Dayo walked out of the arena quietly.
The roar of the crowd faded behind him until all that remained was the sound of passing cars and the evening wind.
His steps were slow, but his mind was calm.
He had done what he wanted to do.
He took the train from Washington to New York — about three and a half hours — then ordered an Uber home.
When he arrived, his mother was the first to see him. She stood up from the couch, surprised.
"Dayo?" she said. "You're home already? What happened?"
His little sister peeked from the hallway. Even she could tell something felt different.
Dayo gave a faint smile. "I'm fine, Mom."
His mother frowned. "Are you sure? Did something happen?"
He sat down and nodded slowly. "I'm fine. I just needed a bit of space."
She came closer and sat beside him. "What does that mean?"
Dayo looked down at his hands for a moment. "I fought my own fight. That's all."
