What Is Your Name

 My job partner's teenaged daughter is suffering her first heartbreak.  She's fifteen, a J.V. cheerleader and gorgeous.  He's also fifteen, a jock, and looks like he walked out of a John Hughes movie. They look like an advertisement for a yearbook.  They live in my old hometown and attend my alma mater (I hate that phrase but it's easiest)  

When she mentioned that the boy had broken up with her over the weekend, I was sympathetic.  I would not want to be a teen again, ever.  Then I flipped into Hometown Mode.  "What's his family name?"  As in, does he come from a founding family? a rich family?  a troubled family?  We ride at dawn!

Because when we were that age, you avoided certain families because you knew they were trouble. It doesn't just happen in a Nicholas Sparks or Sarah Dessen novel. (no shade to either author)

Or in my hometown's case, cursed.  There was one family that bad things happened to them On The Regular.  Out of four kids, I think only one is still alive.  The others died in accidents ranging from car accidents, accidental drowning, to job place accidents.  There was cancer and a house fire.  Somewhere they have some angry ancestors that need appeased.

Thinking about it more, I began texting her surnames.  "Don't let her date a ...."   She laughed and said "I'm writing these down so I have them!"  

Now, I'm not singling out a specific boy's family because I or my friends had a bad experience. I listed families who have been generationally troubled.  And, not just poor but: jail, domestic violence, sketchy.  Sure, things can change but not often in these situations.

You immediately thought of someone, didn't you?  Every town has them.  

Job partner did not grow up here, not even in this state.  Anytime that I can provide a little insight because rural, redneck, small town, then I do.  I have absolutely become the "In my day that building was a bank." or "This used to all be farmland" person.

Anyway, I just thought it might be something interesting to think about. What name jumped to your mind?  Would you have a reaction if one of your children began dating someone from "that family"?