Listen to the Words

March 21, 1999

She was never going to call. She just wasn't. But at least he had seen her, and had the chance to apologize.

He stood in the kitchen, and opened the fridge. The shelves were stocked with food, but empty of liquor, so maybe the day would be free of drunken brawls. He closed the door as his mom walked into the room, with her sunglasses on and her purse on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm going to get David."

"Okay."

"You're not going to do what you did last week, are you?"

"What?" he said. "What did I do?"

"You took the car and didn't come back for eight hours."

"It wasn't eight hours."

"Well, you think you could stay home today?" she asked as she left the room.

He heard the front door open and close, and said, "Why don't you tell them not to do what they did?"

He went to the window, yawned and stretched. In the back yard, a couple of rabbits were hopping in and out of a sunbeam. Somewhere in the distance, a lawn mower buzzed. The picnic table was empty, and his dad was nowhere in sight.

He left the kitchen, and jogged upstairs. He switched on his light, hit a button on his boom box, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers filled the silence. He crossed the hall to the other room, and stepped around his brother's bed to the window. Pushing aside the curtain, he glanced below. 

His dad was in the driveway, with the hood of his car propped open. A wrench lay on the ground with an oil can and some rags. He had found something to occupy him for the day, so that explained the absence of his weekend whiskey bottle.

There was a lull in the music, and Jason heard the phone. He jogged down to the kitchen and snatched it from the wall.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me."

"Oh, hey, Jessica."

"Oh, really funny," said Nicole. "You know it's me."

He laughed. "Well, what's going on?"

"Nothing," she said. "I'm just being bored."

"What did you do last night?"

"Went to the movies. With Erin and Beth. What else is there to do?"

"Are you staying here after graduation?" he asked.

"Oh God, no. I'm driving to Florida as soon as the ceremony's over. I'm gonna drive down the highway and throw my algebra book out the window."

He pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. "That book is school property, you know."

"Hey listen," she said. "I'm gonna start working at that drycleaner's on Page – "

"That must be rewarding work."

"It's just to make money, stupid. Anyway, I'm only gonna have, like, Thursday off. So if you want to come over – "

"Maybe," he said. "Is your mom going to be home?"

"Yeah, but.... She cares not what I do."

They talked for a while, and hung up. Jason went back to the living room, found the remote and switched on the TV. Some guy was in a gym, doing one-handed push-ups while an '80s soundtrack blared. Jason watched him, and then moved the coffee table out of the way. He lay down on his stomach, held one hand behind his back, and pushed himself up from the rug. That could not be how you did it.... He tried again, heard the car in the driveway, and fell over onto his side.

His mom came in, followed by his brother. Jason got up, pulled the table back into place, and collapsed onto the couch. David threw his laundry bag to the floor.

"Well," his mom said. "Aren't you going to say hello to your brother?"

Jason glanced up. "Hello, brother."

"Where did your father go?" she asked.

"I don't know... did he leave?"

"His car's gone."

"I don't know. You think he tells me anything?"

The phone rang. God, he hoped it wasn't Nicole, calling again 'cause she was bored. He got off the couch and went to the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Christa Johnson."

She sounded like she was crying. "Oh, hey," he said. "What's the matter?"

"My brother," she said. "He kicked me out."

"Why?"

"'Cause his girlfriend's moving in and she don't want me here."

"What are you going to do? Go back and live with your parents?"

"I don't know," she said. "My aunt, maybe." She gasped for breath. "I just see this long, long depressing life ahead of me."

"Well –"

"I just need to get out of here," she said. "Just for today. Do you think you could come pick me up? Drive me to the mall or something."

"Um...," he said. "I don't know. Hold on."

He set down the receiver and went to the other room. David sat on the couch, and his mom was pulling the curtains back from the window. Now he had a plan. Drive Christa to the mall, avoid his house for the day. "Can I have the car for a –" 

It was too late. He looked through the window and saw his dad pull into the driveway.

"What?" his mom said.

He didn't want to ask her to ask him.... "Never mind."

He went back to the kitchen, and picked up the phone. "Christa? I don't have a car right now. Maybe... do you have to work tonight?"

"No, I'm off."

He heard the front door open and close. "Well, I just can't right now. Maybe later. Can I call you?"

She gave him her number, and they hung up. Jason ran up to his room.

************

David had spent the night, and after an awkward meal at the kitchen table they had watched TV together. An hour later, Jason sat by his window and watched the sun go down. When the room was dark and the house quiet, he shoved his wallet into his pocket, and went down the stairs. The door to his parents' bedroom was semi-open. He went to the doorway, held his breath, and listened.

For a minute he heard nothing, but then the silence was shattered by a tremendous snore. He went to the kitchen, grabbed the phone and typed Christa's number.

When she answered, she sounded tired. Kind of defeated. "Hey," he said. "Is it too late to come over?"

"No," she said. "I'm awake."

"Well, I'll be there in a little while, okay?"

"Okay," she said, and they hung up.

He went back to his parents' bedroom and pushed open the door. His mom was asleep, and his dad snored away. He crossed the room to the dresser. Fumbling around in the dark, his hand knocked against his dad's key ring. He picked up the keys and shoved them into his pocket, and left the room.

He went to the front door, and opened it slowly. He stepped onto the porch and pulled it silently closed. He crossed the grass to the driveway. When he got into the driver's seat, he realized he was actually in his dad's car. It kind of smelled, and some of his stuff – like fast food wrappers and a couple of CD's – were strewn in the passenger seat.

Jason started the motor. He backed out of the driveway, and drove to the curb. He left the car, slammed the door, and hurried back to the house. In his parents' bedroom, he silently left his dad's key ring in the same spot on the dresser. His mom's keys were on a table in the living room. He grabbed them, opened the door, and left.