Part 1: Chapter 32: 1887: Red Deer, Alberta,

In Winnipeg: Part 2

Harris learned very quickly how often Nate and Colleen argued and bickered. In fact, it was that same afternoon as Colleen was working her lavender chain for Wilma next to the pond. All of the boys had taken up a fishing pole in order to keep entertained.

Nate had already cast his line out while Archie and James were helping Harris with his. Colleen and Ophelia were sitting on a blanket as they worked on their own separate projects. Colleen was quickly finished with her grandmother's flower chain and grew bored so she had wandered down to the edge of the pond.

Nate saw his sister looking eagerly at the creatures they could see without getting in the water. So, Nate walked quietly up to Colleen without her noticing him. Nate had been playing with a frog and was holding the frog firmly in his two hands. Nate gently dropped the frog onto Colleen's bent head. Colleen didn't notice anything was amiss, until Harris had turned to look at his cousins and his eyes went wide. Colleen brushed at her head, making contact with the now frightened frog and screamed in terror.

"NATHAN GRANT! YOU...YOU...YOU...BOY!" Colleen shrieked as she desperately brushed at her hair to get the creature off of her head. The frog eventually fell back to the ground and hoped quickly away.
Colleen turned to glare at her brother. She then marched to where her mother was sitting on the blanket and sat back down in a huff.

"Nate," Archie said with a reprimand.

Nate followed his sister and gave her his most contrite look.

"I sorry, Colleen," Nate said softly.

"Mama, tell Nathan that I'm not talking to him," Colleen said as she looked out above his head with her arms folded.

Nate knew that it would be awhile for Colleen to forgive him, but he had apologized. Nate sat back down at his fishing spot and looked across the pond. Harris was looking at the two of them with his jaw dropped.

James had also been surprised as he hadn't seen this first hand, but he had to admit that it reminded him of a few fights that Regina and himself had been participants in. James had been very good at pushing Regina's buttons, and it seemed Nate was the same way with Colleen.

Colleen played with her dolls for a little while. Ophelia had interacted where she could, but Colleen quickly grew bored without having a playmate.

"Harris, will you play?" Colleen asked.

Harris turned to look at her, "Boys don't play with dolls."

Colleen just nodded despite being disappointed. Nate and Archie had never not played with her dolls.

Nate reeled in his line and handed it to Archie.

"I'll pway," Nate said as he approached Colleen.

Colleen gave him a long look.

"Alright," Colleen agreed.

Nate grabbed the doll Colleen had handed over, and they played happily with Colleen's dolls and Nate's toy horses.

Harris watched them in surprise. Nate and Colleen were playing as if the fight from earlier hadn't even happened. Harris shook his head in disbelief. As an only child he didn't understand the complexities of being a sibling.

"That's normal?" Harris asked looking back at Archie and James.

James nodded.

Archie smiled.

"That's mild for them," Archie smirked as he nodded his head back to his children.

"I don't get it. Colleen was so angry," Harris said.

"It's easy for them to get on each other's nerves. When ya live in close quarters with other people you learn about them. There are times where both of them are intentionally annoying each other. Sometimes they yell and scream and then an hour later, everything is fine," Archie said.

"Do you have any siblings, Uncle Archie?" Harris asked.

"One. A brother," Archie said without any emotion.

"Are you close?" Harris asked.

"No. We aren't. Never have been," Archie answered.

"Why not?" Harris asked.

"Me brother likes picking on people a little too much. He does it to get pleasure out of their suffering," Archie struggled to say.

"Oh. I'm sorry for bringing him up," Harris said.

"It's fine," Archie smiled back at him.

Harris gave him a slight nod back.

"Actually, your aunt was a bit surprised by my non-relationship with me brother herself," Archie said thinking back to when he had told her of leaving his family behind. Ophelia had been upset that he could just leave them all behind with no forwarding address.

Harris and James both raised an eyebrow.

"It was our first Christmas as a courting couple. She was sad because she couldn't come visit her parents, and it was the first Christmas without Nathan being alive. She got upset at me leaving them behind. Gave me a long winded lecture about how they were at least still alive," Archie explained with a twinkle in his eye.

"Ophelia was being long-winded? So, a passionate paragraph with a stern look?" James asked.

Archie laughed.

"She was forming long, complex sentences and using multiple paragraphs. I've only heard that from her a few times," Archie said simply with a smile on his face.

"What made her stop?" Harris asked, ready to hear the rest of the story.

"Well, it didn't make her stop, so much as change the direction of her outrage," Archie said as he pulled up his left sleeve past his elbow where a long, faded scar stood out against his skin.

"How did you get that?" Harris asked as his eyes bugged out at the long scar.

