Girl Get Rid Of That Jerk (Williams and Shawn)

Joshua lingered outside the door, ears tuned in, but ultimately decided against going in. The sky was brooding, a soft rain beginning to fall, steadily drenching everything beneath it. As he walked to the hospital entrance, he cast his eyes upwards toward the heavy, gray sky, his mind adrift.

He and Allison—perhaps there really was no future left for them. His father, Ben, was only fifty-two and already knocking on death's door. Joshua remembered being just five when Ben's affair became the talk of the town. His mother had been set on divorce, but the weight of family expectations kept the marriage intact.

Those memories had sunk deep roots in his heart. He vividly remembered every injustice his mother endured, the image of her crying alone, the endless arguments, and the indifference in Ben's eyes. The truth was, Ben hadn't loved his mother and certainly hadn't loved him. Joshua never felt the warmth of a father's love.

Their relationship had always been distant, and he'd thought Ben's passing would leave him unfazed. Yet, faced with the reality, he found he couldn't be indifferent.

Nearby, a middle-aged man hurried toward the hospital entrance, juggling a young boy in one arm and an umbrella in the other. As he reached Joshua, he closed the umbrella and gently whispered to the boy, "Don't cry, buddy. Daddy's taking you to see the doctor. You'll feel better soon."

Joshua's heart gave a little pang. His eyes were glued to this tender moment, unable to look away. The boy was just a toddler, so small and delicate. The man's work uniform, a deep blue with a factory logonoveldrama

stitched on the chest form, a

was

dampened by the rain. Joshua noticed the man's hands, rough and calloused, yet they handled the boy with such tenderness, exuding a warm, fatherly love.

The man's face was etched with worry and concern-a look Joshua rarely, if ever, saw on Ben. Oh, wait there was that one time. The year Ben brought Chris back, pleading with the grandparents to acknowledge him. They wouldn't budge, not even letting them in the door. Ben knelt outside, Chris in his arms, unwilling to leave. The weather had been just like today-overcast, stifling, and oppressive. Rain poured down soon after. Ben had taken off his coat, draping it over Chris to shield him from the rain. Chris still caught a chill and a fever followed. Ben's anxious face mirrored this man's right now.

Joshua watched, his heart heavy with unspoken pain. The man moved on, hurrying into the hospital with his child. Joshua turned his gaze back to the endless curtain of rain. A few young women nearby blushed, stealing glances at him and whispering among themselves. Yet, Joshua remained untouched by it all. He stepped forward, disappearing into the misty rain.

...

Night settled over Joshua's hideaway. “Joshua, we've tracked down Nancy's grave," Thomas quietly reported, standing before him. "Chris built a cemetery for her in some remote village in America."