In the Golden Triangle

Chapter 4: Everything Sucked

"Will you hold the ladder steady?" Kitt snapped.

Teh renewed his grip on the wooden ladder and leaned his body weight into it. "I'm trying! The ground is uneven."

Kitt grunted and pulled a nail from between his lips. He set the pointed end where two wooden planks crossed and began nailing it in. The medical tent had needed the struts fixed for weeks and he finally had the time. He could ask one of his subordinates, but he needed the distraction. He didn't want any free time while he was trying to avoid Devon.

Teh was supposed to be helping him but so far all he had done was daydream.

"I'll never find a woman." He bemoaned

Kitt wondered if dropping the hammer on his brother from this height would kill him or just destroy a few brain cells.

"Our poor mother. She will never have grandkids." Teh sighed dramatically.

"What about me?" Kitt asked. He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He did not want to participate in Teh's one-man pity party.

"You're too noble." Teh said dismissively.

"What?"

"You know what I mean!" Teh snapped, waving his hand up at Kitt without looking at him.

Kitt really didn't but he had given enough of his attention to this conversation. The two halves of the wooden support were not aligning properly, and he was concerned it would cause a leak. The rainy season would be back soon, and their two medics didn't need a flood to deal with on top of the patients.

"Do you miss University?" Teh asked.

Kitt did not. While it was fun hanging around with friends and having no real responsibilities, he didn't much care for studying. Part of the problem was that he had no long-term goals. Kitt had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He went to University because his dad asked him to. He studied business because his parents thought that was what was best. Nothing had ever been his decision, and he was fine with that. If it was up to him, he would probably still be sleeping in his childhood bedroom.

In some ways, being pushed to join the Army had saved him. With no plans for after graduation he was beginning to panic about his next step. Then he was forced to drop out of University and join the military, which worked out well for someone who had no plans. In the Army, there was always someone higher up waiting to tell you what to do.

So here he was, straddling a ladder, sweating through his uniform and trying to fix a tent with a small hammer and a useless assistant.

"No." he said around the nails hanging between his lips.

"Why not?" Teh asked.

"School isn't for everyone."

Which was true. But for Kitt, it wasn't just school. Nothing appealed to him. For most people, education was a steppingstone to something greater. But if you didn't have a something greater in mind, then it was an exercise in futility.

"What is it you want, Teh?" Kitt asked after a minute.

"I'm pretty hungry. I could go for a sandwich."

Kitt reconsidered dropping the hammer on his head.

"I meant out of life. Where do you want to be in five years?"