At Family Dinner, My Sister Introduced Her New Boyfriend — And For Some Reason, They All Kept Staring At Me. When He Asked What I Do For Work, My Mom Cut Me Off: “Don’t Embarrass Us.” Everyone Laughed. My Sister Added, “Maybe Lie This Time, So You Don’t Sound So Pathetic.” I Just Smiled… Until Their Faces Went Pale.

“That’s wonderful, Sheldon,” she said with a brittle smile. “A nice validation of your passion project, but—”

I wasn’t finished. I scrolled to the final paragraph of the email.

“They’re also featuring an eight-page spread of my wolfpack documentation from Montana last year. The series will be considered for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is sponsored by the Natural History Museum in London.”

Jackson let out a low whistle.

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