The Table Gets Longer
Chapter 18 - The Table Gets Longer
The Hart Foundation's new annual event looked nothing like the old one.
There were still tables.
But they were long communal tables.
Teachers sat beside donors.
Nurses beside executives.
Families from shelters ate beside board members.
Children ran between chairs.
No security guards checked clothing.
No one cared who arrived in a limousine and who came by bus.
Lily walked through the rooftop wearing a simple navy dress.
Evelyn wore champagne satin.
The same gown from the night Noah appeared.
Lily noticed.
“Seriously?”
Evelyn smiled.
“I thought it deserved a better memory.”
Noah arrived carrying the silver flute.
This time, he wore shoes.
“Fancy,” Lily said.
“They're uncomfortable.”
“That's fashion.”
“No wonder rich people always look angry.”
Evelyn laughed so loudly several guests turned.
At sunset, Noah stood in the same place where he had played two years earlier.
Evelyn remembered the dirty face.
The torn shirt.
The frightened eyes.
She remembered broken glass.
Marcus's accusations.
Lily in the hospital.
She remembered everything one song had opened.
Noah raised the flute.
Then paused.
“Before I play, I want to say something.”
Lily's eyes widened.
“He wasn't supposed to give a speech.”
Evelyn whispered,
“He gets that from your father.”
Noah looked across the crowd.
“My mom taught me that being poor isn't something to be ashamed of.”
Lily pressed her lips together.
“My grandma taught me that being wrong isn't the worst thing either.”
Evelyn blinked.
“The worst thing is being wrong and being too proud to change.”
The rooftop became completely quiet.
Noah raised the flute again.
“But mostly, they both taught me that when somebody comes back...”
He looked at Lily.
Then Evelyn.
“...you should leave the door open.”
May you like
The first note rose into the evening sky.
And this time, nobody dropped a glass.
