The Essay Part Two

AN-Ties into the my other WIP – Handling It, basics, Mackenzie is Harm and Mac's daughter, Sergei and Jen are helping Mac out. Other than that you really don't have to ready the whole epic that I is became so consuming this is a break. Read and review if you like, if not I understand.

1800 EST

Same day, same place

Mattie walked downstairs and found Mac trying to teach Mackenzie new words.

"Mac?" Mattie addressed her while standing in the doorway.

"Yes darling?"

"I'm sorry you had to take more time off today to come down to the school. I promised Dad I would behave, and I broke my promise."

"Come here and sit next to me." Mac instructed as she put Mackenzie on her play mat. "Look at me Mathilda Grace. You did not break your promise to your father. I think that Harm would be very proud of you today. Now did you finish your homework?"

"Yes."

"Do you need me to check over anything?"

"Mac, it might make you upset. I miss him."

"Honey I miss him too."

"Do you think he is still alive?"

"Never give up hope. I haven't. I know in my heart that your father will come home to us. I can't explain it, I just know. Now, about your new English class, the principal was telling me it was an advanced English class."

"Yeah. Which means I have to do a lot more work, and do the summer reading and the project so I can get credit."

"What is the summer reading?"

"Some book called Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam and the project is I have to interview a veteran and report on his story."

"I am going to talk to your teacher. I believe Dr. Porter gave me her home number. I have an idea that will really open your class's eyes up."

Ring . . . Ring . . .

"Hello," a voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hi. My name is Sarah Mackenzie. I am Mattie Rabb's stepmother." Mac said over the phone. She didn't mean to lie about her relationship to Mattie. For all intensive purposes it was true.

"Mattie is the new student in my class. Let me introduce myself. I am Mrs. Chavez. What can I do for you Ms. Mackenzie?"

"Mattie was telling me about her project and the book she has to read to make up for the summer project. I was wondering when those had to be done by. Also, I am in the military, and with the approach of Veteran's Day I was wondering if you would be interested in having the children hear some of the war stories first hand by the men who lived them. I haven't talked to the men yet, but many of them I know would be grateful to share their experiences."

"That would be delightful. Just tell Mattie the days and I will be delightful to set aside the class side. It is the last period of the day, so I will write to the parents and tell them that I can arrange for carpooling if necessary."

"Thank you."

"No Ms. Mackenzie thank you. How is Mattie's essay coming along?"

"I don't know she won't let me read it."

"Well, I am grading the other essays now. When she is done, will you have her email it to me. I won't count any mistakes against her since it is her first draft. Also, the book reading will be due for her in a month, the interview is due in six weeks."

"I will ma'am. Thank you for your time."

"Good bye Ms. Mackenzie."

Mac hung up the phone and called AJ Chegwidden and set up a time for him to come out to the house and be interviewed by Mattie. He seemed pleased by the project and said he would be willing to go into the class.

Mac walked upstairs to find Mattie fiddling around with her JROTC uniform. "Mac, I can get the pleats right and I have inspection tomorrow!"

"Bring me the uniform, I will help you out. Also, your Uncle AJ is coming for you to interview him for the project."

"I haven't seen Uncle AJ in awhile. It will be nice to see him. Do you think he will be okay talking about Vietnam, I know it is something that he doesn't like to talk about."

"He wouldn't' have agreed if it was not okay."

Mattie handed Mac her uniform pants and Mac expertly pressed the pleats in her pants. "Do you need me to hem them up, are your shoes shined? Oh, before I forget, your teacher wants you to email her the draft."

"I think everything else is done Mac. And I will email her the draft."

"Thank you Mattie get some sleep."

"Yes ma'am. If you see Dad in your dreams tonight, tell him I love him."

"I will honey."

Mattie spent the rest of the night straightening up her room and writing in her diary her Dad gave her right before he left for the carrier.

1300 EST

Mattie's School

Right before English class

Mattie walked into her new English class and sat next to her friend Melinda who was in the class too.

"Mattie, did you find a veteran?"

"Yeah. Admiral Chegwidden, Dad and Mac's old boss was willing to be interviewed."

"An Admiral?! That is so cool. How did your inspection go today?" Melinda asked realizing that Mattie was in her uniform.

"It went great, Major Daves said that I was accelerating well."

The teacher walked in and Mattie immediately became quiet. The teacher lectured on iambic pentameter and the use of it in Shakespearean English when the principal buzzed in.

"Mrs. Chavez, I need you to send Mathilda Rabb to the office."

"Right away." She wrote Mattie a hall pass and the rest of the class snickered, Melinda looked at Mattie with a said smiled and whispered a prayer for her.

