To Know Him

epilogue

AUSTIN, TEXAS 1964

In a humble, small three bedroom adobe styled house, the windows were all open to let the fresh air in. Gloria was padding around the kitchen barefoot and heavily pregnant making tacos for dinner. Through the open kitchen window, she could see her husband Bill and their three-year-old son in the backyard. They were building an outdoor brick grill, nothing fancy, but Bill had been talking about building one since moving in. He finally had enough money to buy cheap bricks that had survived the implosion of an old building to create more houses for the growing city. Money was generally tight, Bill had a high position at the auto shop where he worked which helped keep them afloat. But most times it was Gloria's teachers assistant earnings that ultimately tide them over.

When Gloria became pregnant again, it forced them to move from their tiny one bedroom apartment near campus to a proper home a little further out. She had offered to take another job but with her being in school Bill practically forbade it and was adamant that she focus on her studies instead. Besides, it was already a handful raising their son on top of that. So together they made the decision to apply for a loan on a house which was difficult since neither of them had credit history.

~~~

A few months before they were at the bank when the loan officer Mister Hansen, a lean and wiry man, had stepped away from his desk to gather paperwork so that they could open an account to begin building credit. With Gloria due to give birth in five months they didn't have time to deal with such nonsense. They looked at each other both despondent and lost on what to do until Bill's eyes lit up with a plan.

"Cry," Bill leaned towards her and whispered.

"What?"

"Just make him feel bad. I... I don't know what else to do... maybe I can sell my bike but-"

"No. No, hold on," she said focusing at her feet thinking of the some of the saddest thoughts she could muster. Being pregnant meant, at times, she could be overwhelmingly emotional so it didn't take much. And she wasn't going to have Bill sell his motorcycle, she loved that thing just as much as he did.

"He's coming back," Bill said between his teeth as he watched the loan officer walk back from an office room.

Mr. Hansen walked into a scene when Gloria threw her arms around Bill's neck sobbing loudly. Bill was shaking his head at him looking miffed as he rubbed the middle of Gloria's back pretending to comfort her.

"Oh goodness, Mrs. Skarsgård? What's wrong!?" He asked in a panic as he pulled on his tie nervously. "I-Is she okay?" He asked Bill this time but Gloria drowned him when she sobbed dramatically, loud enough to echo off the walls of the bank.

"Does she look okay to you?" Bill said glared at him with contempt.

"What c-can I do?" His eyes were wide while he bit his lip worried and taking nervous glances at the other patrons looking on concerned.

"She's upset about the loan situation. We really need it."

"Please Mr. Hansen," Gloria turned to him with a flushed face and wet cheeks as he squirmed in his seat.

"M-ma'am you know with no credit history-"

Gloria hopped up, putting her hands on her hips, pushing her small pregnant belly out further. "I think..." she looked over at Bill whose brows were furrowed wondering what kind of stunt she was about to pull. "I think I'm going into early labor!" She began to take deep erratic breaths and then inhaling through her nose and exhaling loudly through her mouth as if to tame her own breathing which earned a gasp from a teller watching on.