The teammate who had been looking at the floor raised his head.
My mother took one small step in our direction and then stopped.
The band cut off in the middle of its transition.
The sudden absence of music changed the room faster than any announcement could have.
Senior officers near the VIP section straightened.
Conversations shortened and then ended.
People shifted aside, not chaotically, but with the immediate recognition that someone important was moving through the crowd.
General Thomas Carter had entered the open aisle.
Four stars.
Even in a room crowded with decorated uniforms, his presence created its own line of attention.
He walked without hurry, which made everyone else’s movement seem faster.
My father noticed him first.
Years of military habit seemed to return to his body in one instant.
His shoulders squared.
His chin lifted.
His hand tightened on Daniel’s shoulder, and he moved my brother half a step forward.
