The captain came on over the intercom, his voice calm and low.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached our cruising altitude of thirty-five thousand feet.

Flight time to our destination will be one hour and twenty minutes.”

I laid the book flat on my lap and looked at the small gold oak leaf pinned to my collar.

The brass back was tight and perfectly flush against the fabric, right where General Vance had fixed it before we walked out to the jet bridge.

A silver drinks cart came rolling quietly down the carpeted aisle from the forward galley.