without announcing my arrival. I landed at Austin Bergstrom International Airport on a warm Thursday afternoon, exhausted from the flight but buzzing with an
excitement I hadn’t let myself feel in years. I rented an SUV, loaded my luggage, and drove straight to the property, my hands tight on the wheel the whole way, my heart doing something close to racing every time I thought about the look on my mother’s face when she opened the door and saw me standing there.
My heart swelled with pride as I pulled up the long driveway, looking at the stone facade, landscaped lawn, and quiet luxury of the home I had bled for, quite literally, through years of twelve-hour shifts under a sun that didn’t care how tired you already were. I walked up the front porch, set my duffel bag down, and rang the doorbell, already smiling, already imagining the sound
