Fifty Dollars
His eyes were fixed on the bill in front of him. It should have been fifty dollars in total. There wasn’t much he ordered. Faculty members had other plans for the struggling veteran than just feeding him.
When he saw the outrageous bill, his blood started boiling. Despite his age and frailty, they underestimated him. They were going to pay for it.
The Bill
He refused to pay such a huge fee just exercising his rights. So what if he did something against their policy? He was a human being and deserved to be treated better.
Knowing the truth about the old man’s past would certainly have made the staff more cautious. Despite his unassuming appearance, he was anything but weak.
Consequences
Pat stared daggers at the waitress when she returned. “Is there a reason for this fee?” He asked, already knowing. “Sir, you repeatedly ignored our requests and broke our policy. This is the consequence.”
A feeling of rage coursed through Pat’s body. A sudden calm came over him. “I didn’t expect to pay so much. I just need to get some cash out of my trunk. Don’t worry, it’s right outside. If you want to watch me, you can.”
Make Them Pay
Despite rolling her eyes, the waitress didn’t appear to object. If that meant letting him go to his car, he could tell she just wanted him out of her hair.
Before heading for the door, he smiled and slowly got up. It was impossible for him to believe that he would be allowed to go to his car. As soon as he did, they would beg for mercy from him.
Opening His Trunk
Through the front window, Pat noticed the waitress watching him as he walked out of the restaurant. Keeping an eye on him made sure he didn’t do anything suspicious.
But that’s exactly what the old man was going to do. He walked over to his trunk and opened it, a grin on his face. The veteran always made sure to keep the item in his trunk for emergencies like this.
Duffle Bag
After grabbing the duffel bag, the veteran stared at the restaurant. He didn’t want to do it, but he was forced to. His throat was cleared as he returned to the front door.
The waitress’s face was free of annoyance. After unzipping his duffel bag, he pulled out something nobody had expected.
Heart Shattering
Patrick Abner felt hard done by even on days when others would have been happy to face the day. He sometimes didn’t understand the point of getting up in the morning. He still felt heartbreak, just as if it happened yesterday.
There had been a lot of trauma in his life, but one event shattered his heart. It was impossible for him to pick them up again.
Horrors Of War
In his early twenties, Pat decided to enlist in the United States Army and fight overseas. The Vietnam War was a war of politics, and he did not realize how much politics was involved.
Fortunately, he did not suffer any physical injuries during his deployment. He would never fully recover from the horrors of war.
The Twins
Following his return from war, Pat met a woman named Joanna and tried to forget about his past. It was love at first sight between the two, and they even had twins. His life had never been happier, but he had no idea what would happen next.
His best efforts were put into raising the two boys. There were many differences between the two boys, despite the fact that they were twins.
Different Interests
Despite their similar looks, Derek and John had very different interests. Following his father’s example, Derek wanted to join the military as well. His dream was to serve his country one day.
Meanwhile, John focused more on his mother’s passions. She loved cooking tasty meals for her family and spoiling them with delicious treats.
Growing Up
Time flew by, and Pat couldn’t believe that his children had already grown into young adults. John moved out first, finding his passion in hospitality. Derek, on the other hand, stayed for another year before doing the unexpected.
With the war in Iraq in full swing, Derek told his parents that he was going to listen to the call and protect them. But it wouldn’t end well.
Perspective
Pat tried to give his son some perspective on war, but with how patriotic he was, there was no stopping him. He couldn’t be hypocritical, either. He let Derek go fight in a foreign land just as he had over twenty years before.
Pat and Joanna worried about him every day, until one day, they got a letter hand-delivered from a soldier. It was the worst news.
KIA
Joanna collapsed as Pat took the letter. He read through it and felt as if someone had ripped apart his heart. He had been shot before, and that hurt far less than this. Their baby boy, Derek, had been killed in action.
They would never recover from this. Pat felt powerless to console his wife as he watched her slip further into depression every day.
Alone
The married couple grew further apart every day after losing their son. Eventually, Pat understood he couldn’t help his wife, and they ended up getting a divorce. He let Joanna keep the house while he became a wanderer.
Pat was practically alone. He decided to move to New York, but it was no less friendly than where he lived before then. For another twenty years, he roamed around, getting odd jobs to get by. He had lost a lot of things along the way, but he always kept two things dear to him: Derek’s old baseball cap and an old photo of him. He’d taken both from his room before leaving the house for good.
A Normal Day
On a normal day, Pat had heard that a restaurant had recently opened up in New York. He decided to stop by and see how the food was. Looking at the menu in the window, his belly growled loudly.
He walked in and sat down in one of the booths. The food reminded him of all the delicious meals his wife used to cook, but someone was about to ruin his day.
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