The Discussion

I suppose it was lucky for him that we had decided to come up and visit. He needed a way to get back from Fargo.

Leaving her standing outside her dorm when we had to go was incredibly hard for all of us - especially her and especially him. We left her standing there - tears streaming down her face. I can only imagine the thoughts that must have been going through her head at that moment. I'm sure at that moment in time she thought that she would never see him again.

We had time to talk on our way home. We discussed "the future". We talked the hard talk. The "what if" talk.

He didn't have any ideas or any wishes of how to handle things if he didn't return. He said at that point he wouldn't care or know - whatever we wanted was fine with him.

He had taken out an extra life insurance policy before he had come home on leave and with that he had a specific request. "You know if I'm killed over there you guys will be getting a lot of money."

"We don't want it."

"Well, I'm just saying. And there is one thing I want."

"What's that?"

"If I don't make it I want you to help her finish college. I guess that's my only wish. That's the only thing I want."