Hosea Matthews leans back in his favorite porch chair and elevates his feet on the railing. He turns a page in one of his favorite books, A Farewell to Arms, by Earnest Hemingway. He can hear the radio playing some old tunes from within the house, Bessie has always liked to keep the windows open, rather than use the AC. He didn't mind.
As he turns another page, he can hear a car coming up their long driveway. Lowering his feet and correcting his posture, he looks out into the clearing beyond the trees. Waiting for a moment, he soon sees the familiar blue SUV.
"Bessie?" he calls.
He hears footsteps and the screen door opens.
"What is it, dear?"
"You might want to plan on making extra for dinner."
She looks out and sees her son's car and beams.
"That shouldn't be a problem!" She waves excitedly at the car and walks down the steps of the porch to meet it.
The car comes to a stop. Before Arthur can turn off the engine, Isaac bolts out of the car and runs into the arms of his grandmother. She holds him tightly and gives him multiple kisses on his fuzzy head.
"Hiya, Grammie!"
"Hello, baby! How is my favorite grandson?"
"Grammie, I am your only grandson!"
"Oh, that's right! But can you still be my favorite?"
"Sure, Grammie."
She lets him out of her embrace and exaggerates a dramatic sigh.
"Oh, thank you! I'm so relieved!"
Isaac giggles. Arthur comes out of the car and lets Copper out of the back. Once released, Copper runs up to Isaac and Bessie, does circles around them, then goes off to sniff for squirrels and other wildlife.
"Hello, Mom," Arthur greets her as he leans over and kisses her on the cheek.
"Hello, son. We didn't think you'd be coming over today!"
"I'm sorry, should I have called ahead?"
"No. It's no trouble." She claps a hand on Isaac's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. "We're so glad to have you here!"
Arthur looks up to see Hosea on the porch with a book in hand.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey, son. How was work today?"
Arthur begins to walk the rest of the driveway and up the stairs to meet his father on the porch. Bessie and Isaac soon follow.
"It was...something."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I can't really talk about it."
"Understood." Hosea rises to his feet. "Why don't we all go inside? Bessie was about to get dinner started."
"Sounds good, Dad."
Hosea leads the small group inside. The air smells like fresh gardenias and honeysuckle. To Arthur, it smells like home.
"You boys want something to drink?" Bessie asks and she passes by them in the direction of the kitchen. Hosea sits down in his favorite leather chair. Arthur sits down on the couch adjacent to Hosea and Isaac immediately finds a place next to him.
"Water is fine, Mom. For me and the boy."
"Do you have lemonade, Grammie?"
"No, Isaac. You can't have that right now..."
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High Sierra: A Red Dead Redemption Story
FanfictionSet in an alternate universe, the story begins in a different time. In the 21st Century, Arthur Morgan works diligently as a game warden but seems to be having trouble in his personal life. Trying to find a balance and learn how to be honest with hi...
