Chapter Two---- part three

    Supper was almost on the table by the time they arrived at the house. They got washed up and joined the gals in the kitchen. They helped set the table and then everyone sat down to eat. His father said grace as he did almost every night. The discussion was the normal what was your day like that they had most nights around the table. Andy was a little quieter than normal, but nobody said anything about that. Andy spoke up as his mom was about to go get dessert from the refrigerator. He had to tell them and there wasn't going to be a good time or an easy way to do this. His dad had seemed to be waiting for him to speak up. Like it or not he had this to do, so why not just do it. His mom sat back down as he spoke his first words.

    "Mom, wait a minute on that. I need to talk to all of you." Once she was seated again, Andy took another deep breath and started. "You guys all know I have been trying to decide where to go and what to do after I graduate. Well, I made my decision today." He stopped and looking right at his mom he spoke directly to her. "Please just let me finish talking before you say anything. You need to hear everything before you say anything... okay?" His mom just frowned and nodded. Sandy was watching him very closely now. His dad had leaned forward to rest his arms on the table with his chin on his hands. He knew what was coming, even if Andy hadn't told him, he knew. Andy wished he knew how everyone was going to feel about this. It took him a minute to get his courage up enough to start, but once he did, it all came out fast and complete, more or less anyway.

    "I am not going to be attending any of the schools we’ve talked about. I’m still not certain exactly what I want to have as my major yet, but I do know where I’m going to go. I won't be staying close. I probably won't be home much at all. I’m not sure how all of that will work yet. I just know this is where I must go. I wasn't even sure I could go until a little while ago. I have already done the application paperwork, the physicals, and even the interviews. They have to choose you first, before you can even decide for yourself." He hesitated for just an instant. "I have been accepted at the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado and I am going to go. Mom, please understand that I have to do this. I wasn't sure of that, not really sure, until today. Pastor David might as well have been preaching just to me yesterday. Today I went to talk with him. I didn't want to involve you guys until I was sure myself. I needed someone to talk with that I could trust and who would keep a secret until I could decide. Now don't blame him for my decision. He didn't push me either way. In fact, all he did was ask questions. But when we were done... I knew I had to go, I just knew it was the right choice."

    Andy took a deep breath and waited. He expected some sort of major reaction, but he got nothing major at all. His mom just nodded. Then she got up and went into the kitchen. Sandy was just sitting there with her mouth hanging open, looking at him like he was something out of a nightmare. His dad turned his head and followed his wife with his eyes. In just a minute she came out with a pie for dessert. She sat it down and started to slice a piece before she spoke a word. "I was afraid it might be something like this, although I will admit I never even thought of one of the Academies. Honestly, I am at least a little relieved that you aren't just enlisting." She smiled as she handed him a slice of the pie and continued cutting more for the rest of them. "I won't lie to you, I don't like this idea. It seems like we are always charging around the world and getting in between other peoples fights. I hear about men killed or wounded every night it seems like. The idea of you becoming a part of all of that scares me."

    She sat down once everyone had been served some pie. Only then did she really look at Andy. Smiling she spoke for the first time in that mother's tone of voice used when she was laying down the law about something. "You just promise me that you will at least write. Margaret says her son almost never writes to her and it is so hard not hearing anything. She would rather hear how awful it is than not hear anything. You promise me that right now James Andrew Cooper or I swear I will bawl my eyes out until you do!" Andy was the one with his mouth open now. Suddenly he heard his dad sputtering and coughing. He was almost choking on the piece of pie he had been eating. Sandy was looking at all of them like they had gone nuts now. Andy just shook his head in disbelief. His mom was looking just at him though, with tears in her eyes, so he managed to get out something. "I promise."

    That seemed to be enough. She dropped her eyes and then let out a long breath and asked her first question. "Why? Why do you think you need to go?" She looked up at him and there were still tears forming. Andy swallowed and tried to think of what to say, of how to explain it. He heard himself saying the words before he even knew what he was doing. "Mom, I just felt like I needed to do something that mattered, something to change things. This was the best way I could see. I wasn't sure of any of this until today, but now I know this is right. Like I said, I have to go." Andy managed to cut his words off before it came pouring out that he knew it was where the Lord wanted him to be. He wasn't sure how they would react to that. He wasn't even sure how he felt about that yet.

    The next hour was spent just talking with his parents around the table. Sandy listened, but she was noticeably silent. There were lots of questions. A few frowns and even a fair bit of laughter. Andy had expected it to be a lot worse than it had been so far. Sandy had finally pushed her chair back and stood up about halfway into that hour. She gathered the plates and then stood looking at Andy for a minute before she said a word. When she did speak, her voice was much calmer than he had expected. "I will do the dishes and then I am going out for a while. I just need to think before I say anything. Andy, you never fail to surprise me. Just when I think I know you, I find out I don't know you at all." She shook her head and walked into the kitchen before he could say anything. His dad quickly asked him another question and before he knew it he heard the kitchen door close as Sandy went out.