Chapter Four
Grady saidgoodbye to his family at the end of their weekly Saturday nightdinner.
“I’m headed out.” He held his hand up towave.
His father and younger brother, Dale, barely looked up from the TV while his mother and two pregnant sisters waved him off with no interruption to their heated discussion on natural versus medicatedchildbirth.
Connor, the devoted father and husband, was in his own little cocoon of syrupy, sweet love with one arm around his wife and the other one cradling hisbaby.
Only Jenna dashed toward him, realizing this was different from an ordinarygoodbye.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked, touching his arm. “You lookedpreoccupied.”
“Making plans. I’ve troubled you and Larry longenough.”
“I didn’t mean for you to leave. You know you’re welcome to stay as long as youlike.”
“It’s time,” he said. “You were right about me mopingaround.”
“Where are you going?” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “You’ll keep in touch, won’tyou?”
“I will.” He tried to extricate himself and make an escape, but Jenna’s actions drew the attention of Cait, who felt it was her duty as eldest child to meddle with all of her younger siblings’lives.
She waddled over with her pregnant belly leading the way. “Grady Hart. No sneaking out before the cardgames.”
“Sorry, but I have to get going,” Grady mumbled with his hand on thedoorknob.
Cait narrowed her eyes and assessed his body language. “You’re as twitchy as a long-tailed weasel in a room full of rockingchairs.”
Grady rocked from foot to foot, as Cait’s loud voice drew the attention of hismother.
“Leaving so early?” Mom asked. “Do you want to take somefood?”
“No, it’s not necessary.” Grady’s palms started to sweat. He should have simply snuck off without attending the family dinner and gamenight.
“You’re running away, aren’t you?” Cait concluded, picking up on hisnervousness.
“Oh? Running away?” Mom inquired, tilting her head. “You can stay with us as long as youwant.”
Now that Cait spilled the beans, Grady opened the door and said. “I can’t stay. I have to keep moving or I’llrust.”
This opened the flood gates as everyone dropped what they were doing and charged towardhim.
Dad wanted him to go back to firefighting, while Mom thought he should settle down and get a permanent job, preferably closeby.
Connor wished him luck with his wanderlust. “Gotta get it out of your system before you start afamily.”
Meanwhile, Jenna made him promise to text pictures and updates of his travels. Melisa wanted postcards for her classroom, and Nadine wanted him to kiss his niece and to be back for Melisa and Cait’s joint babyshower.
“Where are you going?” Mom asked. “I’m concerned you’re not putting downroots.”
Roots were the last thing he needed, and he could never imagine himself sharing the same type of warm, gooey love his parents, and now most of his siblings, were wrapped up in. Cozy, too cozy, and so stifling. Of all his siblings, only happy-go-lucky Dale was a free man, but for oppositereasons.
Dale always thought there was someone better out there. He was an eternal optimist, flitting from one pretty girl to thenext.
Grady knew better. He was realistic. Love wasn’t for him, and even if it were—it always endedunhappily.
The only sure thing in life was death, and if it wasn’t death, it wasdeception.
