A taxi pulls up in front of the Martin's house in Calhoun County at three in the morning. Billy Joe Martin pays the cab driver and slings his duffle bag over his shoulder. As he reaches the front door he feels in his pocket for the key that he has guarded so carefully for the last eighteen months.

Billy Joe opens the door and quietly sets down his duffle bag and reaches to pet his dog Ruff, looks around just enjoying the sight of the house and the smells that his mother’s cooking have left behind.

Billy Joe picks up his duffle bag and quietly makes his way upstairs to his room, being careful to avoid the places he knows will creak as he steps on them.

Billy Joe looks around his room and notices it has been left as it was when he left eighteen months ago, lies on his bed and falls to sleep holding Ruff

At 0500 hrs Billy Joe wakes up and goes back down stairs and puts Ruff out for his morning run. As Ruff is taking care of his business Billy Joe looks around the back yard at the wonder of grass and the smell of the new morning.

Billy Joe gets Ruff to come back into the house and feeds him then puts on a pot of coffee. As he waits for it to make he thinks of how nice it is to be home and wonders how people are going to see him now.

As Billy Joe pours his coffee he hears his mother getting up and moving around upstairs and shortly she comes down goes to get the morning paper and through with sleepy eyes comes in the kitchen to make the morning coffee. Noticing the pot is already made she is confused as she looks around and sees Billy Joe sitting there. She stifles a cry and runs to take him in her arms as he puts his arm around her.

They sit there and talk until Billy Joe's father comes downstairs to get his morning coffee and sees Billy Joe sitting there. His father looks at him and grunts,  “So your home,” and takes his coffee and paper into the living room to drink and read.

Billy Joe knew this was not going to be easy; after all it had been eighteen months and his father was not the easiest man to get along with.

Later that day Billy Joe goes to see his girl friend that he had asked to marry him before he left eighteen months ago.

When she opened the door and he saw the tears in her eyes when she looked at him Billy Joe was not surprised as she closed the door in his face.

Billy Joe took a walk around town and stopped at the Calhoun County Drug store to get a cup off coffee.

The waitress come up and without looking said "My name is Charlene, what can I get for you?”

“A cup of coffee,” Billy Joe replied. As she looked up, Charlene saw who it was and tears of joy filled her eyes.

When she went to get Billy Joe's coffee she asked the boss for the day off and when she told him why he replied, “Sure. I'm glad to see Billy Joe is back in town after eighteen months. Tell him the coffee is on me and ask him if we can get him anything else.”

Charlene brought Billy Joe's coffee to him than sat down across from him. Billy Joe didn't know that in the eighteen months he had been gone Charlene had often came over to spend time with his parents and had been there when they received the telephone call telling them Billy Joe was coming home.

For hours and gallons of coffee they sat there talking about the high school days and how Billy Joe had been the quarterback on the football team.

Billy Joe asked Charlene if she would like to come to dinner. and when he said yes he told her he had some things to do and would pick her up at six.

Billy Joe stopped at the Calhoun County Florist and picked up two dozen roses as he headed home. When he got there, he gave his mother a dozen of them and put the second dozen aside and told his mother Charlene would be coming to dinner.

At six Billy Joe walked out the front door of his house and walked next door and rang the doorbell. Charlene's father answered the door and when he saw Billy Joe he said, “Welcome home.” Charlene's mother pushed her father out of the way and threw her arms around Billy Joe and said, “I'm so glad you’re home.”

Billy Joe and Charlene walked the short distance to his home and had dinner with his parents then went out on the front porch where Billy Joe told her about his ex-girlfriend’s reaction to him when he had gone to see her and wondered what she thought now that she had seen him after eighteen months.

Charlene pulled Billy Joe down into the swing next to her and said, “I see the same Billy Joe that left here eighteen months ago. The Billy Joe I prayed every night would come home safely and hoped that one day I would be able to hold in my arms.”

Billy Joe sat down and put his arm around her as they watched the sun set and felt the cool evening breeze

Billy Joe has come home after eighteen months but has left his right arm in a far away country.