Chapter 16 - The Visitor Lobby
Friday afternoon arrived with a steady, grey drizzle that washed over the stone courtyards of the Pentagon.
True to my word, the front desk had scheduled my parents for a brief, formal twenty-minute visitor slot in one of the secure annex consultation rooms. When I walked in, carrying a slim leather folder, they were sitting side by side on the rigid institutional chairs.
They looked diminished. The aura of untouchable suburban success that had defined my childhood had completely dissolved.
My mother looked up as the door clicked open, her eyes red-rimmed and hesitant. She didn't stand to rush me, nor did she cross her arms with the familiar defensive posture I knew so well.
“Emily,” my mother said softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Thank you for seeing us.”
I sat across from them at the small stainless-steel table, keeping the folder closed between us. “You requested twenty minutes, Mom. The clock is running.”
My father leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped tightly together. “We didn't come to ask for favors, Emily. And we certainly didn't come to defend what Daniel did.”
May you like
“Good,” I replied evenly. “Because there is no defense for abandoning your unit and lying to cover it up.”
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