Chapter 1 – The Academy
"Adora, I thought we'd talked about this already," he said, slightly exasperated and mildly confused.
"Yes, Wyatt," came his young wife's response from across the kitchen. "We talked about it; we didn't decide on it."
Eighteen-year-old Wyatt Cain made that sound in the back of his throat, somewhere between a grunt and a growl, which Adora thought he had learned from his father a little too well. She set down the plate she was washing and turned away from the sink. Placing both hands on her hips, she leaned back against the counter. Uh oh…I'm in trouble, he thought. She only stands like that when she's mad. They'd only been married a few weeks, but he was quickly becoming an expert at reading his seventeen-year-old wife's body language. If only I'd mastered it before we got married…
"You know that my wage at the shop isn't going to pay the bills if you go to the Academy. How are we going to eat if you aren't working?"
"I've already talked to my boss at the stables. He said he'd work with me."
"And how long is that going to last, Wyatt, before he starts cutting back your schedule because he's figured out that you're leaving as soon as you graduate: a month, maybe two?"
"So, you'd rather me make a career out of being a stable-boy than try to find a better one just because money's going to get tight?"
"Yes," she said frankly and with a slight bite. Wrong move…try to smooth her feathers, not ruffle them further. Even being a newlywed, he knew that a happy wife made a happy home. He paused for a moment before continuing, trying to find the right words.
"Adora, the Academy is only going to take nine months. Nine months…that's it and then it's done. If I graduate with high enough marks, I'll be guaranteed a position on the Central City Police force, making four times what I get at the stables, and you'll be able to quit the shop, if you want, and the only person you'll ever have to sew for again will be me."
She crossed her hands over her chest and he fought himself to keep from releasing a breath of relief, recognizing the subtle tell that she was beginning to come around to his point of view. "That's a big if, Wyatt…a really big if. What if you don't make the marks? We both know how dismal a student you are." She was right. If it hadn't been for her drilling him, he never would have made it out of secondary.
"With you around to help me study," he said with a grin and a little twinkle in his eye, "how can I fail?" He saw the corners of her mouth lift and he dared to walk across the room. "It's going to work out…I know this is the right decision, and the acceptance letter only proves it."
She looked up at him and asked, "I hope you're right." He tipped her chin up with one hand, putting the other arm around her waist.
"We'll make it," he said confidently as he kissed her forehead. He did breathe a sigh of relief when he felt her arms wrap around him. She buried her head in his chest and he rested his cheek against the top of her head.
We'll make it… he reassured himself.
Author's Notes: Kinda short for a beginning, I know. Please review if you like the idea!
Disclaimer for the entire piece: I don't own Tin Man, nor do I claim any rights thereof.