END OF THE PIER

by Jack Monroe

Virginia, 1958.   A dysfunctional family is brought together when their eight-yeard old son, Charlie, is diagnosed with cancer.   Touched by the boy's enormous spirit, each of the Williams clan revive the love they had long since taken for granted and rediscover the magic of living by celebrating Christmas in July; a Christmas they painfully acknowledge may be their last as an entire family.

"Mother says everything has it's purpose....including death.   It's the death that gives the life its meaning.   The limited time we have is what makes it so precious.   It's easy to forget sometimes.   But that's usually when fate steps in and rocks the boat....to remind us that life....should be treasured....everyday."

These are the words of Jack Williams, Charlie's twelve year old brother, who is trying desperately to win the love and respect of his demanding, hard-shelled father.   A man he has only known as the Hero, the Pilot, the Stranger who comes home every few months for a short time, then disappears again to fight another battle.   But now the war is over and John, Jack's father, finds himself the centerpiece of a family he does not know.   No longer a pilot, he now plays the role of the father.   Being a military man most of his life, John knows no other way than to treat his boys as soldiers.   His expectations are more than Jack can live up to.

Told from Jack's perspective, the story unfolds over the course of an unusually hot summer, beginning with the arrival of Sandra, John's rich bitch sister from Washington D.C. and an antagonist to Jenny, the boys' mother, who feels she must defend her simple existence against Sandra's extravagant lifestyle.

The story is anchored by Mama, Jack's grandmother, a petite woman with a wickedly charming smile who was quite a hellraiser in her day, and Granddady Bill, a bitter old man who lost his yearn for life long ago.

With the existing friction growing between one son and faced with the impending loss of another, John is forced to re-evaluate his life.   To appreciate what he has.   To realize that his life as a pilot is over.   With new understanding of himself and his son, John takes the first step in mending his relationship with Jack.  

In an attempt to bring life back into the house, John and Jenny decide to celebrate Christmas early this year, realizing Charlie may not live to see another one.   In a group effort, the Williams family decorate the house; a tree, Christmas cookies, and even man-made snow in the yard.   It's a beautiful sight.  

And as the whole family stands in the front yard, while the Christmas lights are turned on, and the holiday spirit shines, Jack turns to Charlie and asks, "What do you think?   It's all for you."

Charlie simply replies, "It's for all of us."