"Shelia, who do you think is stronger, me or your husband?"

"Um... it's definitely you..."

I shut my eyes and gripped my fists so hard, but I could not help remembering our first date.

Back then, Sheila would turn red just from holding hands. Maybe time really did change everything.

I tossed and turned all night.

At the crack of dawn, I dragged myself to the training field.

This mission was going to be even more dangerous than the last, so I had to be in prime condition in order not to let my team down.

However, as I trained, all the things that bothered me kept popping into my head. Sheila's adoring looks at John and how my parents always took his side. It all made me so mad.

That anger drove me as I trained, and I pretended the punching bag was John. I hit it so hard it burst.

On my way home, I grabbed a couple of sandwiches to eat. Then I heard a voice I knew.

"Bro?"

I turned and saw them standing not too far away. John was all dressed up in a suit, his hair slicked back, and wearing fancy glasses. He looked pretty sharp.

"Bro, is that really you? What's with the..."

He looked me over, not sure what to say.

I was a mess, just out of the gym, wearing a white tank top with my jacket in my hand. Next to John, I must have looked pretty rough.

Sheila scrunched her brow, standing by John, her hand just barely covering her nose. I noticed every little thing she did.

After every training session back in the day, Sheila would rush into my arms without hesitation.

I would always push her away, complaining about being all sweaty.

However, Sheila never cared.

She would say my sweat belonged to our country, and she was too proud to think of it as anything else.

In the end, it became painfully clear who loved me, and who did not.

"Hank, where have you been to get so messy?”

"You might not care, but we do!" My mom's voice snapped me back to reality, dripping with disapproval.

It's like all those times she lovingly patched me up and made me soup were from another lifetime.

"Bro, I get it.”

"Did you leave the service with nothing to do, so you started doing construction work?”

"Bro, if you're struggling to find a job, just tell me. I can hook you up! No need to put yourself down like this!"

John seemed to have my back.

However, he slapped the "construction worker" label on me before I could even speak.

I wanted to set things straight, but seeing Sheila and the others looking at me with disgust, I clamped my mouth shut.

"Him? Let's not have him embarrass us at our company.”

"He's all muscles and nothing more." My dad's icy laugh cut through the air, his eyes never meeting mine.

Back when I joined the military straight out of the academy, my dad was so proud. He bragged about me all over social media.

When someone teased him, saying I was just a brawler who could not hit the books, he argued with them all night.

In the morning, with bags under his eyes, he gave me a tired smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"Son, you go defend our country, and I'll have your back," he said.

However, even he used to call me a muscle-bound dummy back then.

I hung my head, hiding the sting in my eyes.

"Hey, bro, we're heading out to grab some food. Wanna come with us?"

"Nah, let's not bother, John. That place is fancy dress, and Hank's not really... you know."

Sheila spoke softly, but her point was crystal clear.

"Got it.

"Well then, we'll be off, brother." John gave me a wave goodbye.

I watched them leave, John in the middle of the crowd, hand in hand with Sheila, looking totally at ease.

It's okay.

They wanted someone like John to be their son and husband, not me.

I'll let them have that.

4

Half a month slipped by in silence.

It was time for Dad's surgery follow-up.

I woke up early to get everything ready to take him to the hospital.

No matter how he had been to me, he was still my dad.

The doctor who did his surgery was a top-notch guy I had begged a military bigwig to bring in. He hardly ever did surgeries for just anyone.

However, when Dad saw me all set to go, he scowled. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you for your checkup."

"Don't bother, John's going to pick me up later. If it hadn't been for John, I'd have died from that heart attack!

"Hmph, having you as a son is no different from not having one at all!"

"John, who I barely knew, was willing to get Dr. Jefferson to help me out!"

Dad's words hit me like a bomb.

Dr. Jefferson was the doctor I had asked for!

"What are you talking about?! Dr. Jefferson was the one I asked for! I..."

"You asked for him? Hank, you're not the one hurting, so it's easy for you to lie!

"Who do you think you are, talking like you're in charge? Who's Dr. Jefferson to you?

"You've been in the army for a few years and now you think you're someone special?"

Dad just scoffed at me, not bothering to hear me out.

However, his face softened when he saw John.

"Bro, are you coming with us to the hospital?"

"Why bother with him? He'd just mess things up." Dad grabbed John's arm and headed for the door, but not without throwing a couple of jabs my way.

"Hank, try to be honest for once, will you? Stop letting your mom and me down!"

That's when it hit me.

Maybe the truth did not really matter.

In Dad's eyes, John was the son he had chosen.

Me? I was just the unlucky guy who did not fit into his plans, back from serving my country.

I slumped on the couch, my phone buzzing non-stop.

Sheila was on a shopping spree with my extra credit card.

I had earned my stripes in the service, and all the money the army gave me, I had put on that card.

I wanted to give Sheila a better life.

It turned out that it was all just wishful thinking on my part.

On the day of the big party, the restaurant was packed with relatives.

I sat by myself, texting back and forth with my army buddies.

[Just come and get me later.]

"Wow, Hank, you haven't been around for years, but you're looking even sharper!"

A relative I barely knew came up to say hi, but I could tell they were just there for the gossip.

I had been gone for four years and then, just three months back, I was there for a kid's party.

It was obvious that there was more to it than met the eye.

However, they all played along, pretending it was just a normal family gathering, with me as the kid's dad.

What a joke.

I watched my parents' backs as they led my new brother around, greeting all our relatives.

Sheila and John were the last to show up. Sheila's cheeks were still rosy, and she walked kind of funny. There was even a big hickey on her neck that everyone could see.

John looked right at me through the crowd, his eyes daring me to say something.

"Hank, who's that guy? I've never seen him before."

"That's my parents' new adopted kid, my brother."

"Wow, they're still taking in kids at their age?"

I just smiled and took a big gulp from my glass.

‘Yeah, who could argue with that?’ I thought to myself.

Halfway through the meal, Dad grabbed the mic, his face all red with excitement.

"The best thing that ever happened to us was getting Sheila as our daughter-in-law!"

He beamed.

"And as if that wasn't enough, we got John as a great son too!”

"With them, the Freeman family is complete and happier than ever!"

"Don't just talk about it, Mr. Freeman. Let the boy's dad say something too," a relative joked.

Dad's smile froze for a second, then he looked over at me.

I got up and reached out for the mic.

"Hank, this is your son's big day. Watch what you say," he whispered, half-warning, half-pleading.

I knew I had to choose my words carefully.

However, I also knew I had to speak the truth.

"Thank you all for coming today. I really appreciate it.”

"You all know I'm a rough guy. I carry a gun and fight for a living. When it comes to giving speeches, I'm honestly not very good at it.”

"So, instead of saying a bunch of fancy words, I'd rather speak plainly and say something real. "

I snuck up behind Sheila, finding a spot right between her and John.

"I've been away for four years, and when I got back, my wife was seven months pregnant. I racked my brain over this puzzle for nights and just couldn't solve it.”

"Then it hit me. My dad was eager to cuddle a grandkid, but with me gone, what was the plan?”

"Why not ask Mr. Freeman to step in? We're all family if you go back far enough!"

"Hank, what are you blabbering about?!" Dad heard me and shot up from his chair, his hand slamming the table.

Sheila's shoulders shook, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Every relative in the room fell silent.

"Hank! You troublemaker! I knew you were up to no good!!" Dad was fuming, and he lunged at me, ready to strike.

However, the very next moment, the door swung open.

My fellow soldiers, all in uniform, stood there like a wall.

"Who dares to touch our captain?!"