I let myself look out across the sea of faces. Most turned away from me. But there were a few that gave me hope: my parents, pride in their eyes. Cora, nodding her support. Sylvia, winking at me over her glass. A few men offered sympathetic looks. Most thrilling, however, were a few women—married and unmarried alike—who did not flinch from my gaze but instead looked excited and invigorated.
