PART ONE.

Thomas Brown Hewitt never would have considered having such a wonderful life when he was a little kid. Back then, he hoped he would one day he would have the courage to actually kill himself. Now, he was a proud father of three sons, Matthew, 18, Daniel, 15, and Lucas, 10.

And the mother of these wonderful boys?

His perfect Julie. Through the last twenty years, every day was better than the last with Julie. Her beautiful brown hair, those pouty red lips, the way her brown eyes would shine under the Texas sun, and her perfect body.

Three children took its toll on Julie, but she always worked hard around the house and would do exercises. All her water weight and stretched muscle would be fixed in a matter of weeks.

He woke up after a long night of searching for a biker who escaped, caught and killed, with Julie nestled against his chest. She was still asleep and breathing softly. Thomas smiled and admired the way she looked so innocent as she slept.

-----------------------------

Julie loved her life and good fortune. A wonderful man like Thomas, three perfect boys, and a well-kept home. At first, she was over-whelmed with Matthew but thanks to Hoyt, Uncle Monty, and MaeMae, she was able to raise him right. Eventually, she felt good enough to want to have another child.

Sadly, Sheriff, Uncle Monty, and MaeMae passed away over the last few years.

Sheriff was killed when an escaping girl ran him over with his car, Uncle Monty passed away after his kidneys started shutting down, and MaeMae died in her sleep.

All of them were buried a distance away from the house but close enough for them to go and pay respects from time to time.

Some of their cousins, including Cletus, Buck, Bobby, and Clyde, decided to move into the Hewitt house to keep the young boys in order. Buck had finally grown his eyebrows back but never quite learned his lesson about playing with fire.

Julie felt Thomas moving around in bed and woke up.

"Good morning, sweetie."

He smiled and kissed her as he tied his tie.

"I'll make breakfast if you want to get the boys up."

He nodded, finished getting dressed, and went into the hallway. Thomas went to one of the bedrooms and opened the door. Daniel was the easiest to get up.

Thomas knocked on the door loudly and the boy started stirring.

" 'Morning, Pa."

He grunted a hello and went to Matthew's room.

The door opened to show the 18-year-old on the floor in his boxers.

Thomas chuckled, grabbed the old baseball bat in the corner, and poked his son with it.

"Cut it."

Matthew opened his eyes and looked around.

"How'd I get it on the floor?"

Finally, Thomas went to his last son's room. As soon as he opened the door, Lucas jumped into his arms.

"Good morning, Pa! Is Mama making breakfast?"

He nodded and the boy ran downstairs.

Thomas went downstairs and saw Julie cooking with Lucas hugging her legs. He went over, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and went to work downstairs. Today's work was an older man.

-------------------------------------------

Matthew loved his family but sometimes he wished Mama would let him drive the old motorcycle he started fixing up after Hoyt passed away. She would always worry he would run into trouble or never come home.

During breakfast, he casually looked over to his mom.

"Hey, Mom. Why don't I go see if anyone's out today?"

Her face dropped a little.

"If you want to. Just be careful and check the strips Clyde set up, okay?"

He quickly finished his breakfast, kissed his mom on the cheek, and ran outside. Matthew hopped on the motorcycle and started driving down the road.

The air was hot but as he started driving faster, the wind on his face felt far cooler. His brown hair that was nearly identical to his father brushed his face as he made a turn.

There was so much about him that resembled his parents, but he had this urge inside of him. He wanted to drive as far as the road could take him.

For a short time, he wanted to run away from home and just send postcards from wherever he was. That idea never fully died inside of him but was kept in one of the deepest parts of his heart.

He cringed at the thought of disappointing his silent father and making his loving mother cry.

What was he supossed to do?

Its not as if he could just run full speed into any thought in his head...but what if his heart says the same thing?

He sped up and tried to picture himself in other places. The places he saw on tv.

St. Louis. Riding right next to the Gateway Arch.

Cruising along Golden Gate Bridge.

Stand in front of Mount Rushmore.

Before Uncle Monty died, he told Matthew one of the most important things he ever heard.

"If you don't try to understand where those ideas of yours come from, you need to shut your mind off and listen to your gut. Its one of the few things in life that doesn't lie to you."

Matthew wanted to rush home, tell his parents he needed to stretch his freedom, and head wherever the roads took him.

And his mind would start up and make him feel guilty for 'abandoning his family.'

If only there was some way for his heart to overpower his mind but that wouldn't happen in a million years.

Author's Note.

I know. Short chapter. I really wanted to focus on how Thomas and Julie are still madly in love with each other but more importantly Matthew's inner struggle with his mind and his heart.

I figured this kid wouldn't want to stay in that house all his life and I just felt this was a good introduction.

Please message and review!