The waves were rolling calmly with the breeze. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was simply a wonderful day to be alive.

John Doggett had returned to this sacred spot several times since he and Barbara had finally put the past to rest. Yet, some things never rested – like his soul. It constantly ached for the love evil violently took away. It ached for the return of what had been his only joy for so many years. Barbara’s departure only increased the ache and now he found a need to return to the last place they had all been together. There were things he never got to do with his son, things he never got to say.

“Did I ever get around to tellin’ you how I met your mom? It’s been so many years ago but I still think of it like it was yesterday. Yeah, get ready. Dad’s gonna tell you a story.” Doggett leaned against the boulder that stuck out so prominently on the quiet stretch of sand.

“Not two weeks after I finished my tour of duty with the Marines, some of the guys decided to go out for the evening. Now, Luke, going ‘out’ in the desolate Georgia town I grew up in meant driving 30 miles to Hank’s Tavern. Every Friday night they served beer for a dollar a bottle and you could watch the girls line dance.”

A smile flashed across his face as the memory became vivid. “Anyway, there were four of us that night. We thought we were pretty special all dressed up in our off-duty uniforms and calling each other by title rather than name. I remember David pushing me through the doorway and into a woman who was carrying drinks. She flashed her eyes at me and all I could do was watch in horror as beer ran down her shirt. I’ll never forget what happened next,” he chuckled lightly. It was a good memory. Took his mind off the reason he was telling it to no one – well, no one who could be seen. “The pretty blonde just shook my hand and invited me to her table. ‘Just the smooth guy, boys, no one else is allowed,’ she yelled at my pals.

“Well they looked at me and I looked at them and, I tell you, we were more stunned than if we’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. This woman had just gotten beer sloshed all over her and now she was taking me with her. ‘course, it was all a part of that big master plan that’s made for all of us. Didn’t know it at the time. Didn’t know I’d be meetin’ your mom when I got to the blonde’s table.”

The memory made Doggett’s eyes water. The past never failed to bring back sacred images of a lost time when all was perfect, new, and hope abounded. Now, any glimmer of hope often seemed few and far between. It was only his thoughts that assured him hope was something that existed and not just a glorious figment of the imagination.

Choked up, he took the time to clear his throat and collect his thoughts.

“Kiddo, did you ever know your mom’s name is Barbara? I never was sure if you knew we actually had names. You always called us mommy and daddy.” At this, he was forced to pause a little longer for fear of losing control.

”Barbara. She was amazing. Still is. I’ll always love her. Your mom made the sun appear dull when she walked into a room. Before you came, she was my life. Then it was the both of you. But…anyway…Patsy was the woman I’d spilled the drink on and Patsy was the one who introduced us. Can’t really explain what made us click. Just seemed that the moment our eyes met, we knew. Imagine that, Luke. We just knew. I suppose it was another moment in that great master plan but, wow, what a moment. Your mom’s eyes twinkled and she said mine did the same. I asked her out that night and she said yes.

“I can promise you that you don’t wanna hear the mushy stuff that came next, so I’ll smooth over it as easy as possible.” Doggett watched the waves crash against the shoreline and felt the breeze blow across his short hair. “We fell in love. No, let me restate that. We plummeted into love. I’ve never been so completely overcome by another human being before in my life. In a year, we were married. Waited a while to have you, but not too long. Just enough to get us on our feet. Had to make everything perfect for you. Mom and I started out married life in a little apartment in Brooklyn. That’s in New York, kiddo. I worked and worked to make ends meet.

“Do you remember wearing my old uniforms from the Police Department? ‘member? When we got new equipment I’d bring home the old stuff and let you play with it? You’d run around the house with my old hat and vest on and shout ‘Bang! Bang!’ Sometimes, you’d insist on playin’ cops and robbers. Never cared that I had to deal with ‘em every day of the week, you just wanted to play.”

It was impossible to hold back the tears now. Anytime his thoughts turned to the precious times he had been privileged to spend with Luke, tears flowed freely. Doggett stumbled backwards to find the boulder that could offer some support.

“Your mom insisted we leave Brooklyn for a better neighborhood where you could grow up and have friends. Long Island was perfect. Woodbury was perfect. There was nothing wrong with the place we picked out. It was just…that damn master plan!” He slammed his left fist angrily into his right hand.

“Mom and I have never stopped loving you,” he whispered. “I hope you know that. Somehow…I think you do. I have to believe you do. There haven’t been any mistakes in my life, Luke. If there had been one tiny step in a different direction the night I met your mom, life would have been different. Except for the fact that it couldn’t be because this is what I was meant to have. You. And your mom. Even…if just for a short time.”

The tears began to part and Doggett was once again able to focus on the ocean before him. It struck him that, for all the ugliness humans created, nature’s beauty was so much more powerful and wondrous.

“That’s about all dad can handle for today,” he said, once again to someone that no one could see. “I’ll tell you about the night you were born some other time. Gotta go get the bad guys.”

Doggett shoved his hands in his pockets and walked, in a daze, to his truck.