Her Delicate Blue Eyes

Chapter 9

Chapter 9~ Ellis

He was speeding, and he knew it. His coffee-well, what was left of it- sloshed back and forth, spilling over the lid a bit and dribbling down into the cup holder, which would later become a sticky mess.

Gary wanted him to tear down 75 acres of pure forest. There were animals that lived there, wildlife. And he just expected him to destroy it like everything else he ever did.

What could he do, though? Quit? And then what? Tour the states with Axel and his low-budget-high-maintenance band?

He remembered when his dad was still around. He was a builder, of some sorts. He built houses. But to Ellis he was a hero, a modern-construction hero. He had built their first house- the one that later burned to the ground.

Ellis let out a sigh. The rain was pounding down on his windshield now- like cats and dogs falling from the sky.

He was still driving- it seemed like it had been hours since that meeting, but really it had been close to forty minutes.

He didn't recognize the surroundings, but the address on the business card still looked familiar. Besides, what else did he have to do today? He could get a team informed about the project like Gary had suggested but....

Anyway, it was out of question. This would be a big project; it would be a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of patience. He needed a day or two to ease into it, maybe to even accept it.

Ellis wiped the sweat from his brow. He had had the heat set on high, and it was blasting through the vents like a warm summer breeze.

The scenery around him was changing outside, too. What little houses and dirt roads there were scattered behind him were all but gone. It was nothing but vast logs, forestry peaking at the beginning of the sky.

Most of the trees were pine, those were his favorite. He used to climb the one in their back yard when he was a kid. The sap would stick to his hands and his clothes, which he didn't mind, but his mother did. She would scold him after she found him climbing the old pine. His pants would be covered in sap and newly formed holes would be scattered throughout them. She would run her hands through his hair and shake her head whenever he came inside after climbing the tree.

This place, it looked familiar to him, though. Then suddenly remembered it. His dad had taken him here when he was just a kid. He remembered climbing through the pines, laughing. He had been young then. Old enough to climb, but still a bit young to remember exactly.

He remembered his dad. The man was almost always working, even when he got home. Always doing home improvements, no matter how many times his mom would tell him that the house was the best damn house on the block- they didn't need to impress anyone with its appearance. And he swore like a sailor, too. His mom never found it funny, but when his dad let one slip inside the house, both Axel and Ellis couldn't help but laugh, which would only make their mother lecture them as well.

They had been here, though. Ellis was almost sure of it as he looked around. He didn't know why they would be here, of all places. It was in the middle of no where, and there wasn't even a clear place to park the car.

But he remembered it, clear as day now. Funny how things just somehow pop back into the mind.

His dad had taken him, he still wasn't quite sure of the reason. But he had taken him here, and they had climbed. He had reached the top, remembering how he felt like he had just touched the sky. And he cried down to his dad, "Look, dad! I made it!" and the old man smiled. "That's my boy."