It was a warm spring day in Texas. Shane, Roland, Chris, and Joe were all relaxing by the lake as they did every year around this time. They used these trips to get a break from the stress of the world. Shane was the youngest of the four and had just finished college and was in the middle of job hunting. Roland was the eldest and had decided that he was going to open his own business right out of high school. Joe was the outdoors type and ran his own guide service for fishing and hunting in the part of Texas that they had grown up in. Chris was the other brother that was a year out of college and had already started his career in Finance.
The four were very close having only been 5 years between Roland and Shane. The grew up in rural northeast Texas. When Roland was 16 their parents were killed in a car accident and the state had placed them with their Granddad. Roland had grown up fast. He dropped out of high school and took over their fathers mechanic shop to help support his brothers and Grandfather. The next ten years had went by fast as all the brothers had played sports and graduated from school. Chris and Shane had went to college and finished their degrees.
Joe had stayed around and helped Roland support them. To say that they were all close was a understatement as except for Thomas their Grandfather they were all each other had. Thus the yearly fishing and hunting trips had come about.
“I still say Joe is cheating and probably stashed a stringer of fish from his last fishing guide job. There isn’t any way he has caught that many this fast. You know how much he likes to win our bet.” Shane laughed to Roland as they sat under a tree by the edge of the lake.
“You might be right” Roland laughed. ” So how is the job hunting going?”
“Not bad. There aren’t as many places to look into with my astrophysics degree as Chris’s degree” Shane shrugged. “I’m ready for lunch. Come on lets go get Chris and Joe and eat.”
“Alright I’m ready for a bite myself.” Roland said as he raised his fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. A few moments later another whistle sounded to let them know that Joe and Chris had heard them. “Let’s go see what Papaw got cooked”
Thomas Barton was an 80 year old Marine. He has a good life 45 years with his wife before cancer took her from him. His only son grew up and stood beside him when he buried his wife. Kenneth had been a good son, husband, and Father. Thomas had been proud of his son. His four grandsons had grown up to be good men. He was proud of the men they had become. Thinking back on the night that Kenneth and his wife Marie had went out for their anniversary. Around midnight there was a knock on the door. Thomas still remembered the feeling of his heart drop as he seen the Sheriff officer with his hat in his hand telling Thomas that his world had just crumbled again. Kenneth and Marie were heading back to Thomas’ house to pick up the kids when a drunk driver and collided head on with their car killing both him and his wife.
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The hardest thing Thomas had ever done in his life wasn’t the battles he had fought for his country. Was not the years of being Sheriff of his county. It was having to wake his grandsons up and tell them that their Father and Mother weren’t coming home again. Shane had been the youngest and cried. Roland the oldest kept on a brave face and comforted his brothers. Chris and Joe were a mix of the two. All four of the boys were now over six feet tall with Shane being the tallest by an inch on Roland who stood at six foot 2 inches. Chris and Joe both stood at six foot one inch.
Every year they all had gone camping the week of the accident. Thomas had started it so that the boys weren’t around the town that they grew up in. The boys went fishing and hunting while Thomas stayed and enjoyed the feeling of the wind. Cooking for the boys when they were out fishing. Bacon and eggs with biscuits and gravy were what was for lunch since the boys left before breakfast. Thomas looked up from the gravy and spotted Roland and Shane coming from the east of the campsite. Chris and Joe were walking up from the north and Thomas just had to smile. That was the pairing that they always found themselves in if left alone. All four of them got along just fine but the personality of his grandson were different in many ways.
“You boys do any good?” Thomas asked Roland
Shane yelled out before Roland could answer “Not bad but we didn’t cheat like Joe” he said with a grin
“I did not cheat you lil shit” Joe yelled in indignation over the laughter of Roland and Chris
“You boys don’t start fighting till after you eat. Can’t have you two not have enough energy to make it interesting.” Thomas laughed. Setting out plates for the boys to make their lunches on the picnic table beside the fire.
The four brothers picked at each other while they made their plates. Shane fixed two plates handing one plate to Thomas. They all sat and ate there food. Thomas reflected on how no matter what was cooked and placed in front of the four. They never complained and just ate. That was a product of Marie their mother.
It was right at the end of the meal and they were all talking and laughing together. When the world went dark and everything changed.