Page 6 of Xander

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“Why would mom tell me that y’all do dangerous things?” I asked.

He inhaled a breath, and then he sighed, “Your mom thinks we do dangerous things. I can’t ever tell you about the club, just know that we do the right things that others consider wrong.”

I nodded, “Like what?”

He sighed, “Let me ask you a question.”

I nodded.

“Say you had a daughter, and you walked in on a man hurting her. You didn’t mean to kill him, but it happened. Do you think you should go to prison for that?”

I shook my head, “No. I would have been protecting my daughter.”

He winked, “Get it?”

I stood there.

And thought about what he was really trying to say.

I knew my mom would have said that killing a person is wrong, no matter what happened.

As would my dad.

But for me, if you were protecting someone... then you shouldn’t be punished for doing that.

And he was saying that they weren’t afraid to punish someone.

I nodded, “Got it.”

He winked, then pressed a kiss on the top of my head.

We weren’t only celebrating my graduation from high school, but we were also celebrating my acceptance letter to a university.

Age 21

I smiled at my mom and dad as we loaded up the rest of my things from my Junior year.

I had one more year of college to go, and then I would be finished.

I couldn’t wait.

Age 22

One more semester.

I smiled as I pulled into my parents’ driveway.

Like always, my mother and father raced down the steps and threw their arms around me.

Creating one Townsend Sandwich.

I smiled as I soaked in their love.

Then they gestured for me to go inside as my dad grabbed my bags from my car.

And that was when my mom looked at her watch and gasped, “We’re running late.”

I frowned, “Running late for what?”

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