- Before TJ left for the army, things were weird at home. The way Jamie describes it is as loud and quiet.
- On the one hand, her mom would randomly yell about the war, like she didn't even understand the purpose of it.
- But her dad was super silent all the time.
- She knows her dad is pro-army all the way, so it was really strange when he didn't get excited about TJ signing up.
- Jamie always figured her mom was to blame, but then one night her mom called the Colonel out on his sour attitude about TJ's decision.
- It's not that she was happy about it; she just realized that TJ's mind was already made up, end of story.
- Looking to get to the bottom of it, Jamie decides to have a little chat with her dad, man to man.
- Before hand, she knows she has to impress him, so she mows the lawn and babysits Cindy for free. Doing this gets her big brownie points in the Colonel's book.
- One night, she asks him straight up: Why don't you want TJ to enlist in the army?
- The Colonel explains that he'd be thrilled if TJ joined the army after college. He's just not ready yet.
- When Jamie asks if her dad is worried something will happen to TJ, the Colonel abruptly ends the conversation. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that he's worried about TJ going in Vietnam.
- Every now and again, the Colonel mentions something great about college to try to tempt TJ. He points out the pretty girls and the fancy medical labs there. TJ doesn't bite, though.
- TJ shows Jamie some photos he took of the family. There's one of their mom reading and another of the Colonel getting home from work.
- In it, he looks exhausted. It's the first time Jamie realizes that her dad might hate his job.