Three Decades of Pretending Come to an End in a Military Holding Cell

I pressed the red circle on the screen and hung up.

I opened my contacts.

I found Aunt Martha’s name.

I scrolled to the bottom of her entry and tapped delete.

The screen asked me to confirm.

I pressed yes.

I laid the phone face down on the nightstand and left the screen dark.

Tuesday morning started at zero seven hundred.