The Flight That Changed Everything..!

He told me about freelancing, teaching coding, moving back with his parents, taking a retail job.

“I used to think failure was beneath me,” he said. “Turns out, it’s where you learn who you are.”

I shared my own story—the therapy, the slow climb back, how losing that job forced me to find what mattered. I’d joined a nonprofit, then started my own venture building digital tools for mental health.

“It’s doing okay,” I said. “Not a unicorn, but we help people.”

“That’s worth more than unicorns,” he said.

Then he asked, “You still mad at me?”

I paused. “I was. For a long time. But maybe not now.”

He nodded and reached into his bag, handing me a wrinkled envelope.

Inside was a check. Ten thousand dollars.

“Partial severance,” he said. “Back pay, if you will. I couldn’t give it back then—the company account was frozen. I promised myself, if I ever got back on my feet, I’d make it right.”

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