Billy grew up with these two. As the novel starts, Wally and Sandi are just dating. It’s for the same reason other couples aren’t marrying – the draft. It’s was a minimum of a two-year obligation. When Wally reports for his draft physical, he is considered as not acceptable for military service and given a 4F rating. The reason is an unspecified health problem. He and Sandi marry while Billy is in the Army.
Wally’s father owns the local hardware store. The store is many years old and has ancient wooden floors that have paths worn in them down all the aisles. Its useful life has really ended. Wally’s father decides they need to improve and start down the road to a franchise hardware store. Wally is very worried about this move because he sees small towns all around him disappearing. Not totally disappearing but generally having only two businesses left – a gas station and a bar. The town, Burr Oak, is surviving only because of the paper mill. Wally realizes this is a very tenuous situation because other paper mills have closed.
About the time the new hardware stores to open, Sandi has their first child a daughter. Wally insists they wait to have another child because of the uncertainty of the survival of the town. Sandi agrees. Obviously, their story continues all throughout the novel. One bit of a teaser is Wally is killed as a result of an automobile accident.
