Never before has it been so difficult for me to stay silent. But I know Jakob, and I know he needs this time to think.
Minutes later, he lifts his gaze. "Okay," he whispers tonelessly, and although his voice is barely audible, it resonates deeply within me.
All the tension drains from me. "Thank you," I reply, pulling him into a hug.
He pats me on the back. The past few months have put our friendship to the test, but we've preserved it. We stick together. We fight together. Not only for our newspaper but also for each other.
"I'll call the printing house," Jakob says.
"Let me handle it; I'll take care of it anyway." After all, I have to provide the replacement article. "But now, I should get to work."
"Let me know if I can help," he calls out as I leave the room.
I rush to my office and get to work. I replace the old article inRyktesspegelnwith a new one and create a special edition ofSanningens Ögonblick. Then I send both by email to the printing house and ask them to print the new version of the gossip magazine and the issue of our one true newspaper as an attachment tomorrow.
Tired but full of hope, I lean back in my chair.
It's done. The first step is taken.
