The second went around Owen’s.
Applause rolled through the auditorium, and I stood with everyone else. I didn’t scream. I didn’t wave my arms. I just clapped until my hands hurt because I knew what those medals represented.
They represented years Daniel had never seen.
The kitchen table covered in practice sheets. The science kits that took over our laundry room. The Saturdays I drove two hours to free workshops because private tutoring wasn’t in our budget. The nights Owen got frustrated and wanted to quit. The mornings Eli woke before sunrise because he wanted another hour to work on an experiment before school.
Daniel saw two medals.
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