Page 39 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“How long have you been coming here?”he asked.
“To the VFW?Since I was a kid.My grandpa was a veteran.”
“Did you come last year?”
“I did.”
“How was it?”
“Difficult.”
He wondered how she felt about military service now after having lost her husband.“Does Marcus want to be a Marine, like his father?”
“He says he does, but he’s five.He also wants to be a ninja.”
“What do you want for him?”
“I don’t know,” she said, sighing.“My first instinct is to keep him safe.I have concerns about bringing him here because it’s a form of encouragement.But I also think it’s important for him to know who his father was.”
Jason pictured his comrade’s dusty, bloody face in the rubble.Tell her.
“If you had a child, how would you feel about them joining the military?”
He blinked to dispel the disturbing image.Although he didn’t regret his choices, the near-death experience had taken a significant toll on him.He found that he couldn’t answer her question.“My parents didn’t want me to serve.”
“Why not?”
“My dad was in the National Guard, but he never went overseas.He didn’t believe in modern warfare.Drones and world policing and all that.He thought I should stay in Montana and work on the ranch.”
“What did your mom think?”
“She thought I should be a lawyer.”
“Did you study law?”
“I did.”
“There are a lot of problems to fix in the legal system.”
“Too many,” he said.“I’d rather take apart an engine or rebuild a house.”
“Why did you enlist against their wishes?”
He leaned back in his chair, considering his answer.
“I’m sorry,” she said lightly.“I’m prying.”
“It’s fine.”
She searched the room for Marcus and the twins.They were playing with tin soldiers at the edge of the dance floor.“Gabe was planning to join the Marines.His parents begged him not to go after Mike was killed.”
“Were they close?”
“Like brothers.”
Jason felt a pang of sympathy for Gabe, but only a small one.Gabe was old enough to make his own decisions.No one had forced him to fall in with Billy’s crowd.“Does he know his friend threatened you?”
“I doubt it.He’s not bad… just misguided.”
