John and Sabrina took a seat ahead her siblings. Cyrus quickly took off his hat and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek before finding his spot. Seraphina shuffled a few steps behind him and sent her sister a smile, mouthing some sort of compliment Sabrina could not decipher, but she thanked her with a grin. With her head turned to the back of the room, Sabrina spotted Dottie who wore a pale yellow cloche hat and a content smile despite her distance from the action. According to Ada, Dot had taken a shin to philanthropy albeit her recent lack of funds. Sabrina sent her friend a small wave, making a mental note to chat with her after the reception.
Once all the guests were seated and silent, Polly commanded the room with her commencement speech and credited Thomas for his work. He stood in the middle of the makeshift pews with Charles on his hip, Arthur yelled out for a speech as he often did. Tom handed Charles off to Ada as the room continued to rumble with claps. Tom began his speech which was starkly kind, "These children are now safe. In our care, they will be safe. Because we are from the same cold streets as they are...they will grow up here at home. Loved in Birmingham because this is our city." Sabrina's heart fluttered at the thought, in her hormonal state she felt tears brim at her eyes as she imagine the better futures the children would have, John noticed this and cupped her hand.
