Jorden visualized Ben being crushed. It made her stomach turn.

“Finally, Ben couldn’t take it. He stopped in his tracks, choked up, and turned red. Tears rolled down his face. I yanked him out. He isn’t meant to be an officer candidate.”

“How cruel. I’d hate your job. How can you do it?” Jorden twisted in her seat.

“I don’t like it, but its part of the job. It’s a weeding out process. In the long run, Ben is better off getting out now.”

“What will happen to Ben?” Jorden asked, pressing her fingers against her temples.

“He’ll go back into the Army as an enlisted man. About half of the candidates either quit or can’t meet the challenges.”

“And go where?”

“Anywhere.” Alex shrugged his shoulders. “My guess is, he’ll end up in Vietnam like most of us.”

“I don’t want your job! Think I’ll stick to teaching,” Jorden replied.

It was around midnight when Alex drove Jorden back to her apartment. “Can we try this again? How about Saturday night?” Alex asked as they climbed the stairs to her apartment.

“I’m not here on weekends, but weekdays will work,” Jorden answered without any other explanation.

“Okay. How about next week for dinner? I’m not on call Tuesday night. I hope you’ll give me a second chance?” Alex asked at the top of the landing.

After Jorden unlocked the door, she turned around with a grin. “It’s a date.”

“See you next Tuesday. I’ll pick you up around six.” Alex skipped back down the stairs to the parking area.

Chapter 21: January 1970

Chapter 21

January 1970

Turbulence rocked the plane. Jorden looked out the window to see if they were near Atlanta; farm lands dominated the view. She closed her eyes and remembered her first official date with Alex.

***

Previous Year—October 1968

After a weekend at the university seeing Justin, Jorden thought little of Alex.

“What are you doing making a sandwich? Don’t you have a date tonight?” Madison asked.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s Tuesday. I thought Alex asked you out.”

“Oh my gosh. I thought we were going out tomorrow night. What time is it?”

“A little after six.”

Jorden threw down the sandwich. “Want this?”

“No. It looks awful,” Madison replied as she made a face.

Staring at her closet, Jorden tried to decide what to wear. She selected a green and white striped cotton-blend dress with short sleeves. The hem hit right above her knees, showing off her legs. Marching into the front room, she confronted Madison. “How’s this?”

“Great for such fast work! Shall I tell Alex how quick you are?”