An Average Day at Laminax

Chapter 23

As we drove through the flat Indiana countryside, I felt a great sense of familiarity inside me. I had lived in this area for most of my life, and the rolling hills and fields outside the car window brought back memories of my childhood here. When we finally arrived in the small town of Cambridge City, I was surprised to see how little had changed. The same shops and restaurants were still there, and most of the houses looked the same as they had before, though some had been demolished or recently built during the three years I was away. We drove down familiar streets, and I pointed out landmarks to Henry and Morgan as we went. Finally, we arrived at my childhood home. It is a one-story ranch style house, with a large front yard and a long driveway leading up to the houses front garage. The exterior of the house is brick and has a peak brown roof. It was a strange feeling to be back, and everything looked the same but also different. The lawn had grown longer, there were a few more weeds in the garden than usual and the front mailbox was still dented, after all those years ago when James was 10 years old, and threw a baseball too hard and it hit the mailbox. 

Parked in the driveway was an old red SUV, the same car that James owned. He was home. As we got out the car and walked up the concrete path that led to the front door, I could feel my heart practically beating out my chest. Henry and Morgan stood behind me as I rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, the door opened. It was my brother, James, wearing a unzipped grey jacket, a shirt with the Los Angeles Lakers logo on it, baggy blue jeans and Nike shoes. I didn't know what to say to him, or what to do, and for a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other. Three long years since we had seen each other in person, and here I was, in the form of an anthropomorphic cat. Then, he spoke. "Oliver... Jesus. You look... oh my God." He said, looking at me. I stood there uncomfortably as he inspected me, looking up and down, left and right. "You look... taller than usual. And you're a, a... well, cat. A human sized cat." I simply nodded my head. James was silent for a moment longer. "Do you wanna... come in?" He asked. I said to him "Sure." 

After me and James entered the house, I noticed as Henry and Morgan walking inside after me. James shut the door afterwards. I glanced up at the clock on the wall. I was only 9:07 in the morning, surprisingly, after a long flight from Seattle and an hour's drive from Indianapolis. As I walked around, nostalgic memories started to flood my mind again. All those years of childhood memories, such as long nights of studying, going on bike rides around town, spending afternoons in the library and getting to talk to dad again after he returned from a long trucking journey. It was strange to be back in this house after all that had happened to me in the past month, but I was glad to be here. "So, uh... how have you been, James?" I asked him. "I've been... good, yeah, but... it's been a little tough, you know? Not having you around, apparently dead. I missed you, man. And... well, after Laminax and those police dudes stopped looking for you in Colorado and declared... dead, we had this little funeral for you, at the, um, church we used to go to when mom was still with dad. Dad was there, for your funeral along with his sister, nephews and brother-in-law who all drove in from Cincinnati, some old school friends of mine, some people from this street came to it, and you wouldn't believe it, your old science teacher from high school was there as well, Mr. Hofbauer. He gave us his condolences, said you were one of the best students he had ever had... yeah, that's it." He said quietly, his voice quivering a bit.

We sat down on the couch, and Henry and Morgan stood off to the side, looking around the house. "So... what's been going on?" I asked James, trying to change the subject. "Ah, not much. I'm still working as a construction worker in Indianapolis, and I've been seeing this girl named Sara Giordano for a few weeks now. She's, uh... really nice." He said, smiling a little, the quiver in his voice slowly fading. "That's great, James." I said. "Oh, I'm, yeah, I should've said something before... she's, uh, coming over tonight. I hope that's okay with you I mean, I could call her and push forward the date by a day, or go somewhere out of town if you're not comfortable with her coming over." He said. "Oh, no, no, of course, James, it's fine. I don't want to interrupt anything." I said, trying to mask the anxiety in my voice. Morgan cleared his throat and said "Hey, Oliver, could we talk to you for a second?" Morgan asked, stepping forward. I looked at him in confusion. "Uh, sure, what is it?" I asked, heading towards him. "Listen, we both need to get going soon to our hotel, but before we do, we need to give you this." Henry said, handing me an envelope. I looked at it, still confused. "What is this?" I asked. "It's your identity papers. Your birth certificate, social security card, credit card, your phone, driver's license, and passport, all updated. We've been holding onto them until now. You'll need them." Morgan said.