The Gryphon's Goal: Chapter 4, Part 2
#14 of The Gryphon's Goal
Larry's parents are pretty interesting people.
Daniel Grant, patriarch of the family. was tall, regal, and had the airs of a professional, even when dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt with the slogan All This AND Brains Too! His emerald-green eyes never missed any details and while they couldn't see into one's soul, they were better than any lie detector, much to the lament of his sons.
"Hello boys," he said. "Get changed because the faster we get out of here, the sooner we can eat sushi."
Larry and Freddy changed shirts, preened their head feathers, and were soon bundled up in the van. Larry buckled up in the backseat while Freddy simply curled up in the compartment behind him.
"Mom, why is Freddy coming with us?"
Larry's mother regarded him with blue eyes, the same color he'd inherited. "Because we do things as a family," she said with as much parental authority as she could muster. Which was quite considerable, as Larry didn't dare reply.
Larry's father, on the other hand, did dare. "And if we hadn't taken him with us, he'd have wrecked the place."
"That only happened once!" Freddy squawked in protest.
"Once was enough," Daniel said firmly.
"I promised I wouldn't do it again!"
"You did, and we're making sure you keep that promise."
"Really, Daniel, would it kill you to learn some diplomacy around our children?"
"Honest is the best policy, Lenore," Daniel said, beak opened in a grin. "Our little hatchlings need to learn that most important lesson of life. Dishonesty will just get in the way."
Lenore shook her head, eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "What about the lesson of the truth hurts?"
Daniel didn't even hesitate. "That's the second most important lesson of life."
Lenore looked over her shoulder towards her sons. "Boys, your father is the biggest goober in the world," she said with a wink.
"In the galaxy," Daniel said with a bob of his head.
The van drove into a parking lot in the business distract of downtown, and it was then Larry started feeling the butterflies in his stomach. "Mom," he said, "do you really think this will help?"
She looked over her shoulder before unbuckling her seat belt. "It can't hurt to try," she said, reaching behind her to pat Larry on the knee.
"Only the bank account will suffer, and we can afford it," Larry father said. There was a serious tone to his voice, one that Larry rarely ever heard. The contrast from the usual fun-loving gryphon patriarch to this was jarring, and didn't help the butterflies within Larry.
"Even if we can't afford it, we'd do it anyway to help you.
"Geez, " Freddy said, "you guys sound like an after school special."
"Maybe you should take Freddy in my place," Larry said, shooting Freddy an annoyed look. "He needs it a lot more than I do."
"I don't think our bank account can handle that much suffering," Daniel said.
"Come on, Larry," Lenore said as she stepped out of the van. "Let's go inside."