The ranch-style structure was unmistakable. It was their childhood home. From what he remembered, not much had changed since they were kids. No add-ons or major reconstruction. It almost felt like he was in a time warp.
“Is this—” Caleb said before Xavier cut him off.
“Yeah, it is,” Xavier said, turning to look out the window from the passenger seat.
“What? What am I missing?” Landon asked, leaning into the front seat.
“Our childhood home,” Caleb answered. “You were too young to remember, I guess.”
“Oh, wow,” Landon said. “It’s amazing how much I can’t recall from our time here in Moose Falls. Honestly, it sucks. Makes me feel as if I wasn’t even there.”
“That’s not true! You remembered us making gingerbread.” Xavier tousled his head. “You were there, bro. The best baby brother we could have asked for.”
“Truth,” Caleb said as he parked the car in the driveway. “You were never a snitch, and you looked up to us the way baby brothers should.”
Landon let out a snort. “Aww. You’re all heart, Caleb.”
“Let’s get this over with,” Xavier muttered, wrenching open the car door.
As they walked toward the house, Xavier studied the exterior. Not a single thing had changed. It was kind of eerie how it seemed as if it had been bubble-wrapped for the last twenty years.
“Be nice,” Landon said, looping his arm around Xavier. “Don’t start any trouble.”
Xavier let out a low grunt in response. He wasn’t the bad guy here. Not by a long shot. Frankly, he was being pretty magnanimous to even accept this dinner invite.
Red opened the door as soon as they knocked. The smell of amazing cooking wafted under their noses. Spaghetti Bolognese with sourdough bread. Xavier was discovering that sensory memories were just as powerful as visual ones. The aromas took him straight back to Friday night dinners at their kitchen table. As a kid he’d loved the fact that sourdough bread was traced all the way back to the Yukon Gold Rush. As a child who loved adventure, that fun fact had impressed him.
After Red ushered them inside, they each took off their boots and placed them on the mat right beside the door. Xavier breathed a sigh of relief after taking a quick lookaround him. The place had been completely renovated. All new furniture. Gleaming appliances. Colorful paintings on the walls. Brand-spanking-new paint. Now the interior looked modern and bright. He stopped short when he spotted a framed black-and-white photo of himself, Landon, and Caleb. In the photo they were all wearing party hats, and a big birthday cake with candles sat in front of them.
Red, seeing Xavier staring at the photo, came up beside him. He tapped the glass and said, “I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was your ninth birthday, and all you wanted was a football, even though there weren’t any youth teams back then in Moose Falls.”
A lot had changed in that regard over the years. Now, with the arrival of nine-man team football, things had really opened up. His former teammate, Richie Akuna, had lived in Alaska for many years and frequently talked about the evolution of youth football in the state.
“I remember that birthday,” Xavier said. That football had changed his life, even though he hadn’t played once in Alaska. How could he have forgotten that life-altering gift from his father? It hadn’t been all bad.
“You slept with that football every night,” Caleb said. “It was your first girlfriend.” He cracked up at his own joke.
Xavier fake-laughed, then leaned in. “Don’t forget I’m still bigger than you.” The unsettled look on Caleb’s face caused Xavier to let out a genuine laugh.
“If you guys are hungry, we don’t need to stand on ceremony,” Red said. “We can head into the kitchen and eat.”
“You don’t need to tell me twice. I’m starving,” Landon said, beating a fast path down the hall.
When they had all assembled in the kitchen, Red motioned for them to sit down at his white butcher-block table. He had already arranged it with place settings,napkins, and utensils. Red sure had gone to a lot of trouble to host them. Their father tended to his food at the same stove where their mother used to cook all their meals. It was a bit of a mind bend for Xavier, if he was being honest.
Red placed the pasta, Bolognese sauce, salad, and sourdough bread on the table, as well as dressing and Parmesan cheese. Xavier sat down as he took in all the details of the cozy kitchen. Had his father always been this domesticated? Xavier dug into the Bolognese and let out a groan of appreciation. He’d eaten at Italian restaurants all over the globe, and this was on par with the best of them. He remembered this meal and sitting around the table with his brothers and parents. There’d been smiles and laughter ringing out.
Everyone was so engrossed in the meal, there wasn’t much talking going on until Red opened a discussion.
Red looked around the table and smiled. “I know a lot has changed, but this used to be your favorite meal, hands down.” He nodded toward Caleb. “You used to request it almost every night.”
“But it was a Friday night special,” Xavier said. The memory was a great one. They had been a real family. And Bolognese had made them all happy, including his mother. A hazy memory of his parents slow-dancing to Prince in this very kitchen popped into his mind. Red had twirled her around until she was dizzy. Xavier felt a little bit of anger rise inside him. Why had his father fumbled his marriage and responsibilities so badly? He was still searching for answers.
“That’s right,” Red said. “It was family night. We played games and watched movies. And we ate Bolognese and carrot cake.”
“And made peanut butter Rice Krispies treats,” Caleb added, looking over at Xavier. They had always beenXavier’s favorite. He absolutely remembered standing by the stove and counting the minutes until the timer went off so they could devour them.
“Those were pretty epic,” Xavier said. He could almost smell and taste the sweet treat.
