Page 46 of Home Changes
Any and every time Seth needed to be somewhere quickly, Chester decided it was the perfect moment to slow everything down. Seth had texted Allison to let her know he was leaving, but then Chester had insisted he needed to take an anvil to the barn and back. There was no talking him out of it.
So, Seth walked with him to the barn, then back. Only then was he finally able to get Chester into the car and load up Gomer.
“Where are we going?” Chester asked.
“We're going to town, Pops. Remember? You're going to go whittle with Delbert.”
“Dumber than a box of rocks,” Chester muttered, looking out the window.
Seth smiled. “That's right, Dad,” he said as he turned onto the highway toward Hollister.
“Who was that girl who was here this morning?”
“Her name is Allison, Dad. Allison Sanderson. The Sandersons own the general store.”
Chester nodded thoughtfully but didn’t say anything. They drove in silence for about five minutes before Chester asked again, “Who was that girl who was here this morning?”
“My girlfriend, Dad. Allison Sanderson.”
Chester frowned and turned to him. “You have a girlfriend?”
“Yeah, Dad, I do.”
Chester let out a whoop. “About damn time, son.”
Seth laughed at his father. “You’ve been waiting for me to get a girlfriend, old man?”
“Been waiting for you and your sister to settle down. Sarah is married,” Chester said. Then he looked at Seth, eyes a little sharper than usual. “Right?”
Seth nodded. “Yep. She has two little girls. That’s why she couldn’t come to stay with you. That’s why I said I would.”
Chester scowled. “Don’t need no damn babysitter.”
“No one ever said you did, Pops,” Seth repliedsoftly. And he meant it. He would never make his father feel like a child.
They turned into Hollister, the town nearly silent. Delbert was slowly making his way to the bench out front of the general store. One or two townsfolk strolled along Main Street, but everything else was shuttered. Nothing was open on Sundays, a rhythm as dependable as the prairie wind.
But if anyone needed anything, well, everyone knew who to call to get what they needed.
Seth pulled up in front of the general store and waited for his father to get out of the truck. Gomer hopped down and stepped beside Chester like he’d done it a thousand times. Once his father was settled on the bench and Delbert had taken his usual seat, Gomer sat loyally at Chester’s feet, the perfect guardian.
Seth handed Chester the block of wood he’d been whittling on earlier, along with his old pocketknife. “Here you go, Pops.”
Chester turned the wood block over in his hands and frowned. “I think you were making a bird,” Seth offered.
Delbert glanced over. “Yup. A bird. We always make birds.”
Chester rolled his eyes. “I know that, Delbert. Myproblem is I don’t know what kind of bird I was making this time.” He looked up at Seth. “I might forget things, but I know what I whittle.”
“Birds. Always birds.” Delbert nodded. “Stuck in a rut.”
“Better a rut than the alternative,” Chester grunted.
Delbert glanced at Chester. “Alternative will come sooner or later. No fighting it.”
“Watch me,” his father growled.
Seth chuckled and tapped his dad’s shoulder. “Okay, Dad. I’m gonna walk over to Allison’s. I can still see you from there. If you need anything, just stand up.”
