While I was on NATO duty, my parents sold my dream Corvette to fund my brother’s luxury cruise. When I came back, my mom sneered, 'Thanks to your car, your brother is living his best life.' I chuckled, and she snapped, 'What’s so funny?' Her smile vanished when I told her… Because the car they sold was… ... The cicadas were loud in the Virginia trees. On the surface, everything was calm, familiar, safe. Yet, the quiet pressed on my chest like a physical weight. I had just returned from overseas,