George waved his good bye for it would be the last time he would see them, watching his friends till they were out of sight. Sighing deeply George walked back into the store and got one hell of shock. For he saw all of his customers standing in front of the counter, they were filling Nathan and Louise in on all of the gossip about Garrett. Most if not all of which was untrue but nobody would believe it any way not when rumors were more believable. George grew so angry that he stormed into the store and started yelling for everybody to get out. When the last customer left the store he turned the sign to close and locked the door. Never before had he’d been so disgusted by the townspeople and the Edwards whom he had gotten to like over the last few months. Witnessing this made him rather delighted that he was moving far from this town.

Drawing in a deep breath as he pulled the curtain closed; trying to calm his temper he turned around and took a good look at the new owners. What he saw made him sick to his stomach for all he saw on their faces was disgust, hatred and prejudice.

“What is the matter with you!? Why did you order all your customers out of the store?!” shouted Nathan in frustration. “What are you trying to do?”

“What am I trying to do!? You’re a fucking idiot!! The way you treated that boy and his father, and then you have the nerve to listen to the town’s bullshit about him. Than you have the fucking balls to ask me what the hell I am doing. Why, don’t you just tell me why you treated Garrett that way? When you never met let alone seen him before!! He is a stranger to you just like you were a stranger to me.” George fired back at Nathan. “You treated him as if he was piece of shit to be stepped on or avoided. You listened to the stories and automatically believe them you believe he the towns freak just like those who’ve been here their whole life.”

“Didn’t you look at him; I mean really look at him. Can't you see that he is a Savage? Look at all of the Indian trouble that this town has had in the last few years. You are still rebuilding! I know I have only been here for a few months, but I don't trust him and I don't want no filthy half breed in my store near my wife ever again. I don’t care what or who he is to you!”

“And what about you daughter?” George asked back disturbed by the lack of care and love that both Edwards had for her.

“She’s not important! Only my wife is. And I know more about life here, than you ever could.”

“You know nothing about life out here, you naïve, selfish man! Red and Garrett have been my customers for over Thirteen years, Red for even longer. They bring their pelts to me instead of going into Hannah to sell them for more. It takes trust and time to build that kind of loyalty. By them coming here every year the other mountain men come down here too, and sell their pelts. Without their business, this store wouldn’t survive simply on what the townsfolk bought. Before you know it will be closed and you will have nowhere to go. If one of them stops coming here; than the rest of mountain men will follow.” George cautioned Nathan but his words fell on ignorant ears.

“You don't know that for sure!” Nathan shouted back, while Louise and Genisis listened to the argument that was going on from the backroom. “Besides who says I want any filthy mountain man for customers. They just ruin my store and my reputation.”

“You know I believe that I made a mistake selling this store to you. If I could take back the papers that we signed, I would, if I could find somebody else.” said George very bluntly.

“You can't take the papers back, they are signed and the money has changed hands.” Nathan answered back getting rather upset. “Where would we go for I told you the whole truth about why we left Montreal when we first met!”

“If I knew what a fool you are back then, I would have never even considered selling to you.”

“…Fool!” Nathan shouted back.

Feeling the tension Louise emerged from the storeroom with Genisis following behind. “George, please give us some more time to adjust to everything and everyone. Everything out here is so new to us and the townsfolk were just filling us in on the local stories. It will be up to us to believe it or not, and you have to admit when you look at the boy, it does give you a scare. It is so strange looking from the other men around here. I don’t even know if he is a man or savage. Is he a white or a red man?” Louise pleaded with George as she took her husband’s arm. Her words only fell on deaf ears so too did her blatant prejudice.

“His face was so awful to look at, especially that scar and those brown soulful eyes. I never thought men like him existed except for in stories.” whispered Genisis to her mother as a shiver went down her spine at the thought of Garrett. What she really wanted to say was that he was a handsome man that sent shivers of wanting up and down her spine. But she realized that her father had already made his decision about the boy. So her feeling would have to be buried for now but in her dreams he came to her each night.

“Shut-up girl, and leave your mother and I.”

Unknown to Genisis as she stepped back to the clothes rack, her mother had for a moment felt her daughter’s lust for Garrett. It was how she described his eyes yet she just disregarded it as a teenage infatuation and a woman’s curiosity.

“Before you judge him, maybe the truth about him should be told. Only not from the townsfolk who have no love or respect for him. Rather by me if you will listen to the truth?” He is like kin to me.”

“If we must. But we don’t have to believe you or the people here.”

