character :: Jeff Dane
“All I have to say is you get what you work for.”
Jeff Dane’s life started in what seemed to be a different world. From a rural town in Ohio, the only escape seemed to be living life young: and, before he knew it, the highschooler and his girlfriend had themselves a problem on their hands. A very, very little problem. One shotgun marriage later, Jeff knew he had to find a way to provide for his growing family; so when the Army recruiters hit up his high school, Jeff knew exactly what he needed to do. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Their baby would be one year old at the end of his first block, and when he came home they could get started on their lives. For now, the female dropout could live on his pension, if they played their cards right.
But, as things tend to do, something went wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. Lisa had a miscarriage: while it was heartbreaking for Jeff, the effects it had on his wife were unmentionable. She was alone, ostracized for the baby she was no longer carrying, and waiting on her husband to return when the stress caught up to her. A birth defect in her heart became unstable during the stress and suddenly, without warning, a heart attack claimed her as she got ready for bed. A concerned neighbor stopped by the next day, and by the time the news had reached Jeff several hours later, he had already sent her one last letter without knowing.
After the 2 weeks he got for the funeral processes, Jeff returned to his station; and suddenly the booze and smuggled foreign drugs that he’d been able to deny for the beginning of the year sang their siren call. He came back stateside to an empty house that smelled of Lisa’s perfume, and unlimited access to liquor from the corner market. When it came time to re-enlist, Jeff decided to turn his attentions to the bar he frequented, asking for a job instead. Maybe the aging bartender felt sorry for him, or maybe he knew his lease would be up in a few months: either way, Jeff Dane ended up with a lump sum of debt, all the liquor he could drink, and thirsty patrons.
Fifteen years later, Jeff could recognize the desperate look in an under-aged boy’s eyes as he hung around the bar, toting an obvious fake ID and begging for free drinks. In an exchange for free work, the boy began working alongside Jeff: little did he know, this boy, Xander, would change his life forever. Suddenly, his only adult friend (Pretti) seemed much more reachable, the alcohol tasted much more bitter, and the unwillingness to change for his grief began to tilt in favor of protecting a son around the age of the child he lost.
