She smiled.

A young man in a blue uniform helped her with her suitcase.

Two more cars pulled into the visitor parking lot.

An older couple holding hands walked toward the lobby doors.

I watched them cross the threshold.

My mother’s name was carved into the granite above the archway.

*The Maribel.*

I touched the smooth wooden railing of the balcony.

My hands were steady.

The phone in my pocket was silent.

The empire was exactly where it belonged.