My sister told my parents i dropped out of medical…

at the large blue ribbon resting in my hands.

I held it up slightly.

“I won, Dad,” I said softly. “First place in the state.”

He stared at the ribbon. He did not smile. He did not ask what the project was about. He set his glass down on the granite counter and looked me dead in the eye.

“Trophies do not pay mortgages, Bel,” he said. “Put that away and continue reading …