The Kids Grow Up, Trish Hanan [books you need to read .txt] 📗

that he would need new camping equipment so he drove to his old Colorado camping store that was now owned by his younger brother Kent and went in. Kent greeted him warmly and waved.
“Hey, Harry, long time no see, how have you been?” he asked cheerfully, obviously he hadn’t heard of the divorce. Harry pasted a smile on his face.
“Pretty good, thinking about doing some camping so I came in to pick up some supplies,” he told him. Kent nodded and Harry went to work. He got an air-cart and picked out a nice big tent, a shower tent and toilet because he hated peeing in the woods. Then he picked out a stove and refrigerator and cold/ice box combo and brought all that up to the counter. He was going to go back for the rest when Kent eyed everything with pleasure and picked up his little scanner and gave his older brother a big grin.
“This sale is going to make my week,” he exclaimed. Harry kept the surprise off of his face but wanted to reach over the counter and smack the grin off of the little shit’s face. Was he really going to charge him for all of this? After all the years of Harry giving him free stuff from all of his stores not to say the fact that Harry had given him this very store they were standing in and filled it not once but twice. Plus, Harry had given him the car he was driving and the house he was living in. The little prick had balls the size of cannonballs to even think about charging him for a few camping supplies. Harry had other plans. He reached into his back pocket like he was reaching for something and made a noise in his throat.
“Oh, shit, Kent, you know what I’ve done, I’ve left my checkbook at home,” he said with a laugh. Kent laughed too. “I’m going to have to run home and get it, let me put this stuff back and I’ll get it later this week,” he told him. Kent shook his head.
“I’ll just hold it up front for you, Harry, you can run home real quickly,” he said. Harry shook his head and looked at the clock above his brother‘s head.
“I wish I could but I’ve got to meet Dr. George at the Center for a meeting right now, but I’ll come back later for this stuff, promise,” he declared and before Kent could promise to hold it, Harry quickly turned the cart around and rushed through the aisle putting everything back where he had found it. Then he waved at the selfish little prick and rushed to his car and drove home.
“Can you imagine the nerve of that little bastard,” he told Gertie and Bo who laughed at him. Harry searched through his last six hundred and sixty-three stores looking for a camping supplies and his luck held out, he found Elite Camping Supplies.
“Well, look here, Elite Camping Supplies, Gertie, Bo, hop in the ship, we’re going for a ride,” he said and Gertie barked and Bo just wagged. They left the house and Danny saw them fly away and wondered where his dad was heading off to so late in the day when he should be eating dinner. The man was not eating right. He decided to cook some food and leave it out for Harry when he came home.
Harry found all that he needed for his camping trip and more. Elite also had clothing and he outfitted himself in some rather stylish safari wear that included a pith helmet and nice hiking boots. When he had all of it on, he looked like someone from one of those ancient Tarzan of the Jungle movies and this made him giggle which made the two dogs jump on him with excitement.
“You like this look don’t you, Gertie, Bo, yes I look like a movie star,” Harry gushed and that gave him a good idea.
The next day he grabbed some money and drove to Cannon Cameras and walked in the door. Monroe, Jake’s younger brother smiled and greeted him warmly.
“Harry, how wonderful to see you, come on in,” he gushed and held out his hand. Harry shook it and looked around at the store. Monroe looked at him and obviously didn’t like what he saw because he frowned.
“That brother of mine ought to be shot, that Violet Emery is just plain bad news,” he said with anger. Harry shrugged; he really didn’t want to hear about this. Monroe went on.
“Did you hear they’re getting married on Saturday?” he asked and Harry felt like the man had slapped him. It must have shown on his face because Monroe instantly felt like a fool.
“I’m sorry, Harry, I’m sure you didn’t come in here to hear that old news, what can I do for you today?” he said overly cheerful. Harry attempted a smile that failed and looked around the store.
“I’m looking for a video camera, Monroe, I need a really good one, actually what I’d really like to have if you’ve got one is one of those little movie cameras,” he told him. Monroe’s eyes lit up.
“I know just what you need,” he exclaimed and opened a locked cabinet under the counter. He held up a mini movie camera. “The Kodak Mini Movie 5000, the latest and best home movie camera ever made,” he said and showed Harry how it worked.
“It’s even got this little wrist screen so you can put it on the tripod and film yourself and see what you’re filming on the wrist screen,” he showed Harry how that worked and Harry was very impressed. He was also impressed with its price, a whopping ten thousand dollars plus another three thousand for the extras like the tripod and extra wide angle lens for long distance shots. He grinned at Monroe.
