Downtown Fort Worth buzzed around us — traffic lights clicking, heels striking pavement, the low hum of corporate morning energy. But inside that small circle on the sidewalk, everything froze.
Brooke’s eyes dropped to my badge again.
My mother blinked twice, like the letters might rearrange themselves into something more comfortable.
My father cleared his throat. “Software engineer?” he repeated, testing the words like they were foreign.
“Yes,” I said evenly.
No apology. No explanation.
Just truth.
The Recalculation
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