Christmas Rebel

When I was a kid, we used to live outside the base. My Dad was a soldier and we could have lived inside the base but we were living outside that time. But we did get to live inside months later. I think I was 7 and my brother was 5 when my Dad brought me and my brother to the yearly christmas party of the soldiers and their family.Before Dad brought my brother and me at their squadron we had to drop by Dad's sleeping quarter (he slept there when it was too late to go to our house). That time Honasan was making the news with his idealism and everything and so soldiers have a bad reputation. I was outside waiting for him with my brother when a group of soldiers with the helmet the same as the "rebels" I saw on tv came running towards us. I quickly assumed that they were rebels because they were running and looking angry ( I think they were frowning). I got so scared. I commanded my younger brother to run to our father to ask for help. He asked why and I told him "Rebelde!" He immediately ran. I tried to run but tripped and the fear got the better of me. I stood up while crying for Dad's help. My father came out immediately with my brother and he laughed seeing soldiers in training running towards us. He then told me that they were not rebels but real soldiers and they were not there to harm us. Some of these soldiers even greeted my father as they ran past us.

When we got back home, he told my mother what happened and they just laughed at what I did. I didn't know what to feel but I was not ashamed. I was confused. How could I tell the rebels from the real soldiers? They told me some explanation that I did not really understand but I did not bother to ask some more as my mind was filled by other thoughts.