how beautiful my new shoes are!”

They were kitten heels, white with scalloped edges and a velcro strap bedazzled with sequins and a tiny fabric rose. She seemed not to notice the slight scuff marks around the toe, but Kurt remembered each small mishap that had caused them, and how long he had spent trying to polish the marks away.

“They are very beautiful,” Kurt agreed. He turned to his father. “You kept those? I can’t believe it!”

“How could I possibly have gotten rid of your first pair of sensible heels?” Burt said, grinning.­ “And it looks like Tess will love them as much as you did.”