Why?

Preface

“I’m joining the Army.”
         I stared wide-eyed, speechless.
         “Ebony?  Aren’t you going to say anything?”
         I swallowed in an unsuccessful effort to lubricate my throat, but I couldn’t find the right words.  The walls of my world were crumbling around my ears.
         “Hello?  Are you in there?”  A nervous laugh escaped his lips, but behind his freckles there was a faint pallor to his skin.  He looked ill.
         I blinked, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it.
         “Ebs?”
         I chewed on the inside of my cheek, unshed tears burning my throat and eyes.  A single word ran through my mind: a tiny, three-letter question.
         Why?


Any thoughts/first impressions would be hugely appreciated.  I know it's short, but it's just the beginning of something rolling around inside my head.  Have I piqued your interest?