So What, I'm A Seal (Book 1)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

            I had been gone for almost two weeks, and I was feeling pretty let down. A huge part of me had been hoping that Spade would have driven out to see me. Finding a bottle of Jack hidden behind some cans of soup, I take it and sit out on the porch. Setting it on the step beside me, I lean against the railing and just stare off at the sky.

            I wasn’t one for drinking, but I felt like it today. Picking the bottle up, I throw it against a rock before I could change my mind. Drinking wouldn’t change anything, and it wouldn’t help in the long run. I sat there for hours, just watching the clouds slowly pass by or stare at the road.

            It kind of took me by surprise that my mom and dad or Jake hadn’t already came by to drag me home. Back in high school, I would spend most of my time here trying to unwind if my day had been stressful. I started turning the ring Luke gave me slowly around my finger with my thumb. I missed not having to hands, but I knew that moping about it wouldn’t get me anywhere.

            I stayed out on the steps until midnight. Taking one last glance at the road, I slammed the front door shut and locked it. Then I made the rounds checking the windows and back door. Looking at my bed, I grab a pillow and head to the couch. Turning on a movie, I just lay there watching it.

            Somewhere around three, I drifted off to sleep peacefully. But that didn’t last long. I knew that a goodnight’s rest for me wasn’t in the books tonight. About an hour later, I woke up screaming. Rubbing my face, I was glad that I wasn’t at home. My waking up screaming pained my parents. Looking at the tv, I notice that some movie with John Cena was on. Turning it off, I make my way to the kitchen.

            Turning the coffee maker on, I decide that I needed a hot shower. I stayed under the water until it turned cold, but I still didn’t feel relaxed. Throwing on a tank top and shorts and slipping into my running shoes, I walk out the door and stretch.

            I take off running as fast as I could down the dirt driveway. It ran from the front of the house all the way to the highway. Two and a half miles, but thankfully, the first two miles were surrounded but a stand of thick evergreen trees on both sides. Once I reached the part of the driveway where the trees started to thin out, I would spin around and race back towards the house.

            After the first hour of running, I lose track of time. But I can tell you that by the time I noticed that the sun was past the middle of the sky, my legs were on fire, and my lungs felt like they were breaking. I was drenched with sweat, but I felt more relaxed. Firing up the grill, I take a quick shower before I start to make my dinner. Throwing a couple of steaks on, I slide several potatoes into the oven and make a salad.

            Opening the cabinets, a huge smile splits my face when my eyes hit a new bottle of A1 sauce. Grabbing it, I slide it on the table beside a pitcher of sweet tea. By the time I had the table ready, the smell of steak filled the air making my mouth water. Setting the second steak onto a small platter, I pour some steak sauce on my plate and pick up my knife.

            Just then, a knock rips through the small cabin. My head snaps from my plate to the door back to my plate and then finally stops on the door. Please go away whoever you are, I silently beg. The knocking turned into an insistent banging. Sighing softly, I set my knife and fork down and stand up.

            Walking to the door, I rip it open. I stare at my visitor in surprise. “Spa…Henry. What are you doing here?” I manage to ask. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t put a name to. He holds up my note that I had left him. “We need to talk. And what in the world is a fortnight?”

            I laugh softly, but it held no levity. “It’s two weeks. Which was yesterday.” I add softly. He rubs the back of his neck. “Can I come in?” I stand back and let him in and close the door.