Slashing tires and spilled coffee

“I don't want to go, wanna go wanna go, I don't wanna go even in the slightest!” Jack sang to herself in her bed. She could hear her little siblings moving around the living room so she shut her eyes thus pushing off the coming say as best as she could. It wasn't long however before she heard her bedroom door open and even though she had a blanket over her head she still knew exactly who it was. And sure enough, not ten seconds later someone sat on her, quickly followed by the blanket being yanked from her face.

“Morning!” Her little brother, who wasn't so little, yelled.

“Uhhhhhhhh! You're crushing me!”

“Get up!” he said, jumping to the floor. “Next time I'm bringing a glass of water. You should be thankful Hetz is here. If he wasn't you would have to deal with hungry siblings.” He left the door open and the heavenly scent of bacon and eggs with what might have even been hashbrowns rolled into the room.

“Hetz! Hetster!”

“I do not answer to that name!” he yelled back.

“Hetz come here!” He leaned into the room with Mrs. Marrises apron tied over his dress blacks.

“Yes?”

“Is there food for me?”

“Yes, as long as you get out of bed. There ain't no way in heck I'm serving you breakfast in bed.” She emerged dressed and showered a few minutes later and the house was strangely silent.

“Did you kill the kids?”

“No. They’re on the way to school.”

“Oh, Thanks.” He slid a plate to her quickly followed by a coffee cup.

She almost drank it before she froze and tried to casually set it down. “Its not just shots stupid.” he said smiling.

“It's not like its a totally outrageous thought though! Because every time I have taken your coffee it's just shots.” He laughed and pulled the apron off.

“Eat quick. We gotta go spoon.”

“Where?”

“You know exactly where Jack.” She gave him a clueless face. “Jack…” he sighed. “The award ceremony?”

“Oh that? We don't need to go to that.”

“Everyone else will be there.”

“Exactly why we don't need to go. Everyone else will be there to support.”

“First of all it is mandatory, and secondly it's YOUR ceremony!”

“What?” she promptly dropped her cup of coffee in her lap. “Oh crap. We're gunna be late! You wanna just ditch the whole thing? We can go work out or skydive or do anything else.”

“Jacklyn Marris get you butt into a new uniform and out to the car right now. I'm not messing around anymore, you have 5 minutes.” Sure enough she heard a sharp knock on the bathroom door. “What part right now do you not understand?” She opened the door fully dressed and looking spotless yet again. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I'm not above slashing the tires on your truck to avoid this.”

“You're not being slightly overdramatic?”

“No.”

“Jack,” he sighed. “Awards aren't necessarily for you. I mean they are but it's really a way for others to thank you for your service. A way for them to feel like they can show you in some way how thankful they are.” She gave him a half eyeroll. “So even though you don't like it, it's an extension of the service you perform. AKA it's not about you!”

“How can you so single handedly make me feel so guilty so quickly?”

“It's a talent. Now let's go!”

Written in July 10th 2019