Page 77 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
And to her surprise, River was standing by the fireplace, his hair tousled from the wind and color in his cheeks like he had been running.
“River,” she said, unable to think of any other words for a moment.
“There are some things I need to say,” he said, his voice rough.
He was going to try to explain himself. That was better than just disappearing, she supposed, but it wasn’t necessary.
“It’s okay,” she told him right away. “I understand. You don’t have to say a word.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t think you do understand.”
She glanced over at the kids, who were gazing up at River like he hung the stars.
She sighed and turned back to River and met his gaze.
Please don’t reject all of us like this,she begged him with her eyes.
“Should we talk privately?” she asked him.
“Yes,” he told her. “But there are some things the whole family needs to hear first.”
She nodded, steeling herself for the worst. If he wasdetermined to do this in front of everyone, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it.
“I had a valuable conversation with Mom today,” River said, his dark eyes landing on his mother. “It really opened my eyes to how my actions might look. Not just lately, but for a long time now. And I appreciate that, because I know I haven’t ever seemed like the steadiest member of this family.”
Nora’s eyes darted over to Edward, who was smiling fondly at his brother.
“But believe it or not, there were reasons for all the things I’ve done,” River went on. “What was my favorite subject in school?”
“Math,” his mother answered. “And Science.”
His father nodded thoughtfully.
“Trick question,” Edward said. “Your favorite part of school was 4-H Club.”
“Correct,” River said, pointing to his brother. “That was the activity I loved and never quit.”
His dad nodded again, a little smile pulling up the corner of his mouth this time.
“I didn’t want to go to college at all,” River went on. “But I did anyway, because you two thought it was important to give me that opportunity, and I didn’t want to let you down. But when my grades weren’t high enough after first semester, I knew I would lose my scholarship, and I didn’t want to get stuck with a bunch of loans for something I didn’t even really want in the first place.”
Nora had to admit that was actually pretty responsible behavior for a teenager.
“We would have helped you,” his mother said. “You know that, River.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “And I didn’t want that help. So I decided to help myself. I left and joined the Army, where I knew I could save my pay to buy a farm, as long as I lived like a pauper, and then got out and bought before land prices went up too much.”
Interesting…
“When did I join 4-H, Edward?” River asked his brother.
“When you were thirteen,” his brother supplied, pride in his eyes as he watched River make his case.
“So that’s how long I’ve known what I wanted to do, and how long I’ve been working toward it,” River said. “I know it’s not the dream you had for me, and I didn’t go about it in the most obvious way. But does it make you guys feel any better about the choices I’ve made to know there was nothing random or impulsive about them?”
His mother moved to embrace him with tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured to him. “I’m glad you’re living your life on your own terms.”
