" I'd been upset when we moved here from California. I'd had to leave my old school and all my friends. Dad didn't want to do that to me again. I look...ed over at Traci. It was obvious that she'd figured it out, too."If we have to move, I'll understand," I said. Traci nodded.Mom smiled. "And I thought you didn't like to lie." It's a done deal." Dad said. "I quit two weeks ago."Thank you, God. Wait a minute. "Two weeks ago? Why didn't you say something?" That explained why they'd been acting. Then she sighed heavily and laid her head back on the couch for a moment and caught her breath.“Why am I not filthy rich from this stuff?” she asked no one in particular.She got up, returned to the storefront and flipped the Open sign around on the front door.The next morning was Saturday. Brad got out of bed and showered and then tried to decide what he was going to do for the day.He was putting a small breakfast together for himself when the phone rang. It was his niece, Sara.“Hey, Uncle. ? A backhand crashed across her face, followed by another she felt thetrickle of blood from her nose on her lip, and her head sang. A closed fistthudded into her stomach, she doubled up, but a hand grabbed her hair andpulled her erect, a second punch followed and Jill gagged as bile filled herthroat. ?Get some rope and string her up no point in wasting our energy it?sgoing to be a long day.? One of the men brought a reel of binder twine, the type thefarmers used to hold the hay bales. Couple of guys hangin at the pool kinda noticed me. As I hopped out and made my way to my room, they walked over to me. “Hey new meat---how's it hangin” ? I gave a grin and replied “low and to the right” Making my way into the door, with a duffel bag on each shoulder, one of the guys came back with “ya –might like to see that, low hanger” “Well, I suppose I can do that---though I dont usually give it away” They all laughed at me and responded with ya but they weren't paying for it either. So in.