The woman gently settled the baby and spoke again: “You looked like someone who could listen.”
A waiter rushed over. “Sir, should I call security?”
“No,” David said sharply, his gaze fixed on the woman. “Let her talk.”
The waiter hesitated for a moment and then stepped back.
David pointed to the empty chair across from him. “Sit down, if you want.”
The woman shook her head. “No. I don’t mean to disrespect your table. It’s just… I saw you here. Alone. And I’ve been walking around all day looking for someone who seems to have a heart.”
That phrase pierced him more than he expected.
David leaned forward. “What do you want?”
She inhaled slowly. “My name is Claire. This is Lily. She’s seven weeks along. I lost my job when I couldn’t hide the pregnancy anymore. Then I lost my apartment. The shelters are full. And today I went to three churches. They were all closed.”
He looked down. “I’m not asking for money. I’ve been given enough cold-eyed bills to know the difference.”
David observed her. Not her clothes or her posture, but her eyes. They weren’t desperate. They were tired. And brave.
Why me? he asked.
Claire stared at him. “Because you’re the only person tonight who wasn’t looking at their phone or laughing at the third course. You were just…quiet. Like you knew what it felt like to be alone.”
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