“What are your plans for the future?” Harry asked.
“I’m a good mechanic,” Cade said. The grease under his fingernails proved it. “I’ve always enjoyed solving puzzles and using my brain. When I first went to college, I squandered my time with parties, giving my studies the bare minimum of effort. I’d like to go back, and this time apply myself.”
“Don’t you already have one degree?”
“I do, in political science. It was a degree my father thought would be an advantage before I entered law school.”
“And what would your studies be now?” Harry asked.
“Engineering. I believe I can make a success of it. It won’t take nearly as long this time, as I’ve fulfilled all my prerequisites. I’ve talked it over with Hope, and she’s all for it. We both know it won’t be easy to manage both school and work, plus our relationship. She’s my encouragement. I thank God every single day for sending her into my life.”
“An attitude of gratitude,” Harry said. “That, young man, will take you far.”
“The VA will help me with tuition costs, and hopefully I’ll be able to work enough hours to pay for my basic living expenses.” His budget would be tight, leaving little room for entertainment and unexpected costs. Sacrifices would need to be made. He was willing, and with Hope at his side, he felt confident of success.
“Have you talked to your parents about this?”
Cade hadn’t. Their relationship was fragile, and he didn’t want to risk upsetting it until they were on firmer ground. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
Leave it to Harry to ask.
“Guess I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed. Not my mother so much as my father.” There, he’d said it out loud. He couldn’t bear to destroy the delicate relationship they had started to rebuild.
Harry nodded, as though he understood.
“I’ll tell them in time.”
“I can’t speak for your parents, Cade, but I believe they’ve learned their lesson and are willing to give you the support and encouragement you need to follow your own path.”
“From your lips to God’s ear.” Cade sincerely hoped his counselor was right.
“Will I see you Wednesday night?” Harry asked at the end of their session.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” he said.
They both stood and exchanged handshakes. Cade owed this man a great deal. He’d never forget Harry and the work he had done for him and countless other returning veterans. The counselor had been on the battlefield himself. He, too, had struggled with demons and found his way back, and in doing so helped to lead others on the same path to wholeness, despite their experiences and losses.
* * *
—
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Harry and his wife, Penny, had invited the group session attendees to a potluck dinner at their home. They were to have their own celebration together.
Over the weeks since they’d first started meeting, these men and Shelley had become his closest friends. They had shared a piece of themselves with one another, the deepest, darkest moments of loss. Together, they had held one another up with understanding, compassion, and encouragement. Cade knew that although the group wouldn’t meet again formally, they would all remain in touch as friends. Good friends. The kind of friends one could call in the middle of the night and not worry about being a bother.
Cade picked up Hope and had to wait for her corn casserole to finish cooking before they could leave. The recipe was one she got from her grandmother, and a Thanksgiving tradition. They gave Shadow lots of love and attention before heading out.
Because Hope had gotten delayed at school and hadn’t been able to get the casserole into the oven when she’d originally planned to, they were the last to arrive.
Penny invited them into the house, and Hope disappeared into the kitchen with her, carting the casserole with thick oven mitts.
Silas greeted Cade with a slap across his back. “About time you got here.”
“Glad to hear I was missed.” Silas had brought Jada, who was chatting with Dean’s wife on the sofa.
Shelley and Ricardo were on the other side of the room, sitting next to each other, holding hands. Romance was brewing between those two. Cade hadn’t noticed what was right under his nose until the day the group had gone to the high school to speak to Hope’s U.S. History class and they arrived together. It was the first time he’d seen them outside of their sessions. The way they looked at each other that day spoke volumes.