Too Big For His Roots - John F McLoughlin

Robert O' Connor was not expecting cheering crowds to greet him on his return to Dromahair. Few there were likely to view him as a war hero. Nobody believed he had acted out of principle when he enlisted, as the man had never served any cause other than his own. That did not bother Robert. If anything, he revelled in the notoriety. After all, he was destined for bigger and better things than his home village could offer.

Looking uncomfortable in an army-issue suit, Robert O' Connor stepped off the train, his head held high and his face firmly set in a show of defiance. The person he most wanted to see on the platform was Katie Higgins, his faithful girlfriend who, against all the advice from family and friends, had waited two and a half years for his return. He also hoped his parents had forgiven him for his acrimonious departure, and they, too, would be on the platform to greet him.
There was a naivety in his presumption that he could seamlessly pick up the threads of his old life until it was time to move on again.
However, he soon discovered that time waits for no man, not even Robert O' Connor.