 George sighed as he leaned against the counter not knowing if any them would believe the truth, yet he started to reluctantly tell Garrett’s story. “I first met Garrett when he was seven years old and staying with Red, helping him with the trap lines. Red has no familiar relations to the boy rather Red found the boy wounded and lying in his dead mother's arms. He was the only survivor of a wagon train massacre. Red rescued and nursed that boy back to health, raising him as the son he never had. As for the scar that scares and repulses you so much, it was received during the massacre. How he got it I don't know, Red never told me and I never asked him. Yes Garrett is half Indian and half white, that never bothered me or Red only the townspeople who judged one by the actions of others.”

“What are you telling me that we are supposed to feel sorry for some dam heathen?! And it’s traitor father.”  Nathan argued back, speaking for his family even though Louise was beginning to feel something only she didn’t know what and she didn’t want to.

“Nathan, stop right now this minute!” shouted an exasperated Louise, for she had taken about all she could from George. “George, give us some time to adjust to this place and to the people including Red and Garrett. It our choice whether or not to accept him; or any of the mountain men around here. This is our store and town now not yours.”

“You are fools. Just to let you know the next time they come in to sell their pelts, Garrett does all of the haggling for the price of the pelts. Not Red. You will have no choice but to talk to him.” George shook his head as he walked to the hall that led to his home. “You be careful girl no one in here will protect you, so watch yourself.” George gave one last piece of advice to Genesis, much to her father’s distain. “Watch your back the people here would only be too happy to stab you in the back. Once they find out the truth about your family, your daughter.”

“Where are you going? Get back here and show me the rest of this store!” shouted Nathan growing infuriated with each word George spoke. Furious with George Nathan snapped at Genisis “You listen to me daughter; you are never to talk or be around that thing. It is a freak of nature and our enemy. Do you understand me child?!”

“Yes father.” Genisis replied to her disgust but she knew that should she show her feelings she would not only ostracized by the town but her family would disown her for ruining their lives once more and this time it would be for good.

But George never looked back or acknowledged Nathan as he berated his daughter; instead he just kept heading toward the kitchen. Once inside he grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen to calm down his nerves. Leaving the Edwards alone with their dysfunctions and obvious contempt for Genesis, Red and Garrett. With his coffee in hand George went out to sit in the rocker on the back porch. As he sat in the rocker, rocking back and forth he realized that he was tired of this place. The time had come for him to make the final move and leave Jasper for good. Finishing his coffee he placed the cup on the railing and went to up to the bedroom. Opening the boudoir he dragged out his old suitcase that had seen better days. Laying the suitcase on the bed he opened it and proceeded to put his clothes in, going down to the living room where he took the pictures of his wife and daughter down off the fireplace mantle. Placing them carefully in the suitcase so that they wouldn't break then strapped it closed. Taking one last look around the room, seeing if he had everything he needed but didn't see anything that couldn’t be replaced.

Picking up his suitcase he walked back into the store to find that Nathan had reopen the store for business and that all the customers were back in wondering what had happened. Nathan was trying to calm them down by saying that nothing serious had happen just a minor disagreement between owners. Standing beside the storeroom doors, he waited until the store had calmed down and most of the townspeople got their gossip in before confronting Nathan.

“Nathan, I'm leaving on the next train out of here, this afternoon at three o'clock.” George said rather nonchalantly. “The store is yours. Goodbye and good luck, you are going to need it. Just heed this Nathan, Louise a time will come when you will see this town for what they truly are and you will look to Red and Garrett for help. People aren’t always what they appear on the outside.”

“Wait, you said that you would leave in three months. There is still two months left on our agreement. I don't know the business is that good yet! Are you only leaving now because of the way I treated that creature.”

“No and yes, the way you treated them both was a mistake. Something you are going to regret later on.” George cautioned them. “Make your own mistakes then correct them yourselves before it becomes too late. Or don’t, it’s up to you.”

“No, you can't leave just yet! I forbid it!” shouted Nathan but George just walked out of the store and closed the door for the last time.

Before going to the train station he went to the cemetery on the hill that over looked the valley. There he said goodbye to his wife Pearl for he had lost her five years ago to pneumonia. After her death there was a void in his life so he filled that void by working longer in the store. Wiping the tears from his eyes he looked back over his shoulder to the town that was his home since the day he was born sixty-five years ago. He would miss the people he had come to love especially Garrett and Red however he was looking forward to seeing his daughter and grandchildren. In the distance George could hear the train whistle so he started walking down to the station to meet the train. He didn’t have to wait long for the train; for once it arrived George boarded it and watched as Jasper grew further and further away as the train left, leaving all his worries behind him, though he couldn’t help but fear for the Wolf’s future.

A fear that was becoming more like a premonition of a future yet to come, and yet a future that was inevitable.