"Me brother gave it to me," Archie said. "I have several from him, and several more from me Da."

Harris' eyes went wider as he took in that statement.

"Is that why you don't hit? I noticed that you didn't punish them with violence over the summer?" Harris asked.

Archie nodded.

"How DID Aunt Ophelia take the news at the time?" Harris asked.

"Well, she went wide-eyed as well and started ranting and raving about how she couldn't understand how people can be so cruel. It was then that I was certain I wanted to marry her," Archie said with his eyes twinkling.

Harris smiled in response.

The family spent the rest of the day in peace.


The next morning Regina felt well enough to be up and about. The group decided that they would take a carriage to the graveyard where Nathan Harris' headstone was. The carriage rolled past nice houses, to smaller houses, then to more run down apartment buildings where there were a lot of people sitting curled up in the streets. When they got to the gates outside of the cemetery, the carriage stopped.

Archie was holding Colleen. James was holding Nate. Ted had stayed with Wilma at the house. Regina was being led by Harris, and, although they were wearing their most simple clothes, it was obvious that both were not from that part of the city. Ophelia led them past the gate and down a few rows. She finally turned down one row and followed it slowly down until they reached a simple headstone.

Nathan Harris

Born- March 19th, 18-

Died- May 7th, 1875

Beloved Brother and Son.

It was a wooden plaque that had been carved into.

Regina and Harris sucked in a breath. Regina had tears flowing down her cheeks.

"What do we say?" Harris whispered.

"I've found that talking as if he's here helps," Ophelia admitted.

Harris nodded but the lump in his throat stopped him from trying.

"Nathan, this is your son Harris. Regina managed to find us," Ophelia said for introduction as she looked between the two of them. "I can see why you loved her."

Regina smiled in thanks.

"Nathan, I'm so sorry we didn't get to raise Harris together, but he is just like you," Regina added through her tears.

Harris grabbed her hand in comfort.

"Hi, Dad," Harris said finally and for the first time, "I've always known about you, but it took us a while to get here. I'm thankful for your family's kindness. They've been very welcoming and helpful, despite our circumstances. Aunt Ophelia has been especially helpful. She's had no reason to be so trusting and open with us, and yet she is."

Harris looked over at Ophelia with gratitude.

Ophelia shook her head.

Regina nodded.

"Nathan trusted you, that's all I need to know," Ophelia whispered.

"And that is why we are so grateful. In our world that isn't a true statement," Regina explained.

"I'm not doing anything Nathan wouldn't have done for my family," Ophelia said firmly as she looked at Archie and Colleen, James and Nate.

"That's true," Regina said as she remembered her long lost love. His family was the reason she couldn't convince him to stay in Europe with her.

The group eventually let Regina and Harris have a private moment at Nathan's grave side by walking around the cemetery together looking at the different headstones. Ophelia had shown them some more of her family's burial markers, all simple, spread around here and there. They watched in silence as some grave diggers were looking on a map for a specific location. They pointed in the direction where they had come from and where Regina and Harris were still standing. James was watching them with suspicion. His instincts were raised.

"James?" Ophelia asked him, noticing his unease.

"There's something about these grave diggers that I don't like. Let's return to Regina and Harris," James said in his authoritative voice.

Ophelia led them back around to Nathan's grave site. They met up with Regina and Harris. Both looked surprised to see them back so soon. Ophelia shrugged and gestured towards James, just as the grave diggers appeared in their row, looking down and inching closer.

"This is the spot, boys!" the head grave digger announced just next to where the family was standing.

James passed over Nate to Ophelia.

"Who are you digging for?" James asked in a solemn but firm voice.

The head grave digger looked up at the family.

"Who wants to know?" he asked with a tone, suggesting he wasn't going to say anything more.

"My name is Lieutenant James Normandeau," James said standing to his full height with his hands placed behind his back in the at ease position.

"Not wearing a uniform, so not official business," the man said back.

James' eyebrow shot up in disapproval.

"I have the understanding that this spot has been paid and reserved for a family friend. Neither of those people are dead yet, why are you digging up this space?" James asked firmly.

The head grave digger rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Look, we are only digging where we are told to dig. You'll have to take up with the who and the why with the cemetery caretaker.

"And where is this man?" James asked.

"In the main services building," the grave digger gestured down to a large building in the center of the cemetery.

James immediately began a brisk walk in that direction, leaving the others behind with his long stride.

"It's been awhile since I've seen him this angry," Regina remarked as she watched her brother's retreating back.

"He's angry? He doesn't look angry," Harris remarked.

"He's been trained not to show it on his face, but he forgets how tall he is when he's angry and on a mission. When he outpaces everyone, it is a sure sign he is upset," Regina said.

