Jonathan loved
Catherine very much. She was devastated when the draft came. In a time of war,
it was every American’s duty to serve his country. He hadn’t been married to
Catherine for very long, but he knew she was his prize; she was all that he
longed for. He was worried to leave Catherine and his son Jack at home alone,
but he knew his brother Stephen would take care of them. Stephen was a kind man,
and he loved his brother very much. He was a free spirit, which explained his
singleness. Girls loved Stephen, but he was content without a wife. He looked
up to his older brother Jonathan, but he knew marriage at such a young age
wouldn’t turn out for him the way it had turned out for his brother.
When Jonathan
left for war, he looked at his brother, and shook his hand firmly. “You’re in
charge, baby bro. Take care of Catherine and Jack. You three are the only
family I have, and you’re all the only reasons I’m going overseas to defend
this country.”
“I’d love
nothing more, brother. You have my word – I will protect and provide for your
family while you’re gone.”
Stephen moved
into the house and slept in the guest bedroom. He took care of Jack and he took
care of Catherine. He picked up an extra job and even started a college fund
for Jack. He loved them well, as if they were his own wife and child. It was an
odd circumstance, but he promised his brother that he would protect his family.
He had a pure heart, and never laid a finger on Catherine.
Twenty-eight
long months passed, and Jonathan returned. With his PTSD, it was a rough
transition back into his own home. He was extremely jealous of Stephen, and
acting abnormally, chased him out of the house within the first week. As
Stephen fled the house, Jonathan yelled after him. “You think you can steal my wife
and child? They are MINE.”
Image Information: Active Duty Soldiers
Source: USMA
Author's Note: This is an adaptation of Sugreeva watching over Vali's kingdom in R.K. Narayan's translation of The Ramayana. Vali chased after a demon, and Sugreeva was in charge of the kingdom in his absence. When he returned, Vali was unjustifiably angry. Thus, Sugreeva was exiled from the kingdom, just like Stephen was exiled from the home.
Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.
Hello Skyler! Wow. That was an interesting remake to that story. I was almost waiting for Stephen to take over Jonathan's family. That was a good plot twist though and shows how loyal Stephen was to his brother. Loyalty is always a good characteristic to have. It sucks that Jonathan let his emotions overrule the fact that Stephen did such a good job of taking care of Catherine and Jack. I really liked the small detail you added about the college fund. Even though it's a small detail, it shows how much Stephen cared and how he was thinking long term for little boy that wasn't even his! Good take on this story!
ReplyDeleteHey Skyler! I really liked the way you told this story. I have never actually thought of writing a story in this manner. The overall moral and story was the same, but the characters were changed. I also liked the way you built up Stephen’s character. He knew he had the responsibilities that his brother had left him. He even picked up another job even though the family wasn’t his own.
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