The Barn: Chapter Four

By Doug Campbell and John Casey
“John, did Mom ever mention anything else about Gramp? I mean, after I left? Did she talk about him at all?” “Mom hasn’t spoken much about anyone, or anything for some time now. Even when she does, it’s usually nonsense. I am not even sure if she recognizes me. I can’t remember the last time I had what I would call an adult conversation with her. But now that you mention it, she never did say much about Gramp. You know, before the dementia.” They were just finishing breakfast. The photos he and John went through had only strengthened his guilt, each a visual reminder he’d been away too long. Let them down. “What if we asked her about Gramp tomorrow when we see her? Do you think it might jog her memory? She could break out of her haze a bit if we ask her about him. Maybe it would be helpful to her.” “You want to ask her about his death, don’t you? Listen, you know everything I know, which is what everyone knows. It was an accident. Why would you want to burden her with those kinds of questions? Why do you want to ask her about Gramp?” Keith shifted in his chair. “I’ve been thinking about it more and more. I just want to know who he was. When we were kids, I do remember when she did speak of him, she would say he was such a great man and role model. But that’s something we never got the chance to see. To experience. All we have are these pictures…” He hesitated, then continued. “And how he died, John. It was always off-limits. She would never talk about it. You can say all you want about how traumatic it was for her, but I always felt there was more to it. Something she was afraid to talk about.” “Everyone liked him. Everyone. That’s what Mom would say,” said John. “And dredging up some conspiracy is not helpful. Not when she’s like this, brother. I’m surprised at you.” He looked at Keith sternly. He suspected John was probably right. He was being selfish. “I remember. He and Gram were always the life of any party. He was charming. And they loved each other very much. Listen, I’m not trying to cause a stir, just to understand things a little better. That’s all.” Their grandfather, James Conway, died on a Saturday morning. Lidya had just come home from the grocery store, calling his name from the front porch to help carry them in. He didn’t answer. She managed to open the door without setting the bags down, put everything away, then went out back to see what he was up to. She found him dead in the barn. He was laying there awkwardly, pinned at the chest against the blades of their tractor’s sickle bar mower. She always disliked that he kept it there, right at the bottom of the stairs, even telling him once that it was unsafe. To at least drape a canvas tarp over the blades. The entire town was heartsick at the loss of one of their most beloved citizens. Sheriff Clyde Johnson took all of one day to conclude his investigation, documenting his death as a ‘tragic accident.’ Lidya was devastated and never fully recovered. In the years that followed she would become more and more withdrawn, rarely leaving the house. Keith remembered his mother lamenting her later childhood years, how in an instant Lidya went from being a laughing, loving mom, full of life, to a quiet recluse, perpetually sad. April couldn’t wait to get out of the house. She began dating their father as a senior in high school. As soon as she graduated, they rushed into marriage and rented an apartment on the south side. John and Keith were born shortly after that, then their father left for good, and Lidya died two years later of pneumonia. All in all, their family history was a tragic one. The town looked up to Jim and Lidya Conway. Jim had made a name for himself as a successful businessman and a fierce negotiator. He knew most every farmer within 200 miles of Clarkstown, and brokered livestock deals all over New England. He was on the road much of the time, scoping out supply and demand. Lydia stayed home, tending to the house and managing the apartments. To all who saw them out and about, they were the perfect happy couple, wanting for nothing. That events would unfold as they did was a jarring shock to everyone in such a tightknit community.

© John Casey & Doug Campbell 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; Published with permission (PHiR Publishing, San Antonio, TX