"It's been two weeks and you still haven't found a job. How on earth do you think you could possibly move out with no income?" Philip sat outside with a cigarette as his dad yelled the back of his head off. Bernard was getting interviews very second of the da while Philip never got a letter or a call back. "By the time you get out of my hair, you'll be in your fifties!"
The cigarette was flicked into the air and landed right on the side walk. "Can I even just have one thought to myself you old geezer?"
"Excuse me?!"
"I've been here for quite a while and I haven't heard a single person talk about Elowen or my child. Roy keeps sneaking off and won't even tell me where the hell he's going. All of you are acting strange around me like I'm not even apart of this family."
Harry couldn't do a thing but scoff. "You have no idea, Philip. That baby is not yours. We all saw her. She's just as dark as Elowen. Not a single piece of you is in that thing. We warned you that she was a cheating black. All her kids have different dads."
Philip looked over his shoulder to see if his old man was being serious. Harry was so pissed it looked as if he just ran a marathon and lost. "Alright." Philip stood up and dusted the dirt off the back of his pants. "Well, I can determine that for myself. When Roy gets back with the car-"
"No, Philip! While you were out fighting those demons, we, as a family, decided we weren't going to go back over there. We've had enough of those people."
"I can't see my own girlfriend? I thought we were past that!"
Harry chuckled. "Girlfriend? You've been gone for years and you think she still loves you? You've inhaled one too many bomb fumes." He slapped his knee as a loud and hearty laugh escaped his lungs. The large man then went silent as Philip continued to face the road in front of their house. "Get out of my house as soon as you can."
"They treat us worse than they treat niggers. You said everyone would love us because we're heroes. That's what you said, Specialist Hill." Bernard rolled his eyes.
Philip clenched his fists around his fork as Bernard jammed his food around on the plate. "Don't say that word." With his teeth clenched so tight, Bernard could barely make out what he said. "The girl I told you about. The one we'd be living with. She's black and if that's how you're going to talk then I don't think you should stay with us."
"You know, I feel bad for you. You've been talking about this girl and even cheated on her yet no one has ever seen her."
"We can go right now!" Philip jumped up from his spot on the porch and Bernard jumped up with him. They both put their plates down as if it was a competition on who could be the quickest. Philip then turned to Roy's car which he snuck the keys from an hour ago. He then prayed that Elowen would be home so he wouldn't look like a idiot.
The entire car ride had Philip sweating out of his shirt while Bernard was waiting for a chance to say Philip failed. Life outside of war seemed a lot more terrifying at this point.
"What made you fall in love with a black chick anyway?" Philip thought about all the ways Elowen made him happy and all he could do was smile. "Never mind that then."
"You ever been in love Bernard?"
"Had a few high school girlfriends. Nothing serious though. I've always had Eric though. He was better than any girl-" Philip jumped out the car as he got bored of whatever Bernard was talking about.
The two walked up the porch steps that reminded Philip all too much of what he left behind. He told Bernard to stay behind as he went to knock on the door. The most he expected at this moment was for Mrs. Walson to yell at him and tell him to never come back. But that's not who he saw at all.
Elowen took one glance at him and groaned. "Henry! Roy is here!" Philip stared at her in a daze then he suddenly took his hat off his head. "Holy-" Her eyes widened as she realized that this man was way older than Roy. She grabbed onto the door frame not even able to take her eyes off him. Philip grabbed her cheeks when a sob escaped her lips. "Philip..."
"Yes." She then grabbed his shoulders and forced his body into hers. His grip around her waist grew tighter and tighter until it felt as if he was hugging himself.
"The hell is going on?" Henry asked as he looked at the two crazy looking people a mess out on the porch. "Oh whoa! Philip is actually alive!" The boy ran back in the house to get everyone who wasn't outside.
Bernard clapped his hands loudly causing the two to snap out of it. "Who- who is that?" Elowen pointed.
"This is Bernard! We were stationed together. He's like my best friend and I told him we were moving in together! You, me and-"
Yvette stepped outside along with Mrs. Walson. The little girl looked shy for the first time in forever when Philip started walking towards her. "This is Yvette, Philip. Our daughter."
"I knew my old man was talking trash! She looks just like me! She is me!" He picked her up without warning and Yvette wasted no time screaming to the top of her lungs. "What's wrong with her? It's me! Your daddy!" Her cries continued and Elowen flew to the rescue to retrieve Yvette.
Her mother couldn't help but look at the man in disappointment. "Philip, she isn't ready for this. She doesn't know you." Yvette dug her head deep into the crook of Elowen's neck. "And we're going to have to discuss the whole moving in together thing at a later time. I have a few days left of spring break. Maybe we can talk Thursday."
"What do you mean she doesn't know me? I've sent pictures and letters!"
"When she was barely even talking. Then you stopped. We figured she shouldn't hold on to a dad she'll never meet. We thought you were... dead."
"Dead?! Elowen! What the hell are you talking about!"
Mrs. Walson stepped outside onto the porch causing Philip to step back. "She said Thursday didn't she? You can ask all the questions later. For now, get off my porch acting like a fool."
"Let's just go, Phil. You proved your point." Philip listened to Bernard because he was too pissed off to take whatever Mrs. Walson said into consideration. "Let's go before Roy finds out we took the car!"
"Thursday," he nodded at Elowen who hugged her daughter tight.