“The note says he wanted to surprise you,” the adjutant said.

“Is there a security issue?”

I looked at the three names on the glowing screen.

Richard and Linda had obviously been following my military record.

They had waited until I was ranked first in my class to show their faces, buying their way into the auditorium to claim the glory of my commission.

They thought I was still their average disappointment, miraculously turned into an asset they could show off to their rich friends.

They thought my last name was still Barrett.