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“Did it help?” she’d asked, not laughing.
“Yes,” I said honestly. “I needed to find out who I was without the Angelhart name. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mom and Dad and everyone else. I love our huge family and grandparents and hundreds of cousins. And honestly, I missed home a lot more than I thought I would. But going through basic training, meeting people from all over the country, all different backgrounds, and having a common goal? Yeah, it made me a better person.”
Lu didn’t laugh at me, and I was relieved I hadn’t sounded foolish. “Why the Army?” she asked.
“That’s easy. Dad was in the Army, so I went Army.”
“And what did you dislike the most?”
“The food,” I said without hesitation, and we both laughed.
Thinking back on that conversation, I now knew that Lu had been considering enlisting for a long time.
“Why the Marines?” I asked when no one spoke for a good twenty seconds.
Lu glanced at me and looked grateful that I had broken the silence. “For my entire life everything has come easy to me. I’m not complaining, Mom, Dad, I’m really not. But I’ve always done well in school, in sports, anything I tried. I got the first job I applied for when I was fifteen. I was accepted into all five colleges I applied to, with scholarships. I should be happy with the choices I have, and I am, but I don’t want to go to college right now. The Marines isn’t easy. They have a rigorous basic training, and I want the challenge. I want to prove I can do it. That I can be better, stronger, smarter. Part of a team.”
“What about ROTC?” Mom said, her voice cracking. “Go to college and go through ROTC, you’d graduate as an officer, have more opportunities.”
“I considered it,” Lu said, “but I don’t know that I want to be career military. So I enlisted for three years.”
“You—without talking to us?” Mom said.
“I’m eighteen. I don’t need your permission.”
Though her tone wasn’t defiant, the words were. Jack and I exchanged a look, but didn’t say anything. I’d talked to Mom and Dad for months before making the decision to enlist, so they were prepared even if it wasn’t the path they envisioned for me. Like with Lu, they wanted me to go to college first. But the difference between me and Lu was that I was a B student. School wasn’t my thing, never had been. Lu loved school. She was a straight-A student. She was the type of kid who was supposed to go to college and thrive.
No one was standing up for Lu. They were surprised and hurt. I didn’t fault them—but I felt for my sister.
“Only you know what path you should take,” I said. “It won’t be easy, but nothing is better than graduating after basic training and knowing that you are among the best of the best.”
Lu smiled at me again, and I felt her gratitude. “Mom, Dad,” Lu said, “I prayed about this. I talked to Uncle Rafe. Don’t get mad at him,” she added quickly at Mom’s expression. “I asked him not to say anything.”
Uncle Rafe was my mom’s much younger brother and an ordained Catholic priest. He’d recently been transferred to St. Dominic’s, the small church close to my house.
“I would really like your support.” Lu sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“We will always support you,” Dad said. “This threw us for a minute, but whatever you do with your life, you will shine. I have no doubt.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Right, Ava?” Dad said pointedly to Mom.
“Yes. When?” Mom said, her voice clipped.
“After graduation.”
That was four months from now.
“What about Steven?” Tess asked.
“We’ve already talked about it a lot,” Lu said. “He supports my decision.”
Mom’s face fell even more, if that was possible. That Lu had talked to her boyfriend and not her family hurt. I felt for my mom, but I understood why Lu did it this way.
Nico said, “We’re all happy for you if you’re happy.”
“I am,” Lu said. “I feel deep down that this is the best decision for me. My ASVAB scores were high and I’m meeting with my recruiter next week to look at options for training. I qualify for pretty much anything I want to do.”
