“They’re calling me back to the flag,” he said, softly.  He swallowed, then nodded.  “I’ll have to call my boss.”

“Now see here,” Molly snapped.  “I thought you wouldn’t have to go back on active duty ...”

Kurt rubbed his forehead.  They’d met when he’d been a starfighter pilot, resplendent in his dark blue uniform.  But a starfighter pilot didn’t earn much and, when Penny had been born, he’d resigned from the service and gone into business.  The thought of getting back in a cockpit was staggering, but it had been years ... he shook his head.  There was no room to evade his duty.  He’d signed up to the reserves and pocketed the extra cash.  In exchange, he had to drop everything when his country called.

“There isn't a choice,” he said, tiredly.  Mentally, he catalogued what he’d need.  He kept an overnight bag under the bed; he’d just have to check it, then add anything else he needed before departing.  And then he’d have to hire a taxi ... he couldn't take the car, not if he was going away for longer than a few hours.  “We took the money, remember?”

Molly’s face darkened, unpleasantly.  She obsessed over the children, insisting that they received the best of everything, from food to education.  Both of them had genuinely believed that Kurt would never be asked to return to duty, apart from the mandatory week of training and exercises all reservists were expected to undertake.  But they’d been wrong.

“I signed the papers,” Kurt reminded her, before she could explode again.  “If I don’t respond to the call, I could be jailed.  And then there would be no one to feed the family.”

Molly sniffed as he turned and walked upstairs, wincing slightly at the sound of loud and obscene music coming from Penny’s room.  Molly had spoilt her daughter, he told himself tiredly.  There were days when he wondered if they would be called to jail to bail Penny out of trouble.  If, of course, they could ... it had been his fault too, he knew, but he was hardly ever there.  How could he spend quality time with his family while earning enough to keep the kids in school?

Shaking his head, he walked into the bedroom and picked up his overnight bag.  He checked it carefully, then slung it over his shoulder and walked back downstairs.  Penny was already there, her face blotchy with tears.  Kurt rolled his eyes, not bothering to conceal his reaction.  Why the hell was Penny crying?  She was probably looking forward to a few days off school.

“You’d better write to me as soon as possible,” Molly said, sternly.  “And this young lady” – she nodded towards Penny – “will be doing plenty of chores around the house.”