[1]
Emma
The sun set behind the road as we left the flashing lights behind us. “Whoa,” I muttered. Exhaustion crawled over my skin and seeped into my bones as we started to drive away. I was more than a little thankful that the bulk of the trip was over. Now we just had to get to my old house within the city.
“Whoa is right.” Deva shook her head sadly. “I didn’t bring enough snacks to lift us out of this kind of mood.”
I wasn’t sure therewereenough snacks to lift us out of this funk. We’d sat by the curb as the ambulance had loaded the drunk driver up. As they did, another one had pulled up and the paramedics started checking the children out. While everyone spoke to the police we tried to cheer the children up. We played random games, talked to them about school, about the family trip they were on, anything to distract them from what had just happened, and how scared they were. We each told them about our kids as well, I told them all about how Travis hated road trips because he'd get so bored in the car and couldn't read or anything because he got car sick. They were appropriately horrified on Travis' behalf.
Once the police had finished taking the parents’ statement, we waved goodbye to the kids and their parents, all of whom still looked shaken. It was our turn to give our statements. Of course, it went without saying that we left out the magical assistance I’d given the van. That wasn’t something I particularly wanted to admit to, and since it wasn't something they'd believe anyway it seemed safer and smarter all around to just omit that detail.
Now we were finally back on track, without the fun and frivolity of before the wreck. “Hey,” I said brightly. “Nobody died, and if we hadn’t been there, more than likely they would’ve.”
“True.” Carol nodded decisively. “We saved the day.” She glanced at me, then amended her statement. “You did. It wasn’t us that stopped that van like that.” The relief in her voice was almost palpable and I felt the exact same way. Just the thought of what would have happened to that family in the minivan was enough to make me nauseous.
I shrugged and tried to push it from my mind as I turned onto the exit that the drunk driver had most likely come up. It was the only way they could have gone to get on our side of the interstate unless they were off-roading, but there were no signs of that, none of the grass had tire treads and there wasn't any mud on the side of the road. My dampened mood elevated slightly, but not too happy.
Nervous.
Anxious.
Slightly terrified.
“Oh, geez,” I said. “I still don’t see how this is going to work. Surely Rick and Candy have disappeared by now.”
Beth blew air between her lips and it curled upward making her bangs wave. “Nah, we can do a location spell on them. We’ll get this sorted out.”
“But first, I need a glass of wine and a rest in a chair that isn’t a car seat,” Deva said, grimacing as she shifted in the backseat.
“Same,” I muttered. “Maybe a bit of a walk.” My hips and lower back were killing me. Whoever said road trips were fun was only right for so long, at some point they became a guessing game of how to sit so you can walk the next day and not have a bunch of back pain.
As I navigated the streets of Springfield, I thought about that drunk woman. She needed major help. Karma would want it. Somehow, I knew that she’d rather have the drunk woman get help than just pure punishment. And maybe something good would come out of this for that little family, too. I knew I'd appreciate Travis more if I almost lost him like that. It wasn't that I didn't love and appreciate him now, but there's nothing like a near-death experience to drive that point home. Silver linings and all that.
Buster stretched from Carol’s lap as soon as I put the car in park in front of my house. It looked quiet… lonely. Bringing my friends here felt like I was seeing it again for the first time, only this time everything looked like there was something off about it. The cedar siding had already needed to be repainted and in the few weeks I'd been gone it had only gotten worse with paint flecks littering the ground in places. One of the shutters was a bit crooked and I wondered if it had been damaged in a recent storm. The flower beds were overgrown and in need of a good weeding and though the curtains were drawn it was like you could see the state I'd left everything in inside, and though I didn't remember it clearly I had the sneaking suspicion it wasn't good. The whole place had a forlorn air to it.
“This is not a happy house,” Deva said as she leaned forward from the back seat to peer up at the house. “Lots of bad memories there. You need to get it sold and move on with your life so a new family can start making better memories in it. Maybe we should sage it.” She spoke as though the building itself had memories, and for all I knew maybe it did, but I hoped whoever ended up buying it didn't get infected with my bad marriage or something. I truly wanted someone to be happy in that house. I just knew it could have never been me, not for long at least.
“There are good memories though, too,” I said. “Travis grew up here. All my memories of his childhood are painted with the backsplash of this place.” I sucked in a deep breath and got out of the car. “Let’s see how bad of shape I left the house in.” I didn’t remember details, but I’d been pretty low before leaving town. I probably left dishes in the sink and garbage overflowing. “I hope it doesn’t stink,” I muttered.
Carol chuckled. “That’s what magic is for.” I wanted to ask more about that, I mean I knew she could knit without needing to hold the needles but could she do things like vacuum without actually vacuuming herself? If so, this was going to be a major breakthrough in how I did my housework, provided I could make any of that magic work for me. Knowing my luck though karma wouldn't lift a finger to help me do the dishes.
When I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, no stink overwhelmed me. There weren’t critters running around, destroying everything. “So far so good.” The fact that there was no smell made me more nervous than I expected.
I stepped into the living room, but then furrowed my brows. “It’s clean.”
“Well, you left it in better shape than you thought,” Deva said.
“No, I didn’t.”
One of Travis’s shirts had been slung over the back of the recliner. “Oh, Travis has been here.”
“There you have it. He’s cleaned up.”
That wasn’t like him, but stranger things had happened under heaven and earth.
I moved toward the kitchen to find it spotless except for a coffee cup. I touched the side. Still warm. “Someone is here.”
“Mom?”
