What if she called out? What harm could it do? The worst that could happen was that some stranger would look up and yell GESUNDHEIT at her, right?

Or maybe that was the best that could happen, and yet Francine was raising her hand to wave anyway, her mouth open to call, "K--"

Whatever pitiful squeak had started to emerge was drowned out by the buzzing of her cell phone in her coat pocket. Francine yanked it out and looked down to read the display before flipping it open -- then waited another moment to find her breath before saying, "Mom? It's late; is something wrong?"