The Harper Generations: Country Roads

Those Holloway folks were shysters

Misty

We returned to the farm and found Grandpa Fuller driving in from the back forty on a plow. He pulled it toward the barn's opening, turned it off, and climbed down. Then, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his brow. "West." He gave Dad a curt nod.

"I figured we might find you here," Dad said.

"I was doing some plowing before planting the fall harvest. Your mom is still at the fair. She said you ran off in a flash."

"The kids ran into some trouble in town."

Grandpa leaned on the plow and rested his fist with the handkerchief on his hip. "What kind of trouble?"

"Someone tried to run the kids off the road. But we interceded before they got hurt. They're fine."

"What were the kids doing in town?" Grandpa glanced at Tino and me.

"We were checking out Tino's family history," I said.

Tino glanced at me with a raised brow. What I said was partly true since Brian Holloway was his several great-grandfathers if you didn't consider him Nash Gray. But again, no one needs to know that tidbit of information.

"What family history?" Grandpa cocked his head.

"We discovered Brian Holloway was Tino's ancestor," I said. And my stupid dad during my previous life.

"Those Holloway folks were shysters."

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"They bilked folks out of their savings, promising an easy life. When the folks got wise to them, they ran the Holloways out of town. Able Holloway claimed to move north to provide a better life for his family. People knew that was cow shit. His sister was no better."

Tino and I stifled a laugh when Grandpa said cow shit.

"The Holloways were always looking to make a quick buck without working for it. Nothing in life is free unless you take it. Then that's stealing." Grandpa shrugged before looking at Val. "How did your family get mixed up with that lot?"

"My great-great grandmother was Maggie Holloway. Her parents dumped her on my great-great-great grandparents, Nate and Pat Gray," Val said.

My dad, Tino, and I winced with the truth.

"But Grammy Maggie didn't care about money. She wanted a family who loved her."

"That just proves your grandmother wasn't like her family." Grandpa shrugged again.

No shit. My dad's family were assholes. I'm so glad my dad was a greedy bastard. It kept me from that stupid family and led me to the right family.

"I wouldn't mention your heritage to the folk down here. They wouldn't take too kindly to it."

We nodded in agreement.

Tino and I snuck off while my dad and Val talked to Grandpa. I needed a moment to digest everything we discovered since we got here. Tino and I walked until we could see the houses from a distance and sat on the grass.

"Are you okay?" Tino asked after a few minutes of silence.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek to gather my thoughts. "I wasn't expecting to deal with my family history or a psychotic demon when we came here. I planned to spend time with you before my dad and Alana got married. But I'm finding out shit happens."

"It would explain why your dad treated you like he did."

"True. It would also explain why I couldn't form a bond with Grandma Mary. How can people love money more than people? It doesn't make sense to me." I shook my head in disbelief.