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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Errant Thoughts Story, Part 27

Danny and Dave puffed to a stop in front of the apartment building. Enjoying the relatively cool air of an early Sunday morning, they had run to their high school and joined the football team in the weight room before running home again.

Pausing his stretching, Danny asked, "Are you ever going to tell me what your big idea was?"

"Oh, that. Well, I was only going to tell you if it worked out and it didn't." Dave sat on the curb and wiped the sweat off his face. Seeing the exasperation of his friend, he laughed wryly, "All right, then; I have an aunt that I didn't know much about except that she was supposed to have married money. I thought maybe I could talk to her and find out why she and Mom don't get along; maybe even convince her to help out."

Danny's eyebrow rose skeptically as he thought about the differences between his mom and her sisters; the rift in Dave's family sounded even wider if they weren't on speaking terms. "What happened? Did you see her?"

Shoulders hunched at the memory, Dave kept his eyes on an ant hill between his feet. "Yeah, I did. I took the bus over on a Saturday. Now I know why Mom called her 'Crazy Thelma'. Geez, Danny! She wasn't a bit odd or eccentric; I'm talking about there was something seriously wrong with her." Shaking his head, he stopped talking.

Knowing something was still bugging his friend, Danny pushed harder, "What else is bothering you? Were you counting on her help?"

"No, it's not that. I always knew it was a long shot. It's just... what if I've inherited that? Or if it misses me, could I pass it on to my kids? Do you know what I mean?"

"Hey, my dad killed himself; I know exactly what you mean. I've just had a lot longer to get used to the idea. Of course, I talked to Mom about it too."

"What did she say?"

"Basically, it's all down to chance. Each of us is unique and has to do the best we can with what we are. Except she explained it a lot better." Standing up with a grunt, Danny continued, "Come on. I need a shower and Mom has a to-do list for us. What do you want to bet I get called in to work this afternoon?"

"Ha! No bet."

Part 28

3 comments:

Unknown said...

are you going to continue with this story? its very good and cant wait for more

Biodynamic Barb said...

Um...this is not an option for your characters; but...genetic testing is now able to determine whether or not we have inherited certain genes, and epigenetics can help you turn some genes 'on' and 'off'. So, your genes do not NECESSARILY determine your future as you can control some of them. Diet and lifestyle changes are the best ways to modulate your genetic destiny.

tpals said...

Robert, yes. :)