Richard smiled.
"That sounds like good advice."
"It is."
He glanced at the sketches.
"What's this?"
"A cargo-handling design. Jordan wants to study engineering."
Richard examined the drawing.
"It's impressive."
"He has a lot of ideas."
"Does he know about Titan Dynamics?"
"Yes. He's interested in the company's engineering work."
Richard looked at her.
"Have you spoken to Marcus about him?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Victoria considered the question.
"I don't want Jordan to believe he has to depend on someone's influence to succeed. I want him to have a chance to demonstrate what he can do."
Richard nodded slowly.
"That seems reasonable."
Victoria put the papers into her bag.
"I've learned that making an introduction is not the same as creating an opportunity."
Richard regarded her.
"That's an important distinction."
She gave a small, rueful smile.
"I seem to be learning a lot of distinctions lately."
He reached for her hand.
"I know."
For a moment, they stood quietly in the classroom.
Then Victoria said something that surprised him.
"Richard, I think I used to believe that being important meant people had to listen to me."
He waited.
"Now I think being important might mean learning when to listen to them."
Richard smiled.
"That sounds like progress."
Victoria laughed softly.
"Don't make too much of it. I still get impatient."
"Of course you do."
"And I still hate being told no."
"I've noticed."
She nudged his arm.
"You're supposed to be supportive."
"I am being supportive."
They laughed together.
It was not a dramatic reconciliation.
Their marriage had not become perfect overnight.
They still disagreed about money, priorities, and the responsibilities that came with their positions.
Victoria still had to work at recognizing when her expectations had become unreasonable.
Richard still had to examine the habits that had allowed him to avoid difficult conversations for too long.
But they were beginning to speak more honestly.
And that was something neither of them had understood how to do before.
The Letter from Jordan
In June, Marcus received a letter at Titan Dynamics headquarters.
It was addressed by hand.
Daniel brought it into his office.
"This arrived with the morning mail."
Marcus opened the envelope.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
The handwriting was neat but slightly uneven.
Dear Mr. Reed,
My name is Jordan Ellis. I am a student at a community mentoring program in Chicago. I am interested in mechanical engineering and transportation systems.
I recently learned more about Titan Dynamics and the work your company does. I am especially interested in the way your engineers coordinate equipment and logistics systems.
I understand that your company works with students and technical training programs. I would like to ask whether there are any opportunities for someone my age to learn more about engineering.
I have included a few drawings of a cargo-handling mechanism I have been working on. I know they are not professional designs yet, but I would appreciate any advice about how to improve them.
Thank you for your time.
Jordan Ellis.
Marcus read the letter twice.
Then he examined the drawings.
They were rough.
The measurements were inconsistent.
Several components were impractical.
But the student had clearly spent time thinking about a real problem.
Marcus called Daniel.
"Do we have a technical outreach program for high school students?"
"Yes. It's limited, but we have workshops scheduled for the summer."
"Can someone from engineering review these drawings and provide feedback?"
"Of course."
"I don't want to promise him an internship or a job. He's too young for some of our programs, and we need to follow the usual application process."
"Understood."
"But I'd like to make sure he receives a serious response. If there is a workshop suitable for him, send him the information."
Daniel took the letter.
"I'll speak with the engineering outreach team."
Marcus returned to his desk.
He did not know whether Jordan would become an engineer.
He did not know whether the cargo-handling idea would ever become a useful design.
He did not know whether the student would eventually work for Titan Dynamics.
Those outcomes were beyond his control.
What he could do was ensure that a young person with an idea received a fair opportunity to learn.
That afternoon, the engineering team reviewed Jordan's sketches.
One engineer identified a promising concept involving the distribution of weight across a movable platform.
Another suggested a workshop that would help him understand load limits, mechanical tolerances, and safety requirements.
A third volunteered to explain how engineers turn an initial drawing into a testable design.
The team prepared a response.
It did not promise success.
It offered a beginning.
When Jordan received the letter, he read it three times.
Then he ran to show Denise.
"They actually looked at my drawings."
Denise smiled.
"Of course they did."
"They gave me feedback."
"That's what you asked for."
Jordan looked down at the pages.
For the first time, the idea that he might become an engineer felt less like a distant dream and more like a path he could begin walking.
He still had years of work ahead.
He still needed education, training, and experience.
But someone had taken his idea seriously enough to examine it.
And that was a powerful thing.
The Last Conversation About Seat 1B
In September, nearly a year after the confrontation aboard Pacific Airflight 882, Marcus attended a transportation conference in Washington.