Flashback Friday # 101

Rebel Without a Cause (Part II)


A warm & gracious greeting to those who have stopped by to find out the rest of the story about my not-so-bright brother, Sir Gattabout, and the consternation he caused my parents.

When we left off in last weeks story, he and my parents had just had a long talk (for those just coming in, read Flashback Friday #100 to catch up with the rest of the class).However, the talk didn't go as my parents had hoped. Gattabout was just as obstinate & rebellious (and stupid) as before. Nobody was going to tell him what to do.

To prove this, he went back to school and withdrew. That's a fancy term for dropped out. He felt like he knew it all, and another half year of school wouldn't make him any smarter (he was a Senior at the time). There were too many rules and nobody was going to tell him what to do.

To prove that he was his own boss, he made a major decision that changed his life. He joined The U.S. Army. (Oh yea, Nobody's gonna tell him what to do in there)

When he told Mom & Dad what he had done, they pleaded for him to reconsider. Nope, wasn't happening. He made his decision and he was sticking to it.

When the time came for him to meet the bus to take him to basic training, Dad drove him to Columbus to meet it. He was afraid that it would be too much for Mom. He said Gattabout didn't look back.

The first letter we got from him from his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, sounded like he woke up from the fog that surrounded him. He was homesick, sore and really didn't like his D.I or the Army in general (no pun intended). He did say that no matter how unpleasant it became, he would never shame the family by going A.W.O.L. like my cousin had from the Navy.

My chief tormentor was gone. The one who had blackmailed me for years was several states away now. No more nightly pummelings. Mom & Dad were sad, but I was ecstatic. It didn't take long for me to begin the takeover of his old bedroom (he had a door & a closet, I didn't).

So here you have it. My previous posts were my life B.A. (before Army). Henceforth, I will post of my life A.A. (after Army). It's now the middle of my 8th grade in school and I'm facing the trials & tribulations of a 14 year old. And we all know know that that is a rough time in any one's life.