Its 1953... n.h.

Chapter 3

About a week after I met Niall, my father, brother and I end up at a barbecue restaurant, Little Red Barn, to celebrate none other than my acceptance into university. Tuition and all my "required" fees add up to about 100 smackaroos. That was no big deal for my father because he made enough money doing God knows what in his spare time, which was enough to take us to this steak house and pay for college I didn't want.

"I told you that you'd make it in with some hard work," my father spoke before bringing the long neck beer bottle to his lips. My brother and I looked at each other sideways before we refocused back on our father.

"She should still get some work over summer," Tom looks at me, shifts in his seat then looks back at dad, "I hear the beauty salon has an opening."

"What are you doing hanging around a beauty parlor, son?"

"Dad, what I'm saying is..."

"Someone will get the wrong idea about you," he cuts by brother off and takes another swig of beer. By then the waitress appears dressed in a slightly revealing cowgirl getup. She hands out or orders, brings dad a new beer and the entire conversant is dropped in an instant.

I eat slowly, trying to consider ways to bring up Thomas' conversation but I decide maybe this little game I have going on is for the better.

Obviously my father is against even what my mother, his wife for Gods sake, did and that's how they met! She was cleaning his parents home along with another house keep when she met him, he was about 3 years older and cocky as hell. She hated him from the get go and to this day Tom and I have no idea how they fell in love.

Anything other than going to college is a no go for my father, he would approve of nothing less than five classes a year for four years then getting a job like his parents.

My grandparents, God rest their souls, we're humble. My grandmother always lived lavish because of her own father. My grandfather worked his way into riches, he started in construction, building some of the biggest buildings downtown, then ended up some big owner of a business that still- somehow- gives my brother and I a roof over our heads.

None the less that's all my father wants from both his children. Thomas ended up in mechanics, which father can't really disagree with because that's sort of how his dad started out, so he still has hopes for him.

But me, he wants me to work for my "fame" but that's not going to happen if I ever get a say in the matter. On numerous occasions he told me in his obnoxious and booming voice over the dinner table how much be "needed" me to live up to the family name. That of which I had never heard uttered from anyone's mouth but teachers calling roll or my fathers ranting.

"How does it feel to be graduating?" my brother asks, knocking me clean out of my thoughts.

"Nerve racking," I lie. I legitimately cannot wait to toss my cap in the air and kiss that dumb high school goodbye. I'm not nervous in the least, if anything I'm counting down the days, partying that when I go to sleep at night I'll wake up graduated the next morning.

"As you remember I didn't graduate, Beth, so you have to uphold the family name at all of our previous high school," Tom waves his hand in front of him, making a gesture to the entire dining area. I didn't doubt him, just about any adult I had ever met had graduated from the school I was currently attending.

I look around the room and notice someone extremely familiar to me. A certain flip of blonde hair across the room made my heart lurch in my chest for reasons unknown.

I bring my hand to my face in a shit attempt to cover my face in the chance he would see me.

"What's the matter with you?" my father asks setting his fork down on his plate, "no elbows on the table."