house.
Then the doors folded open, and he stepped down onto the pavement.
The whole parking lot erupted with applause and cheers.
Children yelled, “Happy birthday, Mr. Walter!”
He froze.
His shoulders lifted as if he had been startled, and his eyes moved across the crowd without understanding at first. Then he saw the banner, the children, the former students, and the cards in people’s hands.
He covered his mouth.
That was the exact moment almost everyone around me started crying.
Mr. Walter stood there in his old jacket and
