Chapter 6: Troy Concerned

"Unbelievable!" Troy sounded angry as he read a letter from home.

"Something wrong?" Moffitt asked, looking up from his own letter as the four Rats sat in the mess hall enjoying their mail. Troy had been drinking strong coffee, Moffitt and Tully were drinking tea and Hitch had a glass of milk to go with the doughnuts they snacked upon. The two younger men stopped reading their correspondence and looked up at their leader.

"My Mom is getting married," Troy announced with an edge to his voice.

"What?" the other three were stunned.

"Well, that's a bit of surprise," Moffitt sipped his tea.

"Who's she marrying?" Hitch was curious.

"She says she's marrying Hank," Troy took a long drink of coffee. The others recalled that Hank was a ranch hand who had worked on the Troy family ranch for decades.

"I thought you liked Hank," Hitch commented, biting into a doughnut.

"I do," Troy admitted, "I just never saw him as someone who might have designs on my mom."

"Designs?" Tully was amused.

"I just always thought of him as Hank," Troy tried to explain. "He was just always there, doing work that needed to be done."

"You've mentioned how much he helped you deal with your dad's death," Moffitt said softly.

"He did," Troy admitted. "Maybe that's why this is so confusing to me. I looked up to him a lot after my dad died. He's hard-working, quiet, and very calm. In some ways, Tully reminds me of Hank. Neither of them talk too much."

"Are you upset because your mom wants to get married again?" Hitch asked.

"It just never crossed my mind," Troy admitted. "I guess I'm worried that she's jumping into something she hasn't thought through. She's never even hinted of there being anything between her and Hank."

"What upsets you more; that she wants to remarry or that she wants to marry Hank?" Moffitt asked.

"Probably both," Troy was perplexed. "I mean, she's my mother. I never gave a thought to her being married to anyone but my father. And to Hank? I don't get it."

"What bothers you most?" Hitch rephrased Moffitt's question. He could tell Troy was worried about the situation. Troy was a natural-born worrier.

"I'm still trying to understand it all," Troy shook his head. "In my last letter I told her to do what she thought best about the ranch saying I couldn't commit to coming back to take over. She's had a really good offer for the land and decided to sell. Then she dropped the bombshell that she's marrying Hank and they're moving to the Gulf Coast," he reached for a doughnut.

"That's a big change," Tully remarked. "Do you think Hank's an okay guy?"

"Yeah, Sarge, you don't think he just wants her money do you?" Hitch licked powdered sugar from his fingers.

"No, Hank's okay. It's just a lot to take in—selling the ranch, getting married and moving across the country," Troy's anxiety was showing. "I just wish I could be there to talk things through with her, make sure she knows what she's doing."

"I think we've already established that your mom is strong enough to deal with anything. If she's found happiness with Hank then I say more power to her," Moffitt commented.

"Yeah, Sarge," Tully affirmed, "You don't want to be the wicked stepson spoiling all their plans." The others smiled and Troy gave Tully one of his "knock it off" looks.

"She's been alone a long time," Hitch chimed in. "First your dad, then you and David going off to war. Maybe it's time for her to enjoy some companionship and live the life she wants."

"Yeah," Troy agreed. "You know, you just don't think about your mom being lonely, but I think you're right. Her life has been pretty hard without my dad, and David, and I didn't make things any easier. I want her to be happy. I want her to have someone she can rely on. If Hank can give her that then I guess I'm okay with it. It's just a big change."

"But sounds like a good one," Hitch said. "I'm glad she's happy."

"What?" Troy snapped in his best sergeant voice, "You think I don't want my mom to be happy?" Hitch cringed and reached for another doughnut.

"No, Sarge," he stammered. "I didn't mean to imply. . ."

"Don't you have a jeep that needs your attention?" Troy's eyes were steely but twinkling as he gave his driver a hard time.

"I'm on it, Sarge," Hitch drained his milk and stood up.

"Me too," Tully added, grabbing another doughnut. Both hastily retreated to the motor pool.

"You're not really mad at them, are you?" Moffitt recognized Troy's teasing.

"Nah, I just need to think about all of this for a while without any questions or comments," Troy replied.

"You mean you have to stew about it," Moffitt said wisely.

"I don't stew," Troy protested.

"Of course, you do," Moffitt was unfazed. "You need to worry about it like a dog with a bone but eventually you will come to the right conclusion and accept your mom's choices."

"You think you know me so well," Troy couldn't help grinning.

"I do, and if you'll excuse me, I have sergeant stuff that needs my attention," Moffitt left his fellow Rat to his thoughts.

Troy bit into another doughnut and returned to his mom's letter. "I trust your judgment, Mom," he whispered, "but I wish I could be there to talk it over with you."