031 Belong

Character: Tym

Tym sat at the kitchen table, watching his father. The older man was staring at the tabletop a finger absently tapping on the wood surface. "I never thought you'd do this." His father shook his head.

"Do what? Be my own person and not follow in your footsteps. This is my decision to make. You should be glad that I'm becoming a man and making these choices." Tym had known they wouldn't take it well but he'd had no other choice.

"I thought you were so determined to go to school. What happened to wanting to design buildings?" his father asked.

Here was where Tym had to break the bad news. "I can't go to school any more, we can't afford it. When the government did those recent cuts to the budget the funds for the line of scholarship that I was getting my tuition from was cut off. I know we can't afford it so I'm out of options."

"But the military?" His father seemed unable to understand the choice. "Why not just get a job at a store in town or something?"

"The UNSC has a program that allows me to get money for school. Not to mention I'll be able to send a paycheck home each week. I know things have been tight around here and now I can help."

His father finally looked up and Tym could see the concern in his eyes. "But this is such a dangerous thing to do. You do realize how many soldiers are dying in the fight against the rebels?"

Tym groaned, not happy with being treated like he hadn't thought this through. "I'm aware, dad, but they're doing good work. Protecting people is something they'll train me to do and I promise to try my hardest not to die."

"Why are you promising to try not to die?" Tym and his father looked over to a worried Mal who had just walked into the dining room.

Attention turned to Tym and he knew he was going to have to break the news to his brother. "I joined the UNSC. I'm going to be leaving for bootcamp in a few weeks."

Mal's jaw dropped open. "What? You're leaving? When will you be back?"

Tym shrugged. "I don't know how long training is so I don't know when I'll be back, Mal."

"How can you do this? How can you leave us like this?" Mal had turned angry. "What about the farm?"

"For the thousandth time, Mal, I don't want to be a farmer, it's all yours." Tym sighed at the hurt look on Mal's face. "Listen, Malcolm, sometimes in order to follow your dreams you have to do things you don't plan in order to follow a dream. I want to continue my education but to do that I have to be a soldier first."

Mal turned his gaze to the floor. He didn't look like a nearly teenage boy, rather the small child who had always looked up to Tym. "But I don't want you to go."

"I'm sorry, Mal, but I've already signed up. I've made my choice and I'll be back after my training," Tym assured his brother. "Listen, I don't belong here on this farm. No matter what at some point I was going to have to move away. For now where I belong is in the UNSC, all right. You can still write me and I'll write back."

Mal let out a frustrated huff. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But you better write back."

"I promise," Tym assured him. Mal lifted his hand, spit into it and then stuck it out. Tym sighed and copied the action, shaking his brother's hand. "Spit swear." Mal smiled, content with the deal.