Back to Where They Belonged
The girls didn’t hesitate.
They walked directly toward the seventh row. The center section. Toward me.
Grace slipped past two sets of knees and sat beside me. Lily entered from the opposite side.
Then, without any announcement or display, my daughters settled into their seats.
One on each side of me.
Grace linked her arm through mine.
For a long moment, the entire auditorium remained silent.
No one seemed quite sure what to do next.
Then, somewhere in the back of the room, someone began clapping.
The sound echoed through the silence.
And everything changed.
