It was a long time since Dick felt this content. Perfect quiet. He is laid back in an arm chair, legs stretched on a nearby stool. Little Nell, such a sweet girl, has just been dropped off to her friend’s house. A birthday party. Plenty of excitement for her, and a couple hours rest for Dad. Nell is the only thing that kept Dick sane over the past few years. Dick could put up with a lot. The wrinkles, dry skin, and baggy eyes. Battle scars from the hard days.
Everything gets harder when you’re on your own. Dick was married for a time. Five years married, with a drawn out custody battle. It started with the absence. She was an. IT manager. The kind that work that never stops. The business doesn’t care what time it is. The doors are always open. It was Jane’s job to keep the lights on. California, to New York, across the Pacific, and to East Asia, she ran the show. But those late hours, Dick saw less of her as the weeks moved. “It’s just this weekend sweetie” “It’s the busy season”, “The bonus pay is worth it.” Jane would say. Extra hours, became entire weekends. They were never short money, Jane kept the house paid practically on her own. Dick’s salary looked meager next to hers. Eventually he left his job to raise Little Nell full time. Someone needed to look after the kid. He loved every minute with Nell. The smiles, tucking her into bed, even the tantrums were something he recalls about fondly. Even today on a rare day off he can’t wait to hear Nell’s stories from the party.
Dick takes in a deep breathe and puts any thoughts of the past aside. Nestled in his chair he takes in the room. The TV dominates the space. It’s too big, like a great marble slab. But Dick likes movies, that’s how he justified the great behemoth. The living room continues behind Dick to a dining table before rounding the corner to an open kitchen. Dick liked to watch TV when he was cooking. The TV was a white noise machine today. The drone of talk show hosts, commercials, and news presenters. Among the drone something caught his attention. “Three prisoners are unaccounted for after last night’s riot at Shelton House Prison. In a statement this morning officials say they are confident they will find the inmates. Chief Officer Alice Warren dismissed claims that the inmates escaped the premise.” the news presenter said. Dick feels a pit in his stomach. That’s where she is.
The broadcast drones on, Dick doesn’t take any of it in. He paces toward the kitchen, fills up a glass of water. “Slow sips, just like the Doctor said” he think’s to himself. The glass clanks against the counter as he finishes it off. Glass on stone. A satisfying click. Dick fidgets with the glass for a moment. He would sit in the kitchen waiting for Jane to come home. Most nights were disappointing. He would either fall asleep waiting and awake in the middle of the night alone. On the occasions Jane did return home his heart would race. The patio sliding door, her keys rattling in the lock, the slide door closing. Her heels kicking off at the floor. She was here. When she came home there was no words. She was distant. “Why do you stay up like this?” , “Don’t you have anything else to do than wait for me like a lost puppy?” “Are you trying to make me feel guilty?” she would say. The smell of lavender was the only affection she offered. The smell of her perfume. His heart used to flutter for that scent.
One night waiting for her to come home the headlights crested the driveway. He knew she was coming. The faint hum of the car engine vanished. Dick waited in anticipation for her. To see her again, for her to be home was a thrill. Even if she was distant he loved her. He waited, she was away for four days. Now she was a couple moments away. In that moment he was restless. He glanced towards the clock 01:00. It was so close. He put on his best face. Heart beating an anxious song. His leg twitching under the table like a nervous puppy. His mouth suddenly dry, ears ringing amid the perfect quiet of night. He looks back to the clock again. 01:20. Did she come in already? No he would have heard her.
The room feels double in size. moves across the kitchen toward the living room window looking. His bare feet pattering against the tiles. Peeking between curtains, overlooking the driveway, he sees the car in the driveway. His eyes begin to focus to the dark. Her car is parked but she is nowhere to be seen. Dick blinks trying to catch a better look. There is someone in the driver seat. He cannot make out the figure. The figure’s hair is short. Shorter than Jane’s for sure. Dick feels an impossible focus from the driver. Their face stares deep into him. As Dick’s vision clears further the driver is not looking at him. His eyes are closed. Dick’s eyes adjust to the scene. He sees the figure moving, and beneath another knee deep in the footrest. Dick sat transfixed on the scene. He could spend all night justifying it but he knew what e saw. Dick retreated to the bedroom hoping to wake up from this nightmare. He sat in a cold sweat for an eternity. That vision burned into his head. Another few minutes, maybe hours? He hoped it was all a dream. But the alarm clock said otherwise. 01:32 he finally heard the sliding door. Keys rattled in the lock. When she came to bed that night she smelled of lavender.