The Son and the Sparrow

Haley's biography

Haley kind of got the short end of the stick. Through the book she had little backstory or character. She was basically Leon's prop and motivation and that's all. I'm hoping to strengthen her character in the next version, because in reality she's a very strong woman, stronger than Leon could ever hope to be emotionally. 

HALEY- 30 years old

Childhood

Haley was a cute, popular, and sweet kid. She had playdates every week and was considered by most to be an adorable child. Her parents divorced when she was young, but she was okay with that because it didn’t affect her life too much. However, when she reached the fifth grade her parents got back together. This was a huge mistake on their part, as they fought constantly, which upset Haley greatly. This made her life unstable and her middle school years turbulent.

Adolescence

Through this time of difficulty Haley was more withdrawn from her teachers and classmates, although she still had friends. Her parents divorced again as the fighting continued, and there was a huge custody battle over Haley. Haley decided to stay with her father, and lived with him until she graduated high school. In high school she was a good student with straight As, a good moral ethic, and was involved with school politics, which made her a fairly popular student that others looked up to.

Early Adulthood

Haley was accepted to a good quality college and studied developmental psychology. Right before achieving her bachelor’s degree, Haley’s father died of a heart attack. This upset Haley and devastated her, although she didn’t her emotions interfere with her life plans. Haley enjoyed her career but missed her dad deeply. That was when she met Leon. Leon started out as this mysterious crush. He was different from the men she had experienced before, and she felt instantly attracted to him. Leon approached her and she accepted his offer for a date. When they went on their hike, Haley discovered that Leon was actually pretty approachable and nice, although there was still a bit of strangeness to him. Haley decided that this unease was because she didn’t know him well enough yet, and that she wouldn’t reject him based on a small naggy feeling. They went out on small dates for a month, and they he told her what his income came from and she was flabbergasted. The concept of selling drugs was very much out of her realm of reality. She dropped him immediately but he called her persistently. She got back together, rationalizing that they wouldn’t have a serious relationship, and that they were just having some fun. They started dating once again, and although she ended up falling in love with him, she kept her wits about her enough not to settle down with him and start an official relationship. After some time, Haley got pregnant, which was an enormous problem and Haley wasn’t sure what was going to happen. She told Leon, and to her surprise Leon vowed to quit the flock.

Current

Haley and Leon started a life together, Leon got a legal job, and they had a son together. Their life was peaceful. Haley worked from home most of the time, writing reports and studying data. Some years later their son, Clay, died in an automobile accident. Haley reacted the way one would expect a mother who lost her child would. Unlike Leon, however, Haley dealt with her tragedy in a healthy way and healed. She worked with children directly like she used to, and this helped her deal with her loss. As Haley recovered, she slowly realized that her husband was not dealing with the situation well, and that he was getting angrier, and that this anger was directed straight toward her. It felt almost as though he blamed her for some strange reason. So she confronted him about this anger, and they got into a huge, bitter fight. When it reached its pinnacle, Haley sensed that in that moment Leon was actually angry enough to hurt her. This realization immediately stopped the fight, and she kicked him out of the house. Obviously this occurrence was a blow to her, but despite losing a son and her relationship hanging by a thread, she held her head high and moved forward. When Leon asked to move back in, Haley demanded that he attend therapy, so that he could get over his grief in a healthy manner.