We have a special guest aboard — Sergeant Isaiah Langston — who served this country with extraordinary honor.

Sergeant, from my family to yours: welcome home.”

Chapter 21 — Welcome Home

The plane erupted into applause again.

People smiled, some nodded, and a few older veterans in the cabin offered sharp salutes as I gathered our bags, took my cane, and walked Nia down the aisle.

Those salutes reached me in a way the applause didn’t.