The Gift of Applause

One morning a friend and I went for an early run and stopped to rest at a scenic spot along the water. We chatted for a while until we realized we weren’t alone. A few yards away, at a rocky point jutting out into the harbor, were three people: a young man in a suit, a woman in a long dress, and an older man wearing a white collar. As the man in the collar spoke, it became clear that we were the sole witnesses to a solemn moment, and we fell silent…