Then he turned his head slowly and looked up at me, and when he spoke again the aggression had drained entirely out of his voice, replaced by something small.

“You were in the military,” he said.

It was not quite a question.

“I served for more than ten years,” I said.

“Brenda never said anything,” he stammered.

“Because I asked her not to,” I answered.

“Years ago.

She kept my secret.