Naples, N.Y. 1978. (Pt.3)

Tommy's step mom said she would give us a ride back to his grandmother's house. She knew where it was. It's a small, rural community, so everyone knew everyone. On the way back, we stopped by the home of some other relative - Tommy's uncle, maybe. It was dusk and there were people sitting in the yard, talking. They were happy to see Tommy, all grown up. A man offered us a beverage from his cooler. They were drinking Genesee Cream Ales - which seemed to be a favorite in that area. They're brewed right up the road in Rochester, N.Y. I recognized the label from Tommy's grandmother's house. In the upstairs room where I slept, there was a hat, sitting on a dresser top, that someone had made by cutting out labels of Genesee cans and lacing them together with yarn. Most unusual.
The next day, back at the grandmother's, we did a little exploring around the house and barn. In the basement of the house, we found an old MG that his step-father's son (from his first marriage) was planning to restore. I think Tommy's older step-brother lived in Texas, at that time. Tommy told me that his step-brother's wife was an agent and that she represented the actor who played Chewbacca in "Star Wars." I was somewhat dubious, but he swore it was true. (Years later, after Tommy was long gone, I was having drinks with his sister, his step-sister and his mom. At one point, the conversation turned really serious and his sister told her mom that the step-brother had tried to rape her, once - and that she had never said anything about it, while her step-dad was alive. Her mom said no, no, I don't believe it. His sister was a tad high strung, so who knows?)
Upstairs, we plundered through the closets of our rooms (we were across the hall from each other). In Tommy's room, we found some old neckties. We each picked one out, to keep. I still have mine.
I remember that there was a picture on the wall, in the hall between our rooms, of Tommy's step-dad, as a boy, sitting on a mule. I told him I was going to tease him when I next saw him.