And that was when I saw him.
THE JANITOR
Mr. Arthur Hale stood there.
The janitor from Westbridge High School.
The same man who had worked there when I was a student.
Except that day, he wasn’t wearing work clothes.
He wore a pressed gray suit.
His hands trembled around a cap he was holding against his chest.
Sophie stopped in front of him.
Then quietly asked:
“Mr. Hale, would you do me the honor of walking with me?”
Arthur nodded.
He couldn’t speak.
A tear rolled down his cheek.
Sophie linked her arm through his.
The whispers started immediately.
“Isn’t that the janitor?”
“Where’s her dad?”
“Why didn’t she pick Nolan?”
“Poor guy.”
I slowly sat back down.
My face burned.
A woman beside me leaned closer.
“Everything okay?”
I forced a smile.
“Yeah.”
My voice barely worked.
“Sophie always has surprises.”
The woman gave me the kind of sympathetic smile people use when they don’t know what else to do.
