Girl had a bittersweet graduation without her late dad — but then her best friend’s dad gave her a big surprise
Some friends become as important as a person's family. But one woman had such a special friendship with her best friend that her friend's dad stepped in to cheer her up on her graduation day because she was missing her late father. It was a special day for both Marlice Valentin and Tanaya Edwards as they were graduating from college. However, the special day was tinged with sadness for Marlice as her father had passed a long time ago and her mom couldn't be there because of personal reasons, per PEOPLE. So when she saw the gift prepared by Tanaya's dad, William Edwards, she was in tears.
William presented his daughter's best friend with a sash that had a photo of her with her dad. "That was one of the last pictures we ever took. It’s always been one of my favorites," Marlice said, revealing a special detail. She also shared a video of the moment on TikTok, where she goes by @123.vmm6. "Bestie so hard that her dad got me a personalized sash of my dad, who passed away and couldn't be here with me on my special day," the text overlay of the video read. Tanaya and her dad were standing there as Marlice opened her gift and started crying. She even gave William a big hug to thank him for the gift.
However, the duo had been there for each other through many such special moments. "I first met Tanaya back in school in our undergrad from a common friend. We just kind of said, 'Oh, you want to be roommates? Let’s move in together,'" Marlice told the outlet. "Marlice was always the one who stayed. So I stayed close to her, too," Tanaya pointed out. Now, when graduation happened, it was Marlice's first time without either of her parents and it was quite challenging for her. "It made me really emotional. Not everyone knows." William had some idea of what was going on and decided to do something special for Marlice.
"I'd be in another room listening to her friend talk. And I know certain things about her friends. So after I made a sash for my daughter, I thought — I should make one for her friend, too," William shared. The dad expressed that the gesture was made to encourage the girl. "Just for her to have that around her and her father not here…it was for encouragement. I wanted to encourage my daughter and to encourage Marlice was a plus." Marlice went on, "It made me feel seen. Like, someone thought of me." The man also made a sash of a photo of his daughter and her mother, as Tanaya's mother had passed too. "She has her dad, I have my mom. It’s like we’re different, but still going through the same kind of loss," Marlice remarked.
Many people appreciated the gesture in the comments section of the TikTok video. @trinkletinnkle wrote, "He’s your dad too now. Your dad in heaven sent you an earthly dad. Both are very proud, congrats." @jonginandout commented, "I’m crying. That was really thoughtful of him. He knew, dad-to-dad, that you wouldn’t want him to miss out on your special day. He’s in your heart and spirit. Congratulations, love." @carbieq remarked, "He's a girl dad who saw a little girl that needed her dad."
You can follow Marlice Valentin (@123.vmm6) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.