Chapter 28 - Part 2, The Man I Want To Be

*3rd POV

George stepped outside and sat down, staring at the sky. He couldn't quite understand why their conversation had felt so… heavy.

Mary followed him out, noticing the weight of his expression. She sat down beside him and gently rubbed his back. George gave her a small, weary smile.

"…Why is he so… mature?" George asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

"Oh, George…" Mary smiled softly too. "Our kids… they're different. I accepted that the moment I saw their little faces."

"Yeah…" George muttered, his gaze returning to the stars. "…Am I a bad father to them?"

"No, absolutely not." Mary countered immediately, her tone firm.

"It's just… what Georgie said is right." George admitted with a heavy sigh. "I wanted to be a pro. But maybe I've been pushing my dreams onto him…"

George paused, staring into the distance. "The moment I saw him running for a touchdown, I saw myself in him… I saw my dream."

"Is he… really that good?" Mary asked uncertainly.

"Oh, you didn't see it, but I was smiling through the entire practice." George said with a small laugh.

"…Do you want to talk to him about this again?" Mary suggested gently. "He's really a mature kid. Maybe you could discuss a schedule with him or ask about his plans? You two might find some middle ground in this."

"Yeah… maybe I've been too stubborn about it." George admitted, slapping his thighs as he got ready to stand up.

But before he could, a voice interrupted him. "What are you two doing out here?" Connie had just returned from the casino, annoyed at losing some money.

George glanced at Mary, shook his head slightly, and said, "…Nothing. We were just having a little conversation."

"I don't buy it." Connie retorted as she walked passed them to grab a beer. "And I don't care. I just want some beer and to go home to sleep."

The three of them re-entered the house, with George and Mary looking around for Georgie. But instead of finding him alone, they saw all three kids sitting on the couch, Georgie holding his guitar.

"What are you guys still doing up so late?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Georgie made me do this." Sheldon whined, earning a sharp glare from Missy that silenced him.

Georgie looked up at Mary and George. "Father, Mother… I want to apologize for my behavior earlier… especially to you, Father."

George walked over to his chair and sat down. Georgie stood and motioned for Mary to take his seat.

"I know my words earlier might have hurt you. But I love y'all. That's the truth. And I know you love me too." Georgie said earnestly.

George said nothing, but he felt the weight of Georgie's words deep in his heart. It almost brought him to tears. Mary's eyes were already glistening.

"…Am I really missing out on something here?" Connie muttered, sipping her beer. "Damn it. I hate missing moments like these."

"It's alright, Georgie." Mary said, wiping her tears. Then she noticed the guitar in his hands. "What's the guitar for?"

"Georgie made a song for Dad!" Missy exclaimed excitedly, clearly happy to hear him sing again.

"…I want to sleep." Sheldon grumbled, annoyed at staying up past his bedtime.

"Yes, I wrote this to prove my point from earlier." Georgie said, adjusting his guitar. But before he could play, Connie interrupted.

"Wait a second! Tell me what's going on!" Connie said Which Sheldon reluctantly explained the earlier argument to Connie, who nodded in understanding.

"Alright, now I get it. The stage is yours." Connie said with a small smile, sitting on the couch. Missy moved to sit on the floor, but she didn't mind—she felt like she had the best seat in the house.

Georgie strummed his guitar, the sound filling the room and capturing everyone's attention. He looked at each member of his family before focusing on his music.

(Chris Young – "The Man I Want to Be" *I changed it a little bit*)

"God, I'm down here on my knees

'Cause it's the last place left to fall

Beggin' for another chance

If there's any chance at all…"

"Oh my…" Mary covered her mouth, her voice catching in her throat.

"Oh boy…" Connie muttered, taking a long sip of her beer.

"That you might still be listenin'

Lovin' and forgivin' guys like me…"

Sheldon huffed quietly, confused why Georgie was singing about God. He thought Georgie, like him, wasn't religious.

Mary closed her eyes, offering a silent prayer for her family.

The tempo shifted, and Georgie's voice became more heartfelt.

"I've spent my whole life gettin' it all wrong

And I sure could use your help 'cause from now on…"

"No, you haven't…" George murmured, his voice soft. Connie, sitting nearby, heard him and glanced at him with a knowing look.

"I wanna be a good man

A "do like I should" man

I wanna be the kind of man the mirror likes to see…"

George's gaze softened as he watched his son pour his heart into the performance. He could feel the sincerity in every note, and his eyes began to glisten.

"I wanna be a strong man

And admit that I was wrong, man

God, I'm asking you to come change me

To the man I wanna be…"

"Lord…" Mary whispered through her tears, her face wet with emotion.

"He's really born to be a singer." Connie said softly, her eyes fixed on Georgie.

"There's anyway for him and me to make another start

Could you see what you could do

To put some love back in their heart

Cause' it going to take a miracle

After all I've done to really make them see?"

George couldn't hold back his tears any longer. "No…" he murmured, his voice trembling, tears streaming down his face.

Mary saw this and couldn't stop her own tears. Sheldon, observing the scene, looked puzzled.

"…I don't understand. Are they happy or sad?" he whispered.

Missy, meanwhile, simply watched her brother's performance, her face lit with admiration. Even if she didn't understand all the words, she was happy to see Georgie singing again.

"That I wanna be a steady man

I wanna be a great man

I wanna be the kind of man that they see in their dreams"

"…You already are." Mary said with a soft smile. George closed his eyes, letting himself sink into Georgie's song.

"God, I wanna be your man

And I wanna be their man

God, I only hope he still believes

In the man I wanna be"

Georgie sang like he was pleading—to be the perfect man, the man they needed, and the man strong enough to face any storm, both present and future. Connie, George, and Mary felt it. They felt Georgie's cry, his plea, resonating through the music.

"Well, I know this late at night that talk is cheap

Lord, don't give up on me!"

Georgie smiled as he saw his family immersed in his song. He looked at each of them and sang the final lyrics.

"I wanna be a giving man

I wanna really start living, man

God, I'm asking you to come change me"

Softly, he ended with, "To the man I wanna be.." his gaze meeting theirs.

Missy, moved by the performance, stood up and began clapping enthusiastically, even though she didn't fully understand the song's meaning. Connie raised her beer in salute, smiling at Georgie. Mary, tears streaming down her face, also smiled.

"…That was wonderful… Oh, my little boy." Mary said tenderly.

George remained silent, standing abruptly. "Let's go, Missy, Sheldon. It's time for bed." he said, gesturing for them to follow him.

"Finally." Sheldon grumbled, but Missy hesitated. She didn't want to leave, but Georgie gave her a nod, signaling it was okay to follow their father.

Mary and Connie watched George as he led Sheldon and Missy away. Their faces brightened with soft smiles as they noticed something on George's face—a small, tearful smile that he couldn't hide.

"Why are you crying and smiling at the same time?" Sheldon asked curiously as they walked to the bedroom.

"I'm not crying… and no talking…." George said gruffly, quickening his pace to avoid further questions.

Back in the living room, Connie turned to Georgie. "Where did you steal that song from? I don't believe you wrote that!"

"Huh…" Georgie sighed, clearly not in the mood to argue with Connie.

"Let's get you to bed." Mary said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

But Georgie stopped her. "I'm almost fifteen, Mom. Stop coming into my room, please."

"Oh, alright… 'my man' is growing up." Mary teased with a chuckle.

Georgie flushed with embarrassment and quickly darted toward his room. He didn't notice George stepping out of Missy and Sheldon's room for a while, shrugged his shoulders slightly, and continued on to his own room.