Short Story Of Bill's Life After The Vietnam War

Life is a journey and one often reflects on their past after they are older. One ponders if things would have been different and how they could have prevented certain events, and Bill is no exception. Bill has been a regular at Ruby’s Diner for 45 years and lately he has been coming alone, however it has not always been that way. Bill’s story begins in 1971. He was an ambitious 29 year old man who had recently just had his first child with his wife Anne. Bill had previously worked for his father in the family business selling and fixing up cars. One day, Bill went to a new diner that had just opened up down the road called Ruby’s Diner. At this location Bill’s life would change in an unexpected and sudden way. He was sitting down enjoying a hamburger and a milkshake when he received news that he had been drafted for the Vietnam War. Bill had always been against the war and what it stood for, but he had no other option than to head out for the war. He informed his wife and they began to cry together as they both knew this would change their life forever. Bill was given one week to prepare for the war and inform anyone else that needed to know of his imminent departure. One week had passed and Bill and his …show more content…
The townspeople could see that Bill was no longer the ambitious 29 year old man, but rather he appeared to be exhausted and quite angry all the time. Bill would see flashbacks of the war and he would often have night terrors due to the traumatic incidents that he had witnessed. Bill’s wife was still very supportive of him and tried to help him the best that she could, however this took a physical and mental toll on his wife and it came to the point where Anne could no longer help him, even though she loved him dearly. The two attempted to rekindle their romance, but one afternoon at Ruby’s Diner Anne filed for a divorce and the two decided to have joint custody of their