The air carried the scent of expensive perfume and fresh-cut grass. Groups of parents stood chatting about ski trips in Aspen, beach vacations in Maui, and elite summer camps as if they were trading trophies.
David Martinez could feel the weight of their eyes.
He shifted the strap of his daughter’s worn pink backpack on his shoulder and tried to stay calm, though he wasn’t. His work boots were clean but scuffed from years of use, and a faint streak of drywall dust still clung to his jeans. He had come straight from a renovation job across town because his daughter, Lily, had begged him not to miss “Career Day.”
When it was his turn to introduce himself, David kept it simple.
“I work in construction,” he said. “I repair and renovate houses.”
Some parents nodded politely.
Then came the quiet laughter.
Not loud—but sharp enough.
His ex-wife, Vanessa, stood nearby with her new fiancé, a tall man in a sleek designer suit that likely cost more than David’s old pickup truck. Vanessa wore the same smile she’d had when they finalized their divorce.
“Renovate?” she repeated lightly. “That’s one way to say it. He fixes things most people would just replace.”
A few parents chuckled softly.