He sat with his wife’s photo, waiting for a son who had already boarded without him

vacation. Not once did he imply my worth was conditional.

When I finished explaining a particularly complex stability sequence, he leaned back, impressed.

— You weren’t just keeping Brixell alive, — he said. — You were operating at an executive level while being paid like a mid-tier manager.

I didn’t deny it.

— And they fired you, — he continued. — Which continue reading …