1968:
It had been 5 years since my brother died. It had been 5 years since the whole soc and greaser rivalry died down. It had been 5 years after we did it. And, finally, it had been 4 years since my parents disowned me as a child. To them their only child was murdered.
His tattooed arm covered my shoulder. He dressed up in his uniform and I was in a simple white sundress. My hand on the shoulder of our son in front of us. He was in Khaki's and a white button down shirt with a blue sweater over his shoulders. He looked a lot like Bob, but with a hint of my gorgeous fiancee on the side of me.
My finger touched the doorbell as I waited for a second. The now-brunette answered the door. Her plain coral dress was perfectly ironed and all the joy and fun looked like it was sucked out of her. Her fingers went to her face as she broke down. She pushed passed the little boy and hugged me tightly, never wanting to let me go.
"Sharon...Sharon who's at the door?" the older gentleman walked to the door. His hair was dark brown with gray speckling through it. His face had wrinkled with furrowed eyebrow lines and now frown marks. He looked like he hadn't slept in years.
I thought the reuniting of my parents would have been more hurtful. Like they didn't want to see me, but I was home with open arms.
My father looked passed me and shook Tim's hand. "I see my little girl finally made you into a man." His words were meant to come out cold, but something in his voice sounded happy.
"No, sir." he said, with his famous Shepard smirk. "My son did." As Tim knelt down to his son's height. I looked at my father "This is Robert Timothy Shepard." I said as the little boy held out his hand for the new man to shake.
My father knelt down with a smile "Mind if I tell you a secret?" the older gentleman held up his hand to 'block' out what he was saying to the rest of us. "My name is Robert too, but you can call me papa." he looked up at Tim and I for approval. "If your mommy and daddy agree to it."
"Bobby." My voice was weak as a single tear fell down my cheek. I picked the little boy up as he wiped away the tear. "This is papa and grandma."
"You can call me Glammy. I'm too young and glamorous to be a grandma." My mom piped in as he smiled.
"This is my mommy and daddy." I said as he wiggled to get down.
We went in and had tea and dinner. My dad was amazed with how much growing a "no good hood" did. Which, in all honesty, was a lot. As soon as the war was announced he enlisted. He wasn't sent over right away, he did tours helping out all over the country, but right before the drafting happened, he was sent over. He had come home about 3 months ago. He was shot in the abdomen and was in horrible condition. We came back to Tulsa in search for his family. Angela was delighted to see him, she'd travel to Texas to be with us before he was finally sent off, and even after he was, she'd make sure I was alright. She was married now herself with some kid from Tim's old gang and had 2 kids with the guy. Curly was in jail for robbing someone and beating them nearly to death. We'd yet to visit him, we just went by what Angela told us. His mom ended up dying a couple of weeks after moving to Texas, and since we didn't have a phone for a while, we weren't informed. She had an O.D. After a brutal fight with Tim's step-dad. Angela didn't know how to tell him, so she just didn't.
He made me go and see my family. He told me even if they didn't get over it, that at least I tried.
As dinner was done, I helped my mom clean up the kitchen. "I'm sorry we threw you out of our lives." she said as she began to cry. "Just all the pressure of the media on us since your brother was killed and your dad being a new governor, and Robby just came at a very bad time." she said, as I pulled her into a hug and let her cry. "It's not enough to say I'm sorry, you deserve more than that." she said.
"You know, everything that happened made me learn to hate you." I let out as I felt her breath stop "but I hate myself more knowing I let you guys pass by. I understand what you went through, if Robby got someone knocked up at 17, I don't know what I'd do with myself. And I know you guys didn't approve of Tim cause he was a greaser. But times have changed, and so have we. All that's important now is that Robby finally has grandparents and I have my parents back." I said before flashing her my ring. "Also, I have a wedding to plan and I need daddy to walk me down the isle." I said with a wink, as she hugged me even tighter now. My mom was a loon about these kind of things.
We spent the whole night catching up, Robby had fallen asleep on my father, and everything was how it should've always been. My parents gushed about how Robby looked like Bob, and then they gossiped about everyone.
As Tim put Robby in the car, I looked at my parents. "We're moving back here. When we get married. Texas is too far." I hugged them and kissed them. "I love you guys."
As I walked away, I looked back at the house and remembered 5 years ago like it was yesterday.
