“Oh, wow,” he said, and emotion began to flood. “Oh, wow!”

Nate returned, wide-eyed. “Dude, did she respond? Did you read it?”

David handed Nate the phone. He read the text and looked up at David, clearly shocked. “You have a sister?” Then in a voice the whole train could hear, Nate yelled, “You have a sister! Dude, this is crazy! This is like, ‘Luke, I am your father.’”

David sat and tried to bring Nate’s tone down. “I’m pretty sure it’s not the same thing.”

“This is huge!” Nate yelled. Then it became clear to him how many people were staring at them and he sat. “What’s her name? Is it Leia?” When David didn’t answer, he lowered his voice as if he’d figured out the mystery. “Is it Rey?”

A new message came. David smiled as he said, “Her name is Courtney and she’s twelve.”

Nate seemed just as moved as David. “Princess Courtney. This is incredible!” He snapped out of his reverie and pulled up the camera on his phone. “Okay, this is good. Let’s do this. Really focus in on me. Give me a good reaction, like you just got the text for the first time. You ready? Okay. And go.”

It wasn’t hard for David to act surprised. He was still reeling from the text. He spoke to himself and pondered the words as he did.

“I have a sister.”

Nate looked at David. “Tears? Can you pull tears? Maybe that’s too much.”

Nate gave him more direction, but he finally said, “Cut.”

“Okay, now put that down,” David said. “Why would she wait so long to tell me that?”

“Dude, you think your sister will be there tomorrow?”

“She has to be. I want to see her.”

“Wow, this story just keeps getting better.”

“I should take her something.”

“What do you mean, like a present?”

“Yeah, you know, just something I can give her since I’ve missed all her birthdays. What would a twelve-year-old—?”

“What about flowers?”

“Do girls that age like flowers?” David said.

Nate pulled up the screen on his phone. “I know exactly who to ask.”

Nate dialed Reese as they walked to their sleeping car. Then he put her on speakerphone.

“Nate, why are you asking me this? You’re so obtuse.”

“I know, but I’m trying to lose weight,” Nate said, winking at David. He whispered, “Listen to this.”

“I said obtuse, not obese. I’m hanging up.”

“No, no, don’t, Reese. David is here. You know we’re going to see his birth mom, right?”

“Whatever.”

“She just texted him and said he has a full-blooded sister that he has never known about. And I was thinking it would be good for him to bring her something. What did you like when you were twelve?”

“How am I supposed to know what she likes?” Reese said. “Text her mom back and ask her.”