jacket and all, and held him with his head bowed, and his shoulders were shaking.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said.
His voice broke.
My father looked, for the first time all day, genuinely startled.
“Well, I’ll be,” he murmured. “Brock?”
“Mr. Pickering.”
“You’ve gone gray.”
“So have you.” The captain laughed through his tears. “After all these years. I never imagined I’d get another chance to see you.”
Dad patted his back, twice, the way he’d have patted a nervous horse.
“You’ve got passengers waiting, Captain. Don’t let me interfere with your work.”
The pilot laughed.
But his eyes were shining.
By now, everyone nearby had stopped.
The family with the stroller.
The woman with the cane.
A tall flight attendant, who had come out onto the jet bridge and stood with her hand over her mouth.
And Chad Hollenbeck.
