“He missed three of my school plays because of field exercises, but he stood at the front gate every time I earned a ribbon.

She should have been there in 2020.”

“She had other priorities,” I said.

“The tunnel ushers have strict instructions,” Brenda said, capping her pen with a sharp snap.

“They’ll walk all three of them straight down the center aisle at nine fifteen.”

She picked up her master clipboard and walked out into the granite corridor.

At eight fifteen, I walked down the hallway toward the wings of the stage.

In the distance, the cadet brass band played warm-up scales that echoed off the concrete ceiling.