In honor of the upcoming release, I wanted to continue the favorite scene postings for the books I haven’t done yet. This particular scene was a turning point in the series when we began to see the back story of Bill and some of what he endured growing up with his father. It also gives us a glimpse into just how much Julie has meant to him and how the two of them are truly soul mates.
Enjoy!
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Bill sat on the bench outside of the shooting range and stared at the pond in front of him. He loved the view here, serene and calm, amidst the noise of the guns nearby. He knew that Tommy meant well, but it wasn’t that simple. Sighing, he became lost in his memories.
*******
Bill came home from his summer job and was ready to talk to his parents. After graduating high school a month before, he had been thinking a lot about his future. His plan was to begin college in the fall, but there was something else he wanted to do. He had been waiting to tell his dad about his career choice and he knew there was going to be an argument. He really wanted their support; he needed it.
“William, why are you so late?” Bill’s mom asked her son as he came in and put his bag down.
“I was at work. I told you I picked up an extra shift so I could help you with the grocery bill,” Bill kissed his mother on the cheek.
“Your father is angry, so try and be nice,” she said.
When isn’t he angry? Bill thought to himself. “I kind of wanted to talk to you both about something.”
His mother shook her head. “No, you should just go to your room and leave him alone. I don’t want to upset him.”
Bill stared at his mom. “Why do you do that? How can you be in a relationship like this?”
“Don’t talk to your mother with that tone,” Bill’s father said as he walked in. “You don’t know anything about what it means to have responsibilities. You should learn a little about life before you start judging others.”
“Sorry, dad,” Bill said and crossed his arms. “Speaking of responsibility, I wanted to talk to you both about something.”
His father looked at him. “Did you get someone pregnant? I told you to keep it in your pants.”
Bill tried to keep his anger in check. “I didn’t get anyone pregnant.”
“Good, because the last thing we need is another mouth to feed,” his mom said.
Bill ran his hand through his hair, exasperated. “Can you both just listen to me for a minute?” They looked at him and he sighed. “I joined the Army.”
His mother started to cry and his dad stared at him. “Why would you do that?”
Bill sat down. “Look, they have great opportunities for advancement and they will help pay for my college education. You always say how I need to learn responsibility and become a man, and this is the best way to do that.”
“But we are in the middle of a war, William. You will get yourself killed,” his mother said.
Bill sighed, “I know you’re worried, but there is a lot I need to do before there is any chance I would be sent anywhere. I need to go through basic training and then see what happens.” He looked at his father, “What do you think?”
“I think you are an idiot. What is the purpose of doing this? How are you ever going to amount to anything?” His father yelled at him.
Bill stood up and went to leave when his father stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“What do you care? If I am such a horrible disappointment to you, why do you care what happens to me?” Bill never spoke back to his father, but he was so mad.
“You will do as we said. You will go to college and get your education and find a wife and settle down. None of that can happen if you throw your life away,” his dad said.
“Why not? Why can’t I serve my country and have a wife and family who support me? How is that throwing my life away? There is nothing more important than defending our freedom and I really think I can make a difference. I feel like I was meant to do this and I was hoping to have your support.” Bill tried to appeal to them with his passion.
“Who cares if you make a difference? That doesn’t feed your family. You don’t want to end up one day needing to accept money from someone to support yourself. To be a man means to support your family and provide for them. What kind of a man will you be if you marry someone and go off and get injured and she has to take care of you? How is that what I’ve taught you? Don’t be an idiot and get this out of your mind.” His father picked up the paper, finished with the conversation.
“Stop calling me an idiot. You are assuming the worst about everything and you can’t see me for the man I am. I am not stupid and I am not an idiot. I have a lot to offer and if one day I marry someone and have children, I will be able to support them no matter what. I deserve your respect and if you can’t support me, there is nothing left for me here.” Bill felt his tears prick his eyes as he spoke to his parents.
“Respect is earned and standing here talking to your parents like this isn’t it. You are a disgrace and I don’t want to look at your face again,” he father stood up and looked at his son.
Bill shrugged. “Fine. You won’t have to.” He grabbed his bag and walked out of his house.
*******
Bill wiped his eyes as he remembered that day like it was yesterday. So much had happened since then and although Tommy and Jack were the closest thing he had to family, they never knew the extent of Bill’s falling out with his parents. He had always made it out to be less than it was, and Bill had prided himself on making a life for himself that was nothing like his childhood. The fact that Tommy used the word idiot and offered money just triggered so much in his mind. He knew it wasn’t the same, but it brought his fathers words back to him.
*******
Julie drove to where she knew he would be. Some people went to the park to think, but she knew Bill went to where there were guns. She smiled as she thought about his passion. He couldn’t leave the Army; he loved it too much. It had filled a void in his life that the others never knew about. She knew just what he had gone through and how important this was to him. That’s why she couldn’t just let him walk away, there had to be another option. She saw him sitting on his favorite bench, looking at his hands. She walked up and sat down next to him.
“Is this seat taken?” she asked him.
He smiled, “Not anymore.”
She looked out across the pond and took his hand in hers. “Sometimes my family doesn’t think.”
He looked at her. “How come you never told me Brittany offered you money?”
She shrugged, “I guess I knew you would be upset by it and wouldn’t take anything for free.”
Bill sighed, “Maybe I should just take it. Maybe this isn’t the time for me to be full of pride when my family needs more.”
Julie reached up and stroked his cheek. “Stop listening to him.”
He looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Your father. He is wrong and has always been wrong. You are the best husband and father. I think it is simply too soon to make any kind of judgments about what our future will look like. We have time to figure this out. We aren’t out of money and there are options we need to look at. You can do so many things, Bill, without leaving the Army. We just need to figure it out. Maybe we should talk to John?” she put her hand on his thigh.
He looked at her. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you in my life,” he tucked her hair behind her ear.
She smiled and her dimple made his heart race. “You are everything to me, and as close as I have come to losing you in the past few months, I will not let anything stop us from having it all. We deserve a lifetime of happiness and you deserve to be fulfilled as a man and father. We will figure out how that will work. Right now, I just want to enjoy how happy you make me.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Baby I am fulfilled as a man and as a father and most importantly as your husband. Thank you for having so much faith in me.”
She shrugged, “You make it very easy.”
“Let’s go pick up our son and go home,” he said.
“Sounds perfect,” she leaned in and kissed him before she grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want to go inside and fire off a few rounds? Release some stress?”
He chuckled. “I would like to release some stress, but it wasn’t my gun I had in mind,” he raised his eyebrows at her.
“Oh really? Would I be helping you with this stress reliever?” she ran her hand over his thigh.
“Always,” he grinned as she pulled him up into a hug.