“This is perfect, I’ll take it all,” Harry gushed and the other man smiled and began to pack it up.
“If I might be so bold, what kind of movies are you going to be taking?” Monroe asked casually. Harry smiled.
“I’m heading over to Savannah to do some camping and thought I might take some videos of the scenery and talk DJ and Steve into putting on some kind of travel show on their TV station. Maybe some of the Alterians would be interested in seeing the Dark Continent and some of us who haven’t seen parts of it,” Harry explained and Monroe’s eyes lit up again.
“I’d be interested in see that kind of show, who’s your camera man going to be, I’d volunteer for the job if you haven’t gotten anyone lined up yet,” he offered. Harry shook his head.
“I’m going alone for a while, just me and the dogs, I need some alone time Monroe, some time to sort things through, maybe later, I’ll keep you in mind,” he said and he reached in his pocket and pulled out a big wad of cash. “What’s the damage here?” he asked with a grin. Monroe laughed and he placed his hand over Harry’s.
“Put your money away, man, your money isn’t any good in here,” he teased and handed him the bag. “You just take some good movies and I’ll be sure to check the guide and look for your show.” Harry nodded.
“Thanks, Monroe, I’ll see you,” he said and smiling he left the store and got into his car. At least someone in this town remembered the deal they had made with him and wasn’t a reneging back-stabbing little prick like his brother. He drove home and began loading up the passenger carrier and then was forced to do the one chore he had been dreading. He had to take Daisy, Jake’s white cow down to his mother’s barn and drop her off for God only knew how long because he couldn’t keep on milking her and throwing away the milk. It just wasn’t right, it was wasteful and if Jake was getting married in two day, he wasn’t coming home and Harry didn’t drink white milk.
“Come on, Daisy, let’s go and meet some new friends,” he told her and lifted her up and walked down to the other barn. He wondered if Bessie and Kelly the two green cows would miss her and that depressed him so much he almost cried the whole way but stopped himself because he didn’t want to show up weeping.
“Hi, Harry, what are you doing with that cow and why does she have a red ear?” his mother Kate asked when she saw him standing in the open doorway. All four of the lesbians were in the barn stacking bales of yellow-green grass.
“Hi, Harry, don’t you look dapper, I love that little ponytail,” Jan said and laughed. Barb shook her head.
“I don’t, it makes you look like a beatnik, cut it off,” she declared. Everyone laughed. Then Kate noticed that he wasn’t laughing and teasing with them like he usually did.
“What’s wrong, Henry, why are you so gloomy?” she asked. Harry smiled.
“I need you to take Daisy for a little while, Mom, just until I need her again,” he said solemnly. “That’s why I’ve dyed her ear red so we won’t get her mixed up with your cows. That is important to me; I want her back one day, but I don’t need her now.” Kate nodded.
“Why don’t you need her, Henry, doesn’t Jake drink white milk anymore?” Barb asked; confusion on her face. Harry shrugged.
“He’ll probably be buying his milk from a dairy from now on,” he told them and then sighed. “Jake’s left me, he’s divorced me and he’s going to marry Violet Emery on Saturday and they’re going to have children together.” His eyes filled with tears and he began to sob. “Shit, I told myself I wasn’t going to cry anymore,” Harry said and he reached for a hankie but of course he didn’t have one. Jan pulled out a red bandana and handed it to him. He thanked her and wiped his eyes. Kate stepped forward and hugged him.
“Oh, Harry, I’m so sorry, Mouse,” Barb said and hugged him too. Soon all four lesbians were hugging him while he cried. Barb had tears in her eyes too and so did Joy. Jan looked angry.
“That little fake tittied bitch, I knew she never wanted to be a Veterinarian, she was using that job as a way to get close to Jake and steal him away from you and stupid man that he is, he fell for it,” she snapped. Kate sighed.
“Men always think with their little heads and not their big ones, I’m sorry, Henry, but it was bound to happen, you and Jake should have had an open marriage like the rest of us and maybe he wouldn’t have strayed,” she stated. Harry sighed.
“What, you think I didn’t offer him an open marriage, I did, Mom, and he always said he didn’t want one,” he informed them and they all looked surprised. “Every single time I brought up the subject of an open marriage or him trying to make love with a woman, he always turned me down saying that I was all that he needed and that if he saw me making love with another man it would break his heart. But it only took Violet eight years to convince him he was bi-sexual and steal him away