Don thought back to the day that everything started to come to an end.
It was September 12, 1962. The leaves on the trees were just starting to change from green to bright red and orange. The nights were getting chilly, but there was still plenty of sun during the day. Jack looked out his upstairs bedroom window when he heard a car pull into the driveway. He saw two men in Army uniforms getting out of the car. He wondered why the Army would come to his house.
Rebecca answered the door. Jack heard a piercing scream that he has never forgotten. He heard the male voices trying to calm his mother. "Is there anyone we can call for you, Mrs. Bristow? Where is your husband?" they ask her. "Can we call your doctor?"
Then Jack heard his mother scream for Sean. Scream that he can't be dead. He heard her call the soldiers' murders for taking her son from her. Jack stayed in his room and covering his ears with his pillow. If he didn't hear the screams, then none of it would be true.
Sara had seen the soldiers drive up. She called Parker's Bar and told Don to get home immediately. The bar was only a few blocks away. He ran all the way. He entered his home as his wife was smashing a lamp on the ground and two men where trying to keep her from hurting herself.
"Mr. Bristow, do you have a doctor you can call?" They found a doctor that would come over and give her a sedative. The doctor insisted that she be admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Rebecca pleaded with her husband not to lock her up. Don said that he would take care of his wife.
Rebecca slept for the next two days. She didn't leave her room for eight days. Her first day out was to go to Sean's funeral. He received a hero's burial in Arlington National Cemetery. Rebecca never shed a tear, on the day they buried her eldest son. She was gracious to all those that offered her their condolences. She thanked all her family and friends for coming to say good-bye to Sean. She assured them that Sean would have been humbled by all their kind words.
During those eight days, before Sean was buried, Jack's absence was hardly noticed. Sara came over every day to help take care of Rebecca. She would try to talk to him, but he had nothing to say. She would make him sandwiches, but he hardly ate.
The only time he came out of his room was when he knew everyone was asleep. He would go into Sean's room and lay on his bed. He would stare at the ceiling and try and imagine what life will be like without him.
After spending time in Sean's room he would sneak into his mother's room. He would hide in her closet and watch her sleep. All he wanted to do was climb into bed with her and tell her that he understood the pain she was feeling. He wanted so desperately for her to hold him and tell him that everything would be ok. That she still had him and that was all that mattered.
On the morning that Sean was being buried Don came into Jack's room. "What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?" he yelled at his son who was lying on his bed.
"I'm not going," he told his father.
"Damn it, Jon, get your ass off that bed and get dressed now," Don said as he grabbed his son by the arm and yanked him off the bed. He then turned and walked to the closet to get his suit. "I've got enough problems dealing with your mother, I don't need your bullshit, too." When he turned back his son was gone.
Don looked out the bedroom window and saw Jack running down the street. He decided to let him go. He was not about to run around the neighborhood looking for him. If he didn't want to go then that was fine with him. It was one less person he would have to worry about.
"I thought he was being a selfish little bastard for not going to the funeral. I never thought about the pain he was going though," Don told Sydney.
When Jack ran out of the house on that day, he ran to the creek where he had spent so many hours fishing and talking with Sean. He stayed at the creek until long after the sun had set. He wanted his father to come find him and take him home.
He went home when Sara sent Alec, her eldest son, to get him and bring him home. "It's all over Johnny, you can go home now," Alec told him. Alec tried to wrap his arm around his cousin's shoulder, as they walked home, but Jack shrugged him off.
When he arrived home the last of the mourners where leaving. They told him that they were counting on him to take care of his parents because they had suffered a great loss.
As he walked past them, Jack mumbled something to the effect that he would do that. At least that's what they mistakenly thought he had said.
Jack headed straight for his room and for bed. He got up the next morning and returned to school. He would no longer dwell on what he had lost.
It was September 12, 1962. The leaves on the trees were just starting to change from green to bright red and orange. The nights were getting chilly, but there was still plenty of sun during the day. Jack looked out his upstairs bedroom window when he heard a car pull into the driveway. He saw two men in Army uniforms getting out of the car. He wondered why the Army would come to his house.
Rebecca answered the door. Jack heard a piercing scream that he has never forgotten. He heard the male voices trying to calm his mother. "Is there anyone we can call for you, Mrs. Bristow? Where is your husband?" they ask her. "Can we call your doctor?"
Then Jack heard his mother scream for Sean. Scream that he can't be dead. He heard her call the soldiers' murders for taking her son from her. Jack stayed in his room and covering his ears with his pillow. If he didn't hear the screams, then none of it would be true.
Sara had seen the soldiers drive up. She called Parker's Bar and told Don to get home immediately. The bar was only a few blocks away. He ran all the way. He entered his home as his wife was smashing a lamp on the ground and two men where trying to keep her from hurting herself.
"Mr. Bristow, do you have a doctor you can call?" They found a doctor that would come over and give her a sedative. The doctor insisted that she be admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Rebecca pleaded with her husband not to lock her up. Don said that he would take care of his wife.
Rebecca slept for the next two days. She didn't leave her room for eight days. Her first day out was to go to Sean's funeral. He received a hero's burial in Arlington National Cemetery. Rebecca never shed a tear, on the day they buried her eldest son. She was gracious to all those that offered her their condolences. She thanked all her family and friends for coming to say good-bye to Sean. She assured them that Sean would have been humbled by all their kind words.
During those eight days, before Sean was buried, Jack's absence was hardly noticed. Sara came over every day to help take care of Rebecca. She would try to talk to him, but he had nothing to say. She would make him sandwiches, but he hardly ate.
The only time he came out of his room was when he knew everyone was asleep. He would go into Sean's room and lay on his bed. He would stare at the ceiling and try and imagine what life will be like without him.
After spending time in Sean's room he would sneak into his mother's room. He would hide in her closet and watch her sleep. All he wanted to do was climb into bed with her and tell her that he understood the pain she was feeling. He wanted so desperately for her to hold him and tell him that everything would be ok. That she still had him and that was all that mattered.
On the morning that Sean was being buried Don came into Jack's room. "What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?" he yelled at his son who was lying on his bed.
"I'm not going," he told his father.
"Damn it, Jon, get your ass off that bed and get dressed now," Don said as he grabbed his son by the arm and yanked him off the bed. He then turned and walked to the closet to get his suit. "I've got enough problems dealing with your mother, I don't need your bullshit, too." When he turned back his son was gone.
Don looked out the bedroom window and saw Jack running down the street. He decided to let him go. He was not about to run around the neighborhood looking for him. If he didn't want to go then that was fine with him. It was one less person he would have to worry about.
"I thought he was being a selfish little bastard for not going to the funeral. I never thought about the pain he was going though," Don told Sydney.
When Jack ran out of the house on that day, he ran to the creek where he had spent so many hours fishing and talking with Sean. He stayed at the creek until long after the sun had set. He wanted his father to come find him and take him home.
He went home when Sara sent Alec, her eldest son, to get him and bring him home. "It's all over Johnny, you can go home now," Alec told him. Alec tried to wrap his arm around his cousin's shoulder, as they walked home, but Jack shrugged him off.
When he arrived home the last of the mourners where leaving. They told him that they were counting on him to take care of his parents because they had suffered a great loss.
As he walked past them, Jack mumbled something to the effect that he would do that. At least that's what they mistakenly thought he had said.
Jack headed straight for his room and for bed. He got up the next morning and returned to school. He would no longer dwell on what he had lost.