Houston Highland grew up in Albany, New York back in what felt like a whole different time. In many ways, it was. The many changes that came and went to the area over the next few decades would be for the best and not so much. Hew grew up the only son of a single mother, who had fallen for a man that she shouldn't have. The kind that came with promises that would never be fulfilled. A type of man that Houston would never fully know what to think of. But watching as everything played out, Houston made a point to try and be different. There was more to it than his mother told him and he understood that much. He attempted to grasp onto his own version of life. Doing well in school, he was better at mathmatics and athletics, but not much else. He didn't need to be anyway.

Regardless of what potentional his mother saw in him, he chose the direction of enlistment upon graduating high school. He wanted to make a better decision for himself, and believed that was the truest version. The loss of a relationship held during that time didn't really help the matter. If naything, it set his sights that much more strictly on doing so. Even with his mothers resistence to this, and worry over her son, she was proud of him. He wasn't going to let her down there. Coming back home to visit when he had the time to do so, and wasn't active duty, he spent much of it there, back home with her.

After serving eight years, he returned home only to gain the news that his father had not only a held fresh divorce, but more children. Where his mother hoped he would finally marry her, remarry a woman that he was apparently cheating on Houston's mother with. The family drama only made him want to leave again, but instead he opted to pursue his own adventures. Learning and meeting some of these siblings, he felt like his father was attempting his own collection, but he ignored it. Attempting to hold some sort of relationship with any of these people, he mostly left the door open for them, if they wanted it.

Doing some traveling, along with actually picking up a degree in business, he found his own niche. Everything was going right for him, a marriage set in place. He wasn't going to be anything like the man that his father was. Houston was something else entirely and he was set to be that way. Following a few bad business deals, it didn't take long before that marriage fell into shambles. Mixed with the struggle to have children of his own, they didn't know what else to do. Or they didn't seem to do anything but argue. With all of this discontent in his marriage, and it was a miracle that it lasted as long as it had. Not being one to take all the bickering, Houston went back to school and stayed rather quiet as far as life went. Following another friend's advice, Houston went against his own gut and committed to what seemed like yet another doomed venture.

As time went by, everything turned out better than what was expected. A little restaurant that took some time, money, and elbow grease. All things he was willing to pour into it, even though the money aspect was a little harder if he wanted to do it all alone. Starting from the ground up, he made the place very much his own, instead of listening to too much outside assistance. More the New Yorker in him thinking about what he had seen and what he would like to see in the area. And for once, it worked. There was no questioning if he could do better or what would work for others. He followed his instincts and lucked out. Everything going right for what felt like the first time in his life. His sometimes gruff exterior gives way to smiles and a willful, less stubborn man. Not that he would admit it, but renovations and some added flair to the menu, he's very proud of his baby. Houston keeps the place running like a well oiled machine, hoping that if nothing else, this will be that mark he left on this world. That after everything, he was finally able to get something done the way it was intended.