He’d always sneered at the rank and the authority behind them.

I climbed out of the car, went into the motel room, and opened my lone suitcase on the bed.

I dug beneath my neatly folded dress shirts and came up with a faded pair of jeans and a baggy gray cotton shirt.

It was the sort of outfit a person wears when they’ve given up on the day entirely.

I changed into the civilian clothes and stood in the middle of the motel room.

The loose fabric hid my military bearing.