Jack Baker

Jack Baker was nine years old when his father left to serve as a navy captain in the European theater during World War II. When he was 13, his father returned to bury his wife. In the intervening years, Jack had barely seen his father. His mother, whom he loved more than anyone, was gone and he was left with a father he barely knew. Jack was also left with profound guilt over his mother’s death because he failed to take care of her. When he left, his father had told him to take care of his mother while he was gone. Jack was angry over a minor issue the night she died and slept in the barn. Had he been there for her, perhaps he could have gotten her help.

Captain Baker doesn’t know what to do with his son. Although he doesn’t express...