His Country by Jacqueline McCall

Author:Jacqueline McCall [McCall, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Aiden eased the truck through the gate. It hung off it’s hinges, lopsided. The corner was half buried in the dirt, weeds clinging to the metal like a trellis. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been here, but he knew the gate had been working then.

The drive was just tire tracks through the grass, and he followed them along fences held together with old nails and bailing twine. Not that their integrity mattered anymore—they’d sold the animals. Who knew the fences would last longer than they did?

There was a house and a barn, but driving through the property felt a lot more like visiting a graveyard than someone’s home. The garden along the porch had been left to grow wild and the front door was held open by a box. Out back a swing set sat rusted, the breeze kicking the lone swing back and forth.

Frank said the Hollis’ hadn’t even had time to put the place for sale before developers swooped in. They gave them a deal they couldn’t refuse. Soon these fields would house condos. Perfect rows of identical homes would stand where fields once grew wild.

Aiden didn’t see anyone, which was fine. He was just picking up a stock trailer Frank had bought off the family when they were liquidating their assets. Said they’d probably move closer to Mrs. Hollis’ family near Topeka. Into a suburb.

As he backed the truck up to the trailer, he wondered if the change would kill Mr. Hollis like it did his dad.

Once the gooseneck was centered over the ball in the bed of the truck, he lowered a window for Sugar and moved to the back. Pulling out the crank he began lowering the trailer onto the ball. Once it was on, he climbed into the bed and locked it in place.

He looked up as he fastened the chains to see a boy sitting on the back porch, a ratchet clutched in his fist. As the kid stared off into the distance, he played with it, twisting it so he could hear the ratcheting sound.

There was something uncomfortably familiar about the look on his face. That defeated gaze of a kid who knew he was about to lose everything he’d ever known. Aiden had seen that look in his reflection more times than he could count. He’d been older when they lost their farm, but the look was the same.

Hopeless and lost.

And maybe this kid would be ok. He’d find friends and realize that moving away from the farm wasn’t so bad. His dad might be stronger than Aiden’s. Accept that they lost the farm but adapt for his family. His mom will find happiness doing whatever it is she couldn’t do when she lived out in the middle of nowhere.

But he shouldn’t have to. And if he did, it shouldn’t be because the county raised taxes so high people couldn’t pay them. Or insurance agencies dropped coverage people needed for their loans.

Fight for the kids who were just like you.

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