Leo returned from war. It hadn’t at all been how he thought it would be. He had thought it would be a short adventure and then he would return home with interesting stories to tell. Instead, he had been hungry, tired, scared, and homesick. He had witnessed friends get injured and killed.

He thought often of his family, but he never wrote. He was ashamed of sneaking out in the middle of the night. He felt unworthy of returning home.

He stayed with a friend and they got a job at a factory.

A year passed. Leo worked up the courage to go back home. He stood watching the farm for some time, hoping to catch a glimpse of his father working on the farm.

He watched his mother step outside. She wore all black, a mourning dress. Someone had died.

Leo walked down the road until he came across a neighbor. He asked about the his father.

“He passed away about a year ago,” the neighbor answered.

Leo couldn’t believe it. When he had snuck out of his home, he had never imagined that he would not see his father again. He had naively believed he would be gone only a short while.

How could he possibly go home now? How could his family forgive him for leaving them behind when they needed him most?

Leo was lonely. He had lost his family. He spent much of his time working.

Leo worked long hours at the factory. He met Sarah. They would sometimes eat lunch together. He thought of asking her to have dinner with him some night.

One day he came to work and she was not there. Many of the women were gone. He learned that the women had been terminated to give the men back from the war employment.

Leo went to a cafe. A woman sat beside him and told him her name was Shannon. He found her attractive and friendly.

“We should have dinner some time,” she suggested. She named a restaurant and time. He told her he would see her there.

Shannon was unlike any woman he had met on the farm and nothing like his mother and sister. He found himself drawn to her. Shannon took his thoughts off of the guilt he felt about leaving his family.

Things between them progressed quickly. Shannon suggested going to Leo’s home.

A few weeks later, Shannon arrived unexpectedly. She had some news. She was expecting a child and Leo was the father.

Leo was stunned. He hadn’t known Shannon long. He wasn’t even sure what their relationship was.

“I thought you should know,” Shannon said before leaving.

Leo sat on his bed and ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t even know how he felt about Shannon or how she felt about him. He didn’t know much about her or her family.

All he knew was that he was tired of being alone. Shannon was carrying his child and he would not abandon family again. Maybe he would find some happiness after all.