I walked into the admin tent at sixteen thirty.

The air conditioner clattered in its aluminum window frame, fighting the late afternoon heat.

Vance was at his big oak desk going through a pile of personnel files.

He tapped a black plastic pen on the wood grain.

I stood at stiff attention in front of the desk until he looked up.

The sweat dried on my neck in the cold air.

“I sent your early reassignment request up to division this morning,” Vance said.