Breaking TWIG by Epperson Deborah

Author:Epperson, Deborah [Epperson, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Publisher: WRITE MONTANA
Published: 2011-09-21T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

I tugged at my blindfold. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," Frank said. "It’s really necessary."

"But I’ve been here dozens of times before. I’ve seen the waterfall, the gorge, the pond. I’ve seen it all."

"Be patient, Becky."

What choice did I have? Frank had insisted we leave work early and drive out to the mountain property of his late friend, Mr. Parr. That wasn’t unusual. Frank and I often stopped by to watch the sunset at the gorge or to poke our feet into the cool stream. He’d even talked me into skinny-dipping in the pond a couple of times.

Often, we’d visit Starview Mountain just to soak in the grandeur of the scenery, to be refreshed by the pristine honesty of a land untouched by man or machine. The serenity of Starview served as a counterbalance to the deadlines, financial dickering, and the never-ending lies required to sustain our mock image of the perfect family. For Frank, the natural beauty and unspoiled integrity of the mountain helped repair some of the contamination to his soul, contamination caused by his collaboration with expert sinners like me and Momma.

"We’re here," he said. "You can take off the blindfold."

Eagerly, I removed the cloth. Before me lay the pond, the stream, and the woods. "Everything’s the same."

Frank shoved a fist full of papers at me. "Read this. Then tell me this place looks the same to you."

The papers were from an attorney in Atlanta. The first letter explained how Mr. Edmond J. Parr had passed away two months earlier.

"But we knew your friend died, Frank. You went to his funeral."

"Read the rest of the letter."

"Okay." As I continued reading, my excitement grew. "This is unbelievable. It’s too . . ."

"Too incredible," Frank said as he picked me up and twirled me around.

"Why would Mr. Parr leave this wonderful property to you?"

"He wrote me a letter," Frank said, between ragged breaths.

I looked through the papers until I found the letter. In it, Mr. Parr thanked Frank for the years he’d worked for Parr Construction. Mr. Parr also wrote about his love for the mountain property and his fear that, if left to his children, the property would be sold to developers. Thus, he was leaving the land to Frank, the one man who appreciated its natural beauty as much as he did.

"Aren’t you pleased, Frank? You’ve tried to buy this property for years."

"Buying it is one thing. Being given it is another. It doesn’t seem right, Ed leaving something this valuable to me instead of to his kids."

"But he explained his reasons. He knew you loved this land and wouldn’t try to make a quick buck off of it."

Frank bent down, rinsed his hands in the clear water, and wiped them on his jeans.

"I was seventeen, just married, and as green as they come when Ed gave me a job. I worked for him until I married Helen and took over the store for her. Everything I know about running a business, I learned from Ed Parr." Frank picked up a few pebbles, skipped them across the water.

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