AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I could hear the pain in his voice as it broke, even in my drunken haze. But what Ethan didn’t realize was he’d already hurt me because I’d unfortunately fallen in love.
And as his words washed over me, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 27: Ethan
Twelve years earlier…
“Hey man, wait up!” my best friend Ryan called from behind as I strolled down the school hallway towards third period.
“Did you see the latest recruiters hanging out in the lobby?” he asked.
“Yeah, man. I’m going to talk to them after lunch.”
Ryan nodded. “I can’t imagine what I’m going to do at college without you.”
I reflected on the plans Ryan and I had made after applying for college in Georgetown to pursue finance degrees after high school.
Lately, though, the thought of plunging back into a world of constant studying and schoolwork didn’t excite me. My dad’s persistent pressure to join the family business echoed in my head, causing me to resist the idea of college even more. I wanted to do something different than the traditional plan that had always been laid out for me, I just wasn’t sure what.
Last summer, I’d stumbled upon my grandpa’s letters to my grandma from his time away in the war, I felt a sense of duty and pride reading them as they told of old war battles and victories. It seemed important to at least consider enlisting.
Today, the Army recruiters were back at Capitol High School, and I decided it was time to have the conversation.
By the time lunch rolled around, I couldn’t wait any longer. Walking up to the folding table nervously, I outstretched my hand.
“Hi, I’m Ethan Harrison.” I spoke.
“Hi, Ethan. Interested in getting more information about the U.S. Army?” The recruiter asked with a firm handshake.
As I listened to him discuss the phases of basic training, physical conditioning, weapons training, drill and ceremonies, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm knowing that my grandfather would have been proud looking down to know I was making this decision.
On that day, I made the easiest decision of my life, to enlist.
Later that evening, I returned home to tell my parents the news over dinner.
“You did what?” my father exclaimed as he sat at the dining room table, his fork in his hand hovering above the plate.
“I felt like it was the right thing to do for my country. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of going to college in two months anyways and I know the skills and experience I’ll gain from enlisting will be invaluable to the workforce someday.”
“This was never the plan!” my father bellowed from across the table, now slamming his fork down in anger.
“Honey, please take a deep breath,” my mom cautioned as she looked at my father.
“No, I won’t!” he shouted back. “What about the family business? Do you expect Jack to manage everything on his own?” He was now standing, his face red with anger.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around why my dad was so upset at my decision.
“You have over one hundred employees, dad. I think Jack can manage for the four years I’m active duty.” I sighed, shrugging.
“That isn’t the point!” he snapped as he turned on his heel and left the room.
My mom sighed softly, turning to look at me. “I wish you would have considered discussing this with us first, Ethan, but I understand your reasons for wanting to go. I’m proud of you. Give it some time and I believe your father will eventually come around.”
She patted my hand gently as she stood to follow my dad.
I sat quietly in my chair. I was 18 years old now and capable of making my own decisions but that didn’t lessen the sting of my dad’s outburst and apparent disapproval of my decision.
His reaction only served to fuel my anger and distance myself from him more. All he cared about since I was a child was building his business and ensuring his sons would take it over some day. I'd felt this was the right thing to do, and was proud of my plan, and eventually, like my mom had said, he’d have to come around.
