The Long Way Home by Phillip Overton
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There were already a few cars parked in front of their house as Doug turned the Kingswood into the driveway and pulled up underneath the carport beside the house.
“It’s a good car this one son.” William spoke as he gingerly stroked the dashboard.
“I’m hoping to upgrade soon.” He replied as he cut the engine. Simon was already out of the back seat, leaving the door flung wide open as he raced up the front porch steps. “Hopefully by years’ end.”
“But this one’s still got plenty of miles left in her.”
“Goes with the industry Dad, you need a modern car in real estate. Can’t be driving a buyer around in anything too shabby. Besides, they stopped making Kingswoods if you remember. This is a ’75 HJ, its six years old now.” He opened the door and stepped out.
Rowena had just come down the front porch steps as Doug closed the door behind him and stretched his arms lazily above his head. She looked angry. Behind her another car had just pulled up at the bottom of the driveway and a young boy clutching a birthday present was being helped from the car by his parents.
“Where the hell have you been Doug?” She snarled at him softly, trying not to let herself be heard by William who was still gathering his things inside the car.
“Honey I told you I was going to pick my Dad up from the station.”
“You took Simon with you.”
“So?”
“So! It’s his birthday you idiot. He’s supposed to be here when the guests arrive, how stupid do you think I looked telling them Simon would be back soon? Besides, what’s wrong with a taxi?” She quickly finished and turned her back to him as more children arrived with their parents and made their way up the driveway.
“Hello, you must be Simon’s mother.” A well-dressed woman with a full head of curled auburn hair introduced herself. Beside her stood her husband, hair slicked back with half a tub of bryll cream and their ugly son who didn’t look happy that his mother had made him dress in nice clothes. His big ears stood out as much as the braces he wore over his shirt to hold up his trousers, braces that had two buckles, each with a cute little bunny rabbit button more suited to a two year old than a boy who was five.
“Why hello, how are you both?” Rowena greeted his parents, her cheerfulness and warm, beaming smile worthy of an award for acting. “My name is Rowena, and who have we here?” Reaching down she gently pinched the boy’s cheek. “Don’t we look handsome today?”
“I’m Hilda,” a pleasant laugh of approval escaped the boy’s mother. “This is my husband Max and this here is little Max junior. So, we’ll pick him up later on shall we?”
“Yeah he’ll be fine, why don’t you go on inside Max?” The little boy brushed past her and headed towards the house carrying the present he still clutched in his hands. Rowena stood watching Max’s parents walk back down the driveway towards their car. They seemed like very strict parents, and he seemed so stiff. She didn’t like the way he stood there without so much as a smile on his face.
“Hello Rowena.”
She spun around at the sound of William’s voice. How long had he been standing there? She had completely forgotten about the old man.
“William, what a pleasant surprise,” she stumbled for something nice to say. Immediately she wished she had thought of something better.
“C’mon Dad, we’ll go inside,” Doug called as he walked past Rowena and up the front porch steps. William followed behind him pausing only to nod his head as passed her by. A quick, analyzing stare and he had disappeared into the house.
“Damn it,” she softly cursed once he had gone. Now she was really annoyed. It was all Doug’s fault too. Through all their problems over the years, he had always confided in his father. The old man probably knew everything judging by the way that he stared at her, always looking for a guilty admission on her face. It would be a hell of a lot easier on everyone if he just said whatever smart-assed comment was on his mind and got over it. Instead, he left her dangling over a crevice of guilt for his own morbid pleasure, waiting for the right moment he could use it to crucify her, like now.
Both families were together in the same room for the first time since Simon was born. While her sister Gail had been a great support through Rowena’s rollercoaster marriage, her parents had no reason to believe their daughter was anything other than a happily married mother at home. Now she had let William Small stride smugly into her home like a loose cannon. The old guy knew too much, and that wasn’t going to make it any easier for what they were planning to do. Today they were going to announce their divorce.