Then I whispered, “I’m proud of you.”
He rested his head against my shoulder.
“I was trying to do the right thing.”
“I know, buddy. I know.”
Just when I thought the situation was over, the man in the gray shirt approached us.
He walked slowly, keeping his hands in his pockets.
“Excuse me,” he said.
I looked up at him.
He glanced at Eleanor, then at Theo.
“I owe you an apology.”
Nobody spoke.
The man took a breath.
“My name is Richard. I was having a terrible morning. My car broke down, I had an argument with my boss, and I was already late for something important.”
He shook his head.
“That’s not an excuse. I’m just telling you what was going through my mind.”
Eleanor looked at him without speaking.
Richard continued.
“When I saw that you didn’t have enough money, I got impatient. I thought you should have put some things back before getting to the checkout. I said things I had no right to say.”
