Thomas’s POV
The patent office email came at 7:42 a.m. on a Wednesday in late August. Subject: Application No. 18/456,789 – Notice of Allowance.
I read it twice before the words sank in. Allowed. After three office actions, two amendments, and one final rejection that almost made me quit. The alloy composition was cleared for issuance. Eighteen months of late nights in the garage finally paid off.
I forwarded it to Nadia without comment. Just the link. She called thirty seconds later.
“Dad?”
“Read it?”
“Yeah. Congratulations. This is huge.” “It’s a start. Still have to license it. Manufacture. Scale.”
“But it’s allowed. That’s the hard part.”
I exhaled. “Feels unreal.” She was quiet for a second. “You deserve this. You’ve been grinding forever.”
“Thanks, kid.”
We hung up. I sat a
