I stood at the podium with my head held high, turning my silver ring once on my thumb as I took in the room’s recognition.

By six thirty that evening, the winter sky over the Chicago River had deepened to indigo, studded with the sharp white lights of the skyline.

I stood out on my apartment balcony bundled in a wool coat, holding a warm mug of peppermint tea.

The cold wind off Lake Michigan felt clean on my skin, stirring the short dark hair at the back of my neck.

Far below, the streetlights laid long golden ribbons across the dark, slow water of the river.