He pulled out an envelope.
Then placed it in front of me.
“Gus told me,” he said softly.
I stared at him.
“Told you what?”
“That you’ve been paying the difference on my breakfast all these years.”
My face grew warm.
Ed’s eyes filled.
“I knew, Bev. But I never said anything because I understood why you were doing it.”
He pushed the envelope closer.
“There’s eleven thousand two hundred dollars in there, plus interest.”
I shook my head.
“Ed, I can’t take that.”
“Yes, you can.”
His voice trembled.
“You helped me through the worst time of my life. And you never once made me feel like a burden.”
I couldn’t speak.
Around us, seventy people sat silently.
Then I looked toward Chad.
He seemed completely overwhelmed.
***
Chad finally spoke.
“I didn’t know about the lease clause.”
His voice sounded smaller than before.
