He looked toward Emma.
“And it certainly did not erase his place in this community.”
Then he turned back to her.
“Emma, if you still want to walk across this stage with your brother, you may.”
For a moment, she stood completely motionless.
Then she whispered, “Thank you.”
William stepped aside.
But Emma wasn’t ready to move.
She looked down at Felix’s face, and I saw the little girl she had once been—the girl who believed she and her brother would do everything together.
She straightened his cap one last time.
“Come on, Felix,” she whispered. “We’re going.”
Then she walked toward the stage.
Something unexpected happened as Emma approached the first step.
A boy in the second row stood up.
I recognized him as Daniel, one of Felix’s former classmates.
He had been quiet during the confrontation, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.
When Emma passed his row, he said, “I’m sorry, Emma.”