Mattie walked into the office and saw Mac sitting in her office. 'Oh no, something must have gone wrong.' Major Daves just walked into the office the same time Mac walked out of the office, seeing that Mattie was also in uniform, Mattie and Major Daves came to attention. It took Mac a little bit to realize what happened. "At ease. Sorry Mattie, I didn't mean to scare you. The principal called while I was on my lunch break." She turned to the major. "Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie."

"Major Daves, her JROTC instructor."

"Her stepmother."

"Now I know why Mattie is always in such good order and discipline. Nothing like being raised by a marine colonel."

"I can't take credit for that. It was all her father, Commander Rabb."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry. I heard about the Commander."

"Thank you." Mac turned to her daughter. "Mattie, the principal would like to see you for a few moments."

"Yes Mom." Mac gave Mattie a squeeze and the Major escorted Mac out to the car. "You aren't the same Colonel Mackenzie that was involved in the prison uprising several months ago."

"That I am."

"Ma'am, it is an honor to meet you."

Mac hopped into Harm's Lexus and waved goodbye to the Major leaving her daughter to deal with the principal.

Inside the principal's office

"Mattie, we need your signature to submit your essay for a contest."

"That's it?"

"Well, yes. Did you think you did something wrong?"

"No. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Well there is one more stipulation, you need to write a little more to the essay, do you think you can?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Mattie, good luck."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Get back to class now."

"Yes ma'am."

Mattie walked out of the classroom. Her principal had never seen a more well behaved child.

1630 EST

Harm and Mac's house

Mattie burst through the door after volleyball practice. Jen had been so nice and supportive during Harm's absence by helping out.

"Jen, I need your help."

"Yes Mats?"

"Can you drive me to the Wall so I can do my homework, I need inspiration."

"What is your homework?"

"I need to expand the essay on dad."

"Okay, let's leave Mac and Sergei a note, and I will drive you out there."

"Thanks Jen."

Mattie ran upstairs to get her laptop and Jen wrote the note and left it on the counter saying that she would take care of Mattie's dinner also.

1730 EST

The Vietnam Memorial

Washington, DC

Mattie walked among the masses of names. "Jen, who are going to remember these soldiers when their families are gone? What use are names on a wall without their stories? Who will remember Dad, or is he going to become part of the masses remembered by a memorial." Mattie asked finally letting her frustration show about her father being MIA.

Jen hugged Mattie fiercely. "Your dad will never become part of the masses of heroes."

"Jen is right Mattie." Mac said coming from behind. Sergei and Mackenzie were in tow. "We thought a picnic in the mall would be nice. When you are finished with your visit, come and find us."

Mattie found the name she had been searching for and reached out and touched the name of her grandfather and stood in the spot where Mac had made it possible for Harm to take her. She sat down in the spot and started typing.

(AN-This is the same essay as before, just a little extended)

Picking out a Hero Among the Masses

I really didn't know where to start when I was given the assignment to write and essay of on the topic of heroes. When I was younger, I used to think that a hero was embodied as Superman who could fly, Spiderman who could climb walls, or Batman who could fly high in his plane. But then I realized as I walked among the masses of the names of men who have given up their lives for this country, I realize it is not super strength that makes you a hero, it is the ability to fight for what is right.

Up until September 10, 2001, the entire nation slept safe and secure. We all went around doing our boring routines, living boring lives, and not really bothering to stop and realize all that we had.

Well, the world changed for all of us on September 11, 2001. The mighty towers fell, and the Pentagon was hit, and life began to unravel for everyone. But in the midst of the tragedy, heroes arose. Policemen, firemen, and everyone who worked those tragedies are classified as heroes, and everyone in the military can be lumped underneath that category. The man I believe to be the embodiment of heroism though is my father, Harmon Rabb, or DA! as my little sister screams.

In order to understand where I am going with this, you have to understand one thing, my dad is the typical hero. He leads one life during the day, and another life at night. Except for my father fights for truth, justice, and American way during the day, and at night, he corrects my algebra homework.

Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. United States Navy. I love watching my father run out of the house every morning with ribbons adorning his chest. I get stories about my dad from Mac. She has told me that my father saved her life in everyway that counts. She even told me about my father's war medals, three DFC's are included in the plethora of ribbons that adorns his uniform.

I could go one and talk about the stories behind these medals, but you could look it up for yourself on the internet. What I believe makes my father a hero is the fact that he did save the world, and that is not because he adverted a nuclear disaster. He saved mine. He gave me everything I thought I never wanted. He showed me it was okay to be young again and it was okay for me to lean on him. In a world in which I thought I wasn't wanted, he wanted me. No strings attached, all bad habits included. He saved my life and made me into the woman I am today. I miss you dad, come home soon.