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    Always Faithful
    Always Faithful
    Always Faithful
    Ebook77 pages47 minutes

    Always Faithful

    By Patrick Jones

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    About this ebook

    Having a parent return from military duty is a dream come true. But sometimes, coming home comes with problems.

    For Rosie, life is nearly perfect. She has the perfect ROTC boyfriend and perfect grades. Her ex-Marine Corps father still barks orders like he's in uniform, but he's finally home for good—until he announces that he's going to re-enlist. Rosie's angry at the news. Really angry. Her behavior spins out of control, causing problems at school, at home, with her boyfriend, and even with law enforcement. Can she face her father and check her anger in time to get her life back on track?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2015
    ISBN9781467790147
    Always Faithful
    Author

    Patrick Jones

    Patrick Jones lives in Minneapolis and is the author of many novels including the Support and Defend series. A former librarian, Jones received lifetime achievement awards from the American Library Association and the Catholic Library Association.

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      Book preview

      Always Faithful - Patrick Jones

      —P.J.

      1

      MAY 10 / SUNDAY MORNING

      MOTHER’S DAY

      Double time, girls! my dad yells. It’s Staff Sgt. Ray Alvirde’s only volume. Twelve years in the Marine Corps, the last three as a Staff Sergeant, will lead to that sort of thing. It’s an occupational hazard but hardly the worst for a Marine. Being shot or blown up by an IED are much higher on the list.

      I hate that expression, I whisper to my younger sister Lucinda, who’s in middle school. With Dad it’s always got to be double time—he couldn’t just ask us to hurry up.

      More like double chin, Lucinda jokes. I stifle a laugh. My dad left the Marines two years ago. Since then, he’s gained twenty pounds, held and lost ten jobs, and loses his temper ten times a day with me and with Lucinda but never with Chavo, our younger brother. Mi niño de oro.

      Get the lead out, Dad yells. A strange expression for a man shot in combat three times. With the bullet fragments in his body, he’d never make it through an airport metal detector, not that we ever go anyplace. We live in San Diego, CA, as close to paradise as possible. But it’s more that Dad said he’s never getting on a plane again. Except when he says it, the word plane is surrounded by four letter words in proportion to the number of Tecates gone from the six-pack.

      It’s Mother’s Day and we’re supposed to cook Mom breakfast in bed. Dad’s orders. Then to church—Mom’s orders. Then to a big family picnic: lots of food, beer, laughing. I know for sure about the first two, but I can only hope on the last one since Dad doesn’t laugh much anymore, except when he stays up late drinking with Victor.

      Lucinda crawls out of bed first. We’ve shared a room going on a year. She moved in with me when Victor, Dad’s down-on-his-luck Marine buddy, took her room.

      Only a few weeks, Lucy, always truthful, always faithful Dad said forty weeks ago. Like Dad, Victor’s struggling to make it back into civilian life. He mostly drinks; Dad yells. I think I like Victor’s way much better.

      So is Miguel coming? Lucinda asks. Miguel is my boyfriend of four months and fourteen days. We were each other’s New Year’s resolution. If so, who will I talk to?

      You can keep Victor company, I say. Or at least count his cervezas for him.

      Rosie, do you ever have anything to say that’s not a smart mouth answer?

      No, I say, rolling over and pulling the covers up.

      She cracks up. The laughter irritates Dad, who must be outside our door like he’s keeping watch. He pounds on the door so hard it feels like a Southern California quake starting.

      Double time, he shouts for the second time. The seriousness of his voice cracks us both up. I picture him outside the door, steaming mad like some cartoon bull ready to charge.

      We’ll hurry up, I say. He walks away, although it sounds more like marching.

      Even with all of that— Lucinda points at the door and mimics Dad’s stiff manner. She waves her hand over her head, mocking his crew cut, and pulls her pants out, mocking his beer belly. Even with all that going on, I’m glad he’s home. I thought he’d never make it.

      I think there’s only one person who wishes Dad was still deployed, I say softly.

      Lucinda yanks a shirt on. Who?

      I point toward the door. Staff Sgt. Ray Alvirde.

      2

      May 12 / Tuesday morning

      What did you get? I ask Miguel. There’s a big smile on his pretty face, so I’m guessing my A-student, National Honor Society, volunteer tutor boyfriend did just fine, as always.

      Better than Alejandro, he whispers.

      I’m confused. Alejandro is Miguel’s gang-banger older brother. What did he get?

      Someday it will be five to ten, pending appeal.

      "And what

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