The Crowd Responds
From the back, someone muttered, “Finally.”
A few claps followed — quiet at first, then spreading.
The boy tugged at his mother’s sleeve.
“Mom, it’s fine. Let’s just sit.”
That small voice broke the tension.
The woman sat down, lips pressed thin, muttering under her breath.
Naomi looked out the window, pretending to read, but her hands trembled — a mix of relief and disbelief.
