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It’s empty.
Damn it. Where did he go? There’s a flashlight in the crate in the corner, and I scoop it up before climbing back down the ladder.
The creek. He must be there. I’m not crazy about going deeper into the woods alone now that darkness is quickly taking over, but I’m not leaving him out here. I’m sure he doesn’t have a flashlight.
The sound of the rushing creek reaches me before I get to it. After today’s rain, it’s really swollen. The trees part, revealing the small clearing, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see him. Alden sits under a tree on the bank of the creek, his knees bent, his head hung between them.
His shirt clings to his back, soaked through. The wind picks up, raising goosebumps on my damp skin. Maybe I don’t know the right thing to say, but the sight of him alone and hurt erases any doubt about what to do.
He doesn’t hear me until I sit in the mud beside him. Alarm widens his red eyes and he jerks his head to face away from me. “Get out of here!” he snaps.
He’s crying. And he doesn’t want me to see.
I click off the flashlight and remain beside him. When he doesn’t yell at me to leave again, I put my arm around him. Keeping his head down, he scoots closer to me.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing to say,” he replies with a sniff.
“Do you want to talk?”
“No.”
“Okay.” Praying he doesn’t, I add. “Do you want me to leave?”
He reaches over and takes my hand. “No.”
It occurs to me we’re sitting in the same spot where we laid a year ago discussing marriage and whether or not men should be the boss of wives. Way back when I was eleven and he was twelve.
I’m not sure how long we sit there. Long enough for it to get full dark, for the sky to clear and the moon to peek out. A few tears leak down my cheeks, but he doesn’t see them. I can’t help it. It’s sad to see him hurting. And Oliver and Mrs. Stokes. What will they do? Will they have to move? Will they be okay?
Finally, he speaks up, his voice husky. “He’s not coming back.”
I squeeze his hand. “Maybe he’ll change his mind.”
His head whips side to side. “No, he won’t. And if he does, I’ll pick up something to hit him with next time.”
I lean up against him, joining our body heat against the chilly wind. “You popped him pretty good this time.”
A small snort of laughter is a relief to hear. “It isn’t the first time he’s cheated on Mom. She keeps forgiving him. But this time, he’s leaving to marry the woman he cheated with. She lives in Texas.” He sighs. “I always used to wish he’d leave. Because they fight all the time. But I didn’t think.” He shakes his head.
“You didn’t think he’d actually leave?”
“I guess not, and I didn’t think about what we’d do or what could come afterward.”
“Maybe it’ll be like Tori. You know, how she goes to visit her dad sometimes.” She also has a stepdad and step siblings she isn’t crazy about.
“I doubt it. I don’t know.”
I turn and hug him. His arms wrap around me and squeeze tight. “You’ll be okay. Your mom will figure things out.” Isn’t that what parents do?
A shiver runs over me, and he lets me go. “You’re cold. Let’s get out of here.”
We get to our feet, hands still locked, and I hand him the flashlight. We’re silent on our walk back until we get to my yard. He stares at his house like it’s a snake that might bite him. “I don’t want to go home. Mom’s going to defend him and that pisses me off. Oliver will too.” He blinks and looks at me. “I’ll never understand how they don’t see him like I do. I know he’s my dad, but…he’s not a good person.”
It must be terrible to know that about someone you love. How confusing. “It’s okay that you love him though, you know? I don’t think we really get a choice.”
He nods. “Not anymore. I hate him. I’ll always hate him.”
