PART 1
My brother stood at the end of my grandfather’s birthday table, smiled like he already owned the room, and said, “You don’t deserve to carry our last name.”
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The Callaway name came from my mother’s side. My grandfather had built Callaway Works from one failing repair shop near the river. He answered emergency calls, fixed pumps during storms, repaired drainage systems, and later turned part of the old building into a training workshop for young people who needed a second chance.
He always told me, “A name is not a trophy, Jasmine. It is a promise.”
Damon heard “trophy.”
I heard “promise.”
I became a civil engineer for the city, working on stormwater systems, drainage plans, and flood prevention. Damon called me “the pipe girl.” At family dinners, everyone laughed when he mocked my work.