The others nodded in understanding.

James was already inside when they caught up with him.

James was speaking with the man in charge and had just asked him the same questions of the grave digger.

"Sir, it's not your plot," the man said in response.

"It belongs to Ted and Wilma Harris," James replied with a glare. "I have their daughter with me."

James gestured Ophelia over. She came to stand next to him.

"My parents bought the plots when my brother, Nathan, needed a piece of ground. They wanted to be near him," Ophelia explained.

"We have no paperwork for Ted and Wilma Harris owning the plot. It was recently requested, specifically. The man thought it was weird that such a beautiful piece wasn't used already. He asked if it was reserved. It wasn't. He paid for it. Said it was the perfect place for his family," the caretaker said firmly.

The entire family gasped at this news.

"But it's not. My parents have the paperwork. I'm sure of it!" Ophelia said firmly.

"I'm sure of it, as well. I've seen their copies," Regina added with a sneer.

"We don't have any record of this on our end," the man said firmly.

James glared at him-a suspicion about what had happened.

"Sir, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you have never had a contract for Ted and Wilma Harris to be buried in plot 836 next to their son Nathan Harris in plot 837," James said with firm authority.

"I've already told you this," the man said as he looked at James with narrowed eyes, "I don't intend to repeat myself."

James glared harder.

Archie had stepped away from the argument so that Nate and Colleen wouldn't be part of the arguing adults. He took them over to the cemetery map with the open plots and where people were buried. Colleen pointed out something first.

"Daddy, Uncle Nathan's isn't on here," Colleen whispered as she looked at the map's list of the buried.

Archie looked where she was looking. It was alphabetical by last name. The only Harris listed were grandparents of Ophelia's. Archie quickly skimmed through the rest of the list, but knowing that it wouldn't be anywhere else. It had always been listed when they had visited before.

"Uncle Norman!" Colleen called out, knowing that he was the authority figure she would normally go to.

James turned.

"Nathan's name isn't listed here," Archie explained as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

James took three long strides to reach them, quickly confirmed this, and glared back at the man.

"We were LITERALLY just at the gravesite of Nathan Harris! Why isn't he listed?" James didn't shout, but his voice went deadly soft.

The man didn't say anything in response.

"I hope that whatever Richard Wainscott is paying you is worth the trouble you are in! You've messed with the wrong people," James said softly.

The man's eye twitched at the mention of Richard's name.

Ophelia looked quite put out and angry. Regina and Harris looked surprised, but also knowing that this is something that Richard would do.

"How much is he paying you?" Regina glared.

"Don't bother, Regina, Richard will have had him sign a contract not to take our money. We will go after him legally," James glared at the man.

The man looked relieved at this comment.

"Expect to hear from my lawyers by the end of the day," James said firmly as he stalked to the door to open it.

The man nodded once.

"Oh, and if you think about skipping town, I will PERSONALLY go after you," James added.

The family slowly exited the building. Another family was entering through the door James was holding.

"Lieutenant Normandeau?" the father asked in awe.

James nodded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," the father stuck out his hand. James shook it.

"Thank you. I wouldn't trust this man for your cemetery plot needs, if you aren't here for a visit. He has sold off my sister's plots under her nose," James added with a glare.

"Really? Why would anyone do anything so stupid as to upset your family?" the man asked.

"No idea," James said as he stepped outside.

James met up with them in the sunshine of the day. He looked around at everyone's faces. Archie was trying to console Ophelia who was vacillating between anger and disbelief. Regina was shaking her head at the pettiness of her husband. Harris was trying to stay strong, but wasn't sure how to help.

"I want to walk by Nathan's grave one last time. If you feel like this is too much for any of you, I can meet you at the carriage," James said.

"We're going with you," Regina said firmly.

Harris nodded.

So did the Grants.

They walked back towards Nathan's grave site. James had been right about his suspicions of the plots involved. Nathan's grass had been dug into and tossed aside. It had been the first one dug up.

Archie put down Nate and Colleen, so that he could hold Ophelia, either to comfort her, or stop her from killing someone. Her jaw was wide open in shock. Colleen had immediately taken Nate's hand, without being told to, instinctively knowing that they had to watch out for each other for a few minutes.

Both looked at the growing pile of grass and dirt. Colleen's gaze eventually turned to the adults. But Nate had noticed the broken planks of wood that had once been his uncle's grave plaque. He gently picked up the pieces he found and stuck them in his pockets.

"Nate, now's not the time to play in dirt," Colleen said as she looked back over at her brother.

Nate just nodded and got on the pathway where they waited for the adults to hold them and take them back home.


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