Then a young woman added twenty.
A father standing with his teenage daughter contributed what he could.
Soon the small table began filling with money.
Five dollars.
Ten dollars.
Twenty dollars.
A few people offered larger amounts.
Others gave coins.
The man who had questioned the judge’s decision approached the table slowly.
He stood there for a moment.
Then he placed fifty dollars beside the other contributions.
“My father lost his job when I was young,” he admitted. “I remember my mother pretending she wasn’t hungry.”
His voice softened.
“I suppose I had forgotten.”
The police officer who had arrested Adam stepped forward.
He placed money beside the judge’s contribution.
Then he looked toward the boy.
“I’m sorry your family has been going through this,” he said.
Adam could hardly breathe.
He had entered the courtroom expecting condemnation.
Instead, strangers were helping him.
He covered his face with both hands and began to cry.
