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a rose by any other name would smell as sweet

[TW: War, PTSD, bullying]
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It was your average story back in those tumultuous days when war was waged at the drop of a hat and families were left struggling to get by. James Bernard and Lily Smith grew up in a small, rural town in Illinois only thirty minutes away from each other. Living in a town where the population was a measly five hundred meant all the children being the closest of friends and the adults forming a close-knit community of their own. From the moment they met, there was a running joke that the two of them would get married and grow old together on his parents hundred acre farm with bustling livestock and lively children. What began as a teasing remark soon came true as the years passed, the young man mustering up the courage to ask the girl of his dreams out on a date during their junior year of high school- effectively sealing their fate with one firm nod.
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They discussed their dreams of the future; specifically, how many children they wanted, what season they wanted to hold their wedding, where they would settle down, if they would take over the family farm. Graduation rolled around the corner and the brimming couple were more than ready for begin their life together. But then the unthinkable happened. A war was waged, the American government calling for all men of eligible age and acceptable physique to enroll in the military and ‘fight for their country’s freedom’ or whatever nationalistic propaganda they could shove down the throats of their citizens. Pressure from his family and the government itself forced him into enrolling, knowing that there was no way to avoid it since he was in peak physical condition with no injuries to keep him home. With heavy hearts, Lily watched her fiancée sail off with the hope that he would come back safe and sound.
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And years later, he did. Well, if you count unshakeable trauma and a hardened disposition as ‘okay’ then by all definitions he was fine. But anyone could tell that he was a changed man, essentially roughed up by the tragedy and sheer violence of war- not even his alleged soulmate could recognize that soldier that stood at her front door. Many would attempt to persuade her to leave him, to give up on him and marry some other eligible bachelor down the block, but she continued to cling to the bits of hope that lied in her heart. The hope that this man was still the same boy she fell in love with, that they would start a family and have the future that they always dreamt of. But life wasn’t that easy. The military kept him in their grasps even after the war began to fizzle down, and now she had the choice to stay by his side as his wife or to start anew with a different beau.
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Hope was draining day by day, his cold demeanor unintentionally pushing her away. Right as she worked up the courage to leave him, a daunting realization hit. Mornings were riddled with nausea and soon she couldn’t take one step out of the front door without getting hit by a wave of fatigue. One visit to the doctor confirmed her fears, she was pregnant and if she left her husband she was certainly going to be met with shame and guilt from the small town. Feeling utterly trapped, Lily chose to protect her image and marry the shell of a man she once loved, the shotgun marriage covering up her pregnancy out of wedlock. Seven months later and the cries of a healthy baby girl filled the lonely house, a bundle of joy cradled in the frail woman’s arms. Yet there was no time to assimilate into motherhood before she was forced to move from the comforts of her hometown to the foreign country of Japan.
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The young girl held no memory of her brief stay in America as she was raised in a well-known military base in Japan. It was clear that her parents held a strained relationship, her father was gruff and distant while her mother used her only child as an outlet for her love & affection. Despite their unhealthy marriage, Rose was happy enough to have decent parents to comfort her in a land that she certainly didn’t belong to. This was made clear when she began elementary school, all of the children pointing and whispering about her the second they laid eyes on that bizarre golden hair. Whether it was out of jealousy or a bout of xenophobia, a majority of the children isolated her due to her obvious foreigner status. Cruel yet harmless jokes were played on her nearly every day, that only developed into something worse as she grew older.
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Middle school was an awkward time for all children, but the black sheep of the group only stood out more during these tough times. Adolescent girls could be cruel and they were the main offenders that would squash any bit of her confidence and make her feel worthless. There were rarely any physical bruises left behind, so alerting teachers never worked in her favor and her parents were oblivious to the painstakingly forced smile on their child’s lips at dinner. She made futile efforts in hopes to conform: dyeing her hair raven black, wearing thick framed glasses to hide her eyes, wearing baggy clothes to cover her developing curves. These attempts reaped no benefits, only fueling the teasing and prodding from her sneering classmates. It wouldn’t be until high school, when her father was given the sudden notice to transfer to a base in Tokyo, that her life would finally take a turn for the best.
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High school was infinitely better. Her unique looks were celebrated rather than put down and the awkwardness of puberty wore off. Rose finally blossomed into the vivacious girl she was meant to be and by the end of her time at the academy she had an abundance of offers from modeling agencies all over the country. Making the responsible choice to attend college and treat modeling as a side job, it was during this chapter of her life that she met the love of her life. She likes to believe that they were drawn together by fate itself, going through years of trials that brought them closer and closer. He was the first and only man she opened up to about her fears and insecurities, which only made it easier for her to say yes when he proposed to her at the age of twenty three. Rose Bernard became Uchida Rose.
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The couple have been married for two years, Rose is excelling in her modeling career while her husband steadily handles his own...business. Yet something has been off lately, despite discussing the desire for children they have yet to conceive and small details concerning his job just aren’t adding up anymore. She wants to give her husband the benefit of the doubt, but how much longer can she turn a blind eye to his bizarre behavior?