Chapter 16 - Family Dynamics Shatter Under The Weight Of Rank
By morning, the sun broke over the Virginia suburbs, but there was no light inside the Carter household.
Dad sat at the kitchen island, staring at an untouched cup of black coffee that had long since gone cold.
Mom sat across from him, her face pale, her eyes red and swollen from crying all night long.
On the kitchen counter sat a framed photograph of Melissa in her National Guard uniform, taken the day she graduated from officer school.
Beside it was a small, dusty frame containing a high school graduation photo of me, smiling quietly in a simple blue dress.
Dad looked at my photo, then looked at Melissa’s, realizing the horrifying depth of his own hypocrisy.
He had put Melissa’s photo front and center in the living room, while my photo was tucked away near the toaster.
The front door unlocked, and Melissa walked inside, still wearing her dress uniform from the night before.
Her tie was loosened, her hair was disheveled, and she looked like she hadn't slept a single second.
She walked into the kitchen, dropping her car keys onto the granite counter with a dull clatter.
Dad didn't even look up at her.
“What happened at the base?” Mom asked softly, her voice barely a whisper.
Melissa swallowed hard, her lower lip trembling as she tried to keep her composure from collapsing entirely.
“My promotion is frozen,” Melissa whispered, a tear escaping down her cheek.
May you like
“The Battalion Commander placed me on administrative probation for insubordination and conduct unbecoming of an officer.”
“They’re transferring me to supply management at a remote depot in western Virginia.”
