pay for their fine dining, imported wine, and sports car leases. Worst of all, they treated my mother like an unpaid servant. They made her wash their laundry, cook their meals, and clean the expansive estate while they entertained their wealthy friends on the very patio I’d pictured her relaxing on with her morning tea.
My contract in Dubai finally concluded in late October. Wanting to give my mother the ultimate surprise, I booked an early flight back to Texas without announcing my arrival. I landed at Austin Bergstrom International Airport on a warm Thursday afternoon, exhausted from the flight but buzzing with an
excitement I hadn’t let myself feel in years. I rented an SUV, loaded my luggage, and drove straight to the property, my hands tight on the wheel the whole way, my heart doing something close to racing every time I thought about the look on my mother’s face when she opened the door and saw me standing there.
