William Pope afforded his usually stern jaw a wry smile while keeping his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel. Sat in the passenger seat of the Range Rover was Sam, slouched his chair and his head pressed against the window. Despite the difficult conversation he’d just had with the teacher, William was proud of his son.

It had been a tough upbringing, one which William scolded himself for. But it was akin to his own, and it had turned him into the man he’d become. As a General within the UK Armed Forces, William Pope had built a legacy built on his authenticity and disgust for the political game.

He’d hoped it would create a steady path for his son, acting as a beacon of inspiration for him to be a good man.

As the rain lashed down against the windscreen, he registered the red brake lights on the car in front and applied pressure to the brake pedal, bringing the car to a stop.

‘Are you listening to me, Samuel?’

William turned to his fifteen-year-old son. Sam unfastened his seat belt and flung his door open, stepping out into the rain. Panicked, William wrestled with his own belt before exiting the car as quickly as possible.

‘Sam, what the hell are you doing?’

‘Leave me alone.’

Sam stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away, stomping down the small gap between the cars that were lodged in yet another traffic jam. William held up an apologetic hand to the car behind them, the woman offering him a nod of sympathy. Briskly, he jogged around the car and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.

‘Samuel…’

‘Let go of me.’

‘What is wrong with you?’

‘Nothing. Okay, Dad? Nothing is wrong with me.’ With his wet hair pasted against his head, Sam looked up at his father who stood over six feet tall. Although he’d experienced a growth spurt during the complications of puberty, he still only measured up to his father’s broad shoulders. Despite his insistence, Sam knew tears were rolling down his cheek.

‘Let’s get back in the car.’

‘And go where? Back to another place we’ll call home for a year or two?’

William felt his heart sink. He’d known that his job had impacted Sam, but ever since Sam’s mother had left, they’d forged a bond. With his constant relocations, William knew Sam had struggled to make friends. It had brought them closer together, and while Sam was a diligent student, William knew his son wanted to follow in his footsteps.

The day he got to see his son in a military uniform would be the proudest day of his life.

But now, with a few impatient car horns blaring and the rain crashing around them, he looked into the pain-stricken eyes of his son and saw his child.

William stood a few feet from him and shrugged.