Pa insisted I come along with him to see Pake off. I didn’t want him to go at all.
Jefferson doesn’t have a proper bus terminal like a real town, so we stood out in the parking lot like shoppers.
“Just always do what your sergeants tell you to do, but remember you’re a Barnes and don’t take shit from nobody.” Pa had served in Vietnam, but he’d been drafted.
Pake stood tall. “Yessir.”
“Your mother doesn’t understand. She says this is not our war.”
“Well, I figure all them terrorists got to pay for what they did to them buildings.”
And so it goes on. Powerful story.
Alas.. there is never anything changing is there… there will always be a war.
So sad, reasons for wars can always be found by those who want them. Great voices.
Best battle plan ever: send them busloads of our tourists.
Reminds me of an anniversary of another sort, not long past.
janet
A tale of our times – sadly.
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Well done for portraying the feelings of each member of the family in so few words. The scene feels very real, no doubt because it is a reality for so many families
I am reminded of my own ride of the bus to boot camp. You got that right. I wondered about the narrator…a brother perhaps? Did he not want to come see Pake off because he was going to miss him or because he didn’t think what Pake was doing was right? Inquiring minds want to know. I think it is the former, but as always, I crave closure.
I don’t think all of our soldiers sound like this and it is stereotype. And there are poor people who go into the military because they see it as their opportunity.
“Jefferson doesn’t have a proper bus terminal like a real town, so we stood out in the parking lot like shoppers.” What a descriptive line! Enjoyed!!!
Great voices. There’s so much implied in the understated last line. Powerful.