inspectors and suppliers too. But at the end of the day he’s burning the midnight oil in that office, sweating over the books.” He shook his head. “I don’t want that. I don’t want to do that.”
“Then run it your way when you take over,” she said. “No one says you’ve got to do it the same way your daddy and your granddaddy did it. Do it better. That’s why we sent you to school. But if you want to hand the books off to someone else, you’ve got to be able to police that. And the best way to do that is to know what they’re doing. So you’ve got to do it yourself. It’s that simple.”
She turned in her chair and gave him that squinty look she got when she was going to lay down the law. “If you aren’t gonna take it over, Tripp, say so now. You’ve got cousins. There are other people who can do it. But don’t lead your daddy along and then bail on him.”
“I would never, and you know it,” he protested. “I like the business, especially the actual construction work. I can’t wait until I can get out of the office and supervise a job site.”
He wandered over to look out the window. Their house was a monster out here in the country, surrounded by tobacco and soybean farms. The closest neighbors were his aunt and uncle and cousins, throwing distance from their house, all grouped together in a little enclave out in the middle of Bladen County. It was all Tripp had known, being surrounded by family. But there was more out there, and he felt like he should want to see it all. He’d enjoyed living in Myrtle Beach the last few months, but it had been more like a vacation than a permanent move. He’d missed his family and friends a lot. They hadn’t been that far away and he’d been back and forth regularly, but it wasn’t the same. The experience had been an eye opener for Tripp. Now meeting someone like Ben, who was so successful and self-possessed at thirty, made him question his choices. Ben didn’t live with his mama, surrounded by family. He’d left home and made his mark.
Was Tripp settling for less here in Mercury? He loved it here, but at the same time he knew there was something missing. He hadn’t found it in Myrtle Beach, but he wasn’t sure he should give up so quickly and retreat to Mercury.
“I just don’t know,” he said miserably. “I love you, and I love it here. But I can’t say that this is where I should spend the rest of my life.” He turned back to face his mom. “There’s a whole world out there,” he told her. “Shouldn’t I see it?”
“Who said you couldn’t?” she asked, clearly surprised. “You can go wherever you want, and do whatever you want. Mercury isn’t going anywhere. Your daddy and I stay here because this is what we want. This is us, where we’re from and where we want to be. If I wanted to travel, don’t you think I would? You’re grown. You don’t need me here. I could hop on a plane to London or Paris or New York. Your daddy took good care of me in the divorce. I don’t have to work, and I live like a queen. You think he’d blink twice if I decided to go traipsing around the world?” She stood up. “But I don’t want to go to go anywhere else. This place is in my bones. It can’t get rid of me, even when I die.”
She walked over and put her hand on his arm. “You’re a lot like me, honey. Don’t go chasing rainbows. Sometimes the pot of gold is right at your front door.” She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You can have it all right here. You can shape your life any way you want it, live it the way you like. That’s the beauty of home, Tripp. It’s where you always belong, no matter where you go.” She patted his arm. “Now get your little ass to work and quit whining.”
“When did you get to be so wise?” Tripp asked, laughing as she swatted his behind.
“I came out that way,” she said. “Good redneck breeding.”
“Amen,” Tripp said as he walked out the door.
Six
T ripp pulled
“Then run it your way when you take over,” she said. “No one says you’ve got to do it the same way your daddy and your granddaddy did it. Do it better. That’s why we sent you to school. But if you want to hand the books off to someone else, you’ve got to be able to police that. And the best way to do that is to know what they’re doing. So you’ve got to do it yourself. It’s that simple.”
She turned in her chair and gave him that squinty look she got when she was going to lay down the law. “If you aren’t gonna take it over, Tripp, say so now. You’ve got cousins. There are other people who can do it. But don’t lead your daddy along and then bail on him.”
“I would never, and you know it,” he protested. “I like the business, especially the actual construction work. I can’t wait until I can get out of the office and supervise a job site.”
He wandered over to look out the window. Their house was a monster out here in the country, surrounded by tobacco and soybean farms. The closest neighbors were his aunt and uncle and cousins, throwing distance from their house, all grouped together in a little enclave out in the middle of Bladen County. It was all Tripp had known, being surrounded by family. But there was more out there, and he felt like he should want to see it all. He’d enjoyed living in Myrtle Beach the last few months, but it had been more like a vacation than a permanent move. He’d missed his family and friends a lot. They hadn’t been that far away and he’d been back and forth regularly, but it wasn’t the same. The experience had been an eye opener for Tripp. Now meeting someone like Ben, who was so successful and self-possessed at thirty, made him question his choices. Ben didn’t live with his mama, surrounded by family. He’d left home and made his mark.
Was Tripp settling for less here in Mercury? He loved it here, but at the same time he knew there was something missing. He hadn’t found it in Myrtle Beach, but he wasn’t sure he should give up so quickly and retreat to Mercury.
“I just don’t know,” he said miserably. “I love you, and I love it here. But I can’t say that this is where I should spend the rest of my life.” He turned back to face his mom. “There’s a whole world out there,” he told her. “Shouldn’t I see it?”
“Who said you couldn’t?” she asked, clearly surprised. “You can go wherever you want, and do whatever you want. Mercury isn’t going anywhere. Your daddy and I stay here because this is what we want. This is us, where we’re from and where we want to be. If I wanted to travel, don’t you think I would? You’re grown. You don’t need me here. I could hop on a plane to London or Paris or New York. Your daddy took good care of me in the divorce. I don’t have to work, and I live like a queen. You think he’d blink twice if I decided to go traipsing around the world?” She stood up. “But I don’t want to go to go anywhere else. This place is in my bones. It can’t get rid of me, even when I die.”
She walked over and put her hand on his arm. “You’re a lot like me, honey. Don’t go chasing rainbows. Sometimes the pot of gold is right at your front door.” She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You can have it all right here. You can shape your life any way you want it, live it the way you like. That’s the beauty of home, Tripp. It’s where you always belong, no matter where you go.” She patted his arm. “Now get your little ass to work and quit whining.”
“When did you get to be so wise?” Tripp asked, laughing as she swatted his behind.
“I came out that way,” she said. “Good redneck breeding.”
“Amen,” Tripp said as he walked out the door.
Six
T ripp pulled
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