\u201cYou\u2019re an admiral?\u201d he finally asked, disbelief threading through his voice. I nodded, feeling the full weight of the moment press down on my shoulders. \u201cYes, Dad,\u201d I said gently.\u201cI\u2019m Rear Admiral Alex Callahan.\u201dThe backyard, once filled with the murmurs of side conversations and the sizzle of the barbecue, was now utterly still. All eyes were on us, the revelation hanging in the air like a tangible thing. My father\u2019s expression wavered between pride and a kind of bewildered awe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d he asked, his voice softer now, tinged with something that might have been regret or perhaps a realization of all the moments he\u2019d missed. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t want to,\u201d I said, choosing my words with care. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 duty called.And there wasn\u2019t exactly a Hallmark card for \u2018Congratulations on becoming Admiral.\u2019\u201dReins let out a short, respectful laugh, breaking the tension like a spear through ice. \u201cWell, I\u2019ll be damned,\u201d he said, shaking his head. \u201cAdmiral Callahan, leading Unit Seventy-Seven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve heard stories, but I never thought I\u2019d have the honor.\u201dHis words seemed to spark something in the crowd, and soon the murmuring resumed, this time with a new intensity, the sound of opinions and realizations bouncing around like a pinball. My father was still staring at me, his eyes searching mine. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you at least hint at it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want it to change things between us,\u201d I replied honestly. \u201cI\u2019m still your daughter, Dad. That part hasn\u2019t changed.\u201dHe nodded slowly, the understanding settling in.\u201cWell, I\u2019m proud of you, Alex,\u201d he said finally, the words carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken conversations. \u201cThank you,\u201d I replied, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. \u201cThat means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reins, who had been observing the exchange with a practiced eye, stepped forward again, extending his hand.\u201cIt truly is an honor, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there\u2019s anything you need, any time you need it, you just let me know.\u201dI shook his hand, grateful for the gesture. \u201cThank you, Commander,\u201d I said, \u201cbut today, I just want a cold drink and some time with my family.\u201dHe nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cYou\u2019re an admiral?\u201d he finally asked, disbelief threading through his voice. I nodded, feeling the full weight of the moment press down on my shoulders. \u201cYes, Dad,\u201d… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"views":63,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16657,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655\/revisions\/16657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}