used to take me to the movies.”
The man said nothing.
“It was one of the only places where he usually stayed calm.”
Owen swallowed.
“One night, I spilled a drink. He got angry and pulled me outside.”
His voice became slightly unsteady.
“A woman nearby saw what was happening.”
I held my breath.
“She looked directly at me.”
Owen paused.
“Then she looked away.”
Nobody moved.
“For twenty-nine years, I remembered that woman.”
He looked at Ethan.
“I used to wonder why she didn’t say anything.”
His voice softened.
“I didn’t need her to start a fight.”
“I just needed one person to say, ‘Hey. Stop.’”
He looked back at Ethan’s father.
“So that’s what I’m saying now.”
A long silence followed.
Then the man opened his hand.
Ethan immediately rubbed his arm.
His father stepped back.
“This is none of your business,” he said, but there was less
