I twisted the lock, ripped it open. I shifted around the things inside and uncovered the spare tire. And the tire iron beside it. I gripped the cold m...etal, smiling.“Damn, Dad,” Jason said as I marched back. “You can’t do that.”“Sure I can,” I said. “Your dad can do anything now.”There was something in his blue eyes, something shining, that made me smile. My son was proud of me. He respected me for once. My back straightened even more. I felt invisible. I could march into the sun and survive.I. I found out later that he had moved to the area from Minneapolis only five years previously, and likely wasn’t raised with the same prejudices as the locals. I won that bid and many others, and we were developing a close friendship. Both of our wives were involved in our businesses and helped run the offices and managed the financial operations, so they knew one another and were also becoming friends.Dan and I became friends at a time when Jill and I were experiencing other life changes. We. My decision to open the gallery was that the village was on a tourist route and also housed ten full-time artists. The artists only opened their homes to the public twice a year, for two days during an art route. I figured that with the gallery, I could offer them full-time representation in their own town. The idea was welcomed by the artists and I received their full support.The region was essentially a farming community and the town was regularly frequented by all the farmers in the. " Since when do I need permission from you for Jack shit?!" I asked, slightly bewildered and a little aggravated, working on Billy's blanket. I turned to look at him and found he was very close to me."Since you put yourself in danger by not asking for help," he said quietly. "Since you started running instead of fighting, a very unusual thing for you and since you started calling me." He gently tugged the folded blanket from my hands as I stood there, staring at him. My breath came quickly, his.