A large umbrella shielded me from the rain.
“Cadet Lawson?” a calm voice asked.
I turned to find Major General Grant, the academy commandant.
“We have been trying to locate you,” he said. “The superintendent, the faculty, and several visiting officers are waiting.”
“I am sorry,” I managed. “There was a problem at the entrance.”
His expression shifted when he saw my father and stepsister inside.
“They did not let you through?” he asked.
I said nothing.
The commandant’s face became serious, but his voice remained composed. “Then they have misunderstood the occasion.”
He offered me his arm—not as an order, but as a gesture of respect.
“You will not enter through the guest doors,” he said. “You will come with me.”
A short time later, I stood behind the stage in full ceremonial uniform. Beyond the curtain, my father sat in the VIP section, still unaware that the next name announced would be mine.
