My parents laughed at me during the family reunion — Until a helicopter landed: “admiral… we need you” That day, my Uncle Robert’s farm overflowed with paper plates, “church-lady” potato salad, and those harmless little conversations where everyone subtly measures their success against yours. I’d only come back because it was Grandma’s eightieth birthday — and she still called me her “steady girl.” I’ve always been the steady one. The quiet one. The one people count on. The one who sends money w

My parents laughed at me during the family reunion — Until a helicopter landed: “admiral… we need you” That day, my Uncle Robert’s farm overflowed with paper plates, “church-lady” potato salad, and those harmless little conversations where everyone subtly measures their success against yours. I’d only come back because it was Grandma’s eightieth birthday — and she still called me her “steady girl.” I’ve always been the steady one. The quiet one. The one people count on. The one who sends money w