Midlife // Joji

Thirteen

By the time I was ascending the last set of stairs to my floor, I could hear them.

Them talking to George.

"I don't know what to tell you, I have no idea where she is," the deep melodic voice of my boyfriend spoke up. My boyfriend. My sweet, loving, kind boyfriend was meeting my family at this very moment.

In that moment I was finally able to see them. Two men in slacks and a button down that was neatly tucked in. Both of them wore dress shoes, and the older one wore a pair of suspenders.

He was much thinner than the last time I had seen him, my father -the one in suspenders. He also now stood with a slouch, which was something I had never seen before. He always stood tall, he's 6'2", shoulders back and his head up, he always stood with pride, as if he even had anything to be proud of.

Beside him stood my brother, Jeb. At one point he was my little brother, but now he towered over me and my father both. He had grown out of his awkward lanky phase, he was now a handsome young man.

As soon as George caught a glimpse of me, his eyes widened, alerting my father and brother that I was behind them. The two turned around abruptly, and took a moment to study me.

I wore a ripped pair of jeans, not fashionably ripped I had accidentally torn them when I was planting flowers- don't ask how, a T-shirt I had cut the sleeves off of and a pair of ratty converse. I had no makeup on with my hair in two long Dutch braids, and I was still covered in sweat. They had never seen a woman in this state of disarray and it was obvious.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and stood with my shoulders back to hide my terror. "What do you want?"

An uncomfortable silence surrounded us as my fathers eyes scanned me up and down, "I want my truck back, Eleanor. You stole it." His raspy, gravely, cigarette ruined voice eventually spit out.

I scrunched up my face, "It took you two and a half years for you to decide you want your truck back?"

His face turned in annoyance.

"And I didn't even steal it, you gave it to me when I went to school," I quickly added.

"You're no longer attending school, Eleanor." He raised his voice, and I resisted the urge to cower away from him. "The truck is no longer yours because you dropped out! You let down everyone in the community."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, I don't see how my escape affected any other members of the community. I exhale, I need to collect myself, I just want them gone.

"So, all you want is the truck?" I didn't even wait for his response before I spoke again, "Fine. I'll go grab the keys and get my stuff out. Then it'll be all yours."

I shoved past the two large men, quickly entering my apartment and slamming the door, trapping George and I inside.

"El, I'm so sorry." George quickly wrapped his arms tightly around my sweaty self. "If I would've know it was them I never would've opened the door."

I gulped, feeling every inch of my mouth being so unbelievably dry, "Yeah, it's okay George."

I felt like I was floating, as if I was spectating my own life.