Page 31 of Steel & Jenna
“Multiple times, but the excitement you think of is dramatized bythe media and movies. It wasn’t all fun and games,” he said with a stern look in his eyes. “It was good, honest work.”
“Did you ever kill anyone?”
Mr. Zarin raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that’s glorious? To kill?”
Feeling embarrassed by his question, Jack shook his head. “No, sir. Not really.”
“Why’s that?”
Jack moved the eggs around on his plate with his fork. “Well, I imagine not all the people killed in a war are the enemy. There’s probably a lot of civilians killed too. We’re taught about the Holocaust, Korean and Vietnam Wars… They talk about how many soldiers die, but rarely about how many civilians. It’s always made me wonder if war is worth the cost.”
“It’s usually not,” Mr. Zarin said before biting into his sandwich.
“Then why fight?” Jack asked. “Why become a Marine?”
Mr. Zarin put his sandwich down to wipe his mouth with a napkin. “As I said, it was a good paycheck and honest work. I’m not a smart man, Jack. Not like my wife. College wasn’t for me, but I knew I needed to provide for my family. Joining up seemed like the best way to do that.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No,” Mr. Zarin said with a shake of his head. “I wish I hadn’t left my wife alone so often, but I don’t regret it. I was able to support her through college, to buy us a house we can grow old in.”
“And to take in two down-on-their-luck kids?” Jack added before he could stop himself.
Mr. Zarin chuckled. “That too.”
“How old are you, Mr. Zarin?”
“How old are you, Jack?”
“Fifteen,” he answered, though he had a feeling Mr. Zarin already knew that. “Lilly just turned seven.”
Mr. Zarin nodded. “I’m forty-two.” He picked his sandwich back up.
Jack took another bite of his eggs. “Thank you,” he said softly. “With everything from last night, I’m not sure I said that. I know you’re giving me the weekend to make a decision and I think we both know what it’s going to be, at least in Lilly’s case, but I still need to make sure you know how grateful I am for your offer. You’re opening your home to two virtual strangers, regardless that I was once a student of Mrs. Zarin’s and Lilly’s currently one. So…yeah. Just, thank you. And I’ll help around the house with anything you need,” he added hastily. “I’m pretty handy.”
“I noticed. Did you build that hitch for your bike on your own?”
Jack nodded, his shoulders feeling light at the praise from the older man.
Looking up at the large clock above the milkshake bar, Mr. Zarin asked, “What time does your dad go to work?”
And, just like that, the heaviness was back. “I’m not sure. Lilly and I are usually out of the trailer early and I keep us out as late as I can. I don’t know his schedule anymore.”
“That’s fine.” Mr. Zarin’s voice was gentle, but also held a hint of something that made Jack think of anger. “Finish up,” he instructed. “We’ll head over to your house next to pick up anything you and Lilly need.”
Jack glanced down at his half eaten plate, not sure he could stomach eating more if he had to face his father this morning. As strong as he wanted to be, he wasn’t compared to John Duncan. His father still had a lot of weight and height on him. “What if he’s there?”
“Then we’ll deal with it.” Mr. Zarin’s voice didn’t waver in the slightest. “I won’t let him lay a finger on you, Jack.”
Looking up, Jack had no choice but to believe him. The confidence and steel behind Mr. Zarin’s gaze left no room for doubt.
I want that to be like that, Jack thought as he took another bite of eggs.Someday, I want to be just as strong so I know I’ll always be able to protect those I love.
John Duncan’sbeater was in their driveway when Mr. Zarin pulled his truck up to the trailer. Jack’s stomach sank. As assured as Mr. Zarin was, he still didn’twantan altercation to occur. It was much better if he could slip inside, grab what they needed, and then slip outside without his dad even knowing he was there.
“Wait here,” Jack told Mr. Zarin.
“I can come with you,” the man insisted.
