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“Hey, guys. Before everyone goes to bed, can we get a picture of the six of us? I’d like to have that.” We all pile onto the couch, smashed together, legs on top of legs, hands touching parts we shouldn’t be, and Young clicks the picture on his phone. He shows us, and it’s perfect. It’s us, just the six of us.
I’m sitting on the plane getting ready for takeoff. Campbell and Young brought me this morning, and I have to admit it was tough saying goodbye to them. The five of them are my family, as well, and leaving hurts. I look at the picture of the six of us on my phone and smile. They really are the best friends anyone could ask for. The pilot announces we are getting ready to taxi the runway. I plug in my ear buds and close my eyes. I hope I can just sleep on the flight.
Next thing I know, I feel a tap on my arm. I open my eyes, and the flight attendant smiles at me. I pull out my ear buds and clear my sleep-filled throat. “Sir, I wanted to let you know we will be landing in a few minutes and to buckle up.” Damn¸ I really did sleep the entire flight.
“Thank you.” She nods and goes off to the next sleeping passenger. I blow out a breath because I’m anxious to get to my family. Connie is picking me up at the airport, and we have an hour drive to the house. The plane thankfully lands with no problem, and before I know it, I’m waiting at the baggage claim. I grab my suitcases and turn to look for Connie. I see her running toward me, so I drop my bags and catch her when she reaches me. I hug her so tight I’m sure I’m hurting her, but I’ve missed her so damn much.
“Damn, Keith, I’ve missed you. Can you not squeeze so tight though?” I laugh and put her down.
“Sorry, I’ve just missed you so damn much. You look amazing.” She smiles and squeezes my bicep.
“Looking pretty good yourself, big brother. How are things with Becca?” I pick up my bags and tell her I’ll fill her in on the ride. For the next hour, we talk about everything from failed relationships to TV shows. Connie’s been quiet, so I nudge her arm.
“What are you in deep thought about?” She glances over at me and gives me a fake-as-shit smile. “Connie, come on.” She sighs and grips the wheel a bit tighter.
“What if we are destined to always have shitty relationships? I mean, think about it. We didn’t have the best example of a loving relationship growing up. What if we never find love?” I reach over and squeeze her shoulder.
“Connie, we both know exactly what we don’t want in a relationship. I don’t think our failed love life has anything to do with Mom and Dad. I think it’s just that we haven’t found the right person yet. You will. We both will. Don’t let yourself think it has anything to do with them; it doesn’t. I promise you.” She lightly laughs and looks at me with tears in her eyes.
“I love when you’re home. You always seem to make things better.” Well, shit, that means the world to me.
“Thanks. I told you I would always do what I can to protect you. I just want to see you happy, and maybe while I’m here, we can go to the bar and find your Mr. Right.” She laughs.
“Keith, you can’t meet the love of your life in a bar.” I smile and think how wrong she is.
We pull up to my childhood home a few minutes later. I am immediately furious when I see how awful it looks. It needs repairs, new paint, and a new roof. The lawn looks like a bunch of fucking over grown weeds. My father is a real asshole to let it get like this. He’s done nothing, and my mom can’t be expecte
d to do it all. I try to hold back my anger when Connie looks at me and smiles. “Mom is going to be so excited. I didn’t tell her you were coming home.” She giggles and gets out of the car. I chuckle and shake my head while I open the car door. I look around again and realize just how badly I need to get my family to move closer. I need to get them out of this shithole.
I grab my bags and follow Connie to the front door. A flood of memories comes pouring back. All the times I’ve sat on this front porch waiting for friends or girls, or just trying to avoid what was happening inside. Connie unlocks the door, and we walk in. Every time I am here, it is like I’ve gone back in time. Nothing in this house has changed since I was a kid. My mom still has the horrible floral couches with the stains on them, the brown carpet that I’m sure was tan at one point, the yellowing walls from my father’s smoking, and our school pictures hanging on the wall. I drop my bags by the door, and we head toward the kitchen. “Do you want a drink?” I smile at Connie and pull her into a hug. She wraps her arms around my waist and starts to cry.
“I’m sorry. It’s just so overwhelming. Every time I’m in this kitchen now, I watch it all play out in front of me again.” I kiss the top of her head, and we let go.
“I’m here now. I’ll make sure everything is taken care of. How about we go surprise Mom, and I’ll treat you guys to lunch?” She wipes her tears and smiles.
“Sounds good. Come on, she’s probably in bed. When she takes one of the pain pills, it knocks her out.” We walk down the short hallway to my mom’s bedroom, and Connie knocks. “Mom?” She pushes the door open, and there is my mom sound asleep. I walk in, and my knees almost buckle. She looks worse than I expected. She’s got bruising all over her face. You can see her spilt lip with dried blood on it, and the dark circles under her eyes make me wonder if it’s lack of sleep or more bruising. Connie sits on the bed and touches her shoulder. My mom jumps, completely startled. “Sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She hasn’t noticed me yet, so I just stand quietly. She reaches up and tucks Connie’s hair behind her ear.
“It’s alright, baby girl. How are you? What are you doing here so early?” Connie smiles at her and points to me.
“I brought you a surprise.” My mom slowly turns her head, and the second she sees me, she starts to cry.
“Oh, Keith. My boy is home.” She holds open her arms and I walk over and gently hug her. I don’t want to cause her any more pain. “Connie and Karen told me they called you. I did what you wanted. I pressed charges, but I’m scared Keith. He’s never been violent before. I don’t know what to do anymore.” She is whispering in my ear, and I assume it’s so Connie can’t hear.
“Mom, I’m here now. I’ll take care of everything. The important thing is, you get better.” She squeezes me harder, and I feel myself choking up. This is my mom, the woman who sacrificed so much for me growing up, and she is a beaten mess. I close my eyes tightly, fighting back the tears that want to escape.
After I feel like I have a hold on my emotions, I pull away. My mom looks at me through her tears and smiles. “You look amazing. New York suits you.” I chuckle but quickly stop when she tries to sit up, and I clearly see the pain on her face. I reach out and help her. “Thanks, sweetheart. So, how long are you staying?” I sit down next to Connie and smile at her. I didn’t even tell her how long I was staying.
“I’m staying for three months.” Connie whips her head toward me with a huge smile, and my mom lets a tear fall.
“Holy shit, three months.” I grin and just nod my head.
“We have a lot to talk about, but that can wait. Mom, you need to eat something. Connie and I will go pick up a pizza and be back shortly. Do you need anything else while I’m out?” She smiles at me and shakes her head.
“No, sweetheart, Karen picked everything up yesterday, but thank you.” I get up and kiss her forehead before we head out.
When Connie and I get back with the pizza, my mom is sitting on the couch with a blanket. “Mom, you didn’t need to get out of bed. I would have brought the pizza to you.” She lightly laughs.
“No, I’m not supposed to be in bed all day. Dr. Neilson said that’s how blood clots happen. I need to move around. Let’s eat in here though.” Connie sits next to my mom, and I carry the pizza into the kitchen. I look around at how beat up this whole house is. I hate my mom and Karen living here. I need to figure out a way to get them to move. I blow out a breath and take out three plates. I have time to figure that out. After we eat, I’m going to head to the police station and make sure everything is taken care of. I want her to have a restraining order and to file for divorce. I know all these things are going to be hard for her, but it is the only way to ensure her safety because once he gets out, if they are still married, he has every right to be back here. I realize I’m being a cop and not a son, so I put pizza on the plates and bring it to the living room.
