Crash Test Dummy

Chapter 5

Inside were the things Mom would have confiscated had she searched the shed and found them. One shelf held a line of whiskey bottles, all unopened. On another was a line of pill bottles like the ones Mom had showed me in the picture. All of them had expiration dates long past, but they were full of Oxy. There were some syringes and a bunson burner. There was a small bong and some pot.

I sat back on my heels and stared at the stash. My first thought was that I should get rid of it. Mom already hated Dad; this would only add fuel to the fire. But then I realized that if Mom didn't know it was there, it couldn't add to her hatred. All I had to do was put the false back in place, and the existence of the stash would be my secret. I could take my time in deciding what, if anything, to do with it.

As I sat staring, I heard Seth call out, "Wayne, your Mom will be here soon. Remember, she gets off early tonight, and we're going out to eat to celebrate the conclusion of your grounding."

The last thing I wanted was to have dinner with Mom and Seth, but I knew that I had to fall in with the plan. Any strange behavior might bring out the "momdar", and I certainly didn't want her snooping around my newly claimed crib. I decided that I would have to use my acting skills to convince them that everything was as it should be.

"I'll be there in just a minute," I hollered, as I put the contents back in the cabinet, secreting the spring release tool in a blanket.

I came out of the shed as Mom pulled into the driveway. Putting a sullen look on my face, I slouched over to the garage.

"Y'all want to come see the shed?" I asked. "It's all clean and stuff."

Mom plastered a smile on her face. "We'll take a quick peak." She looked at Seth, not at me. "We've got reservations, so the full tour will have to wait for another day."

I led them to the shed and snapped on the lights.

Mom sort of blinked and looked around. "My, you've done a lot of work, hon. "It looks like it did when Paul first set it up." Her voice sounded choked.

"I'm sure your Dad would be proud," Seth offered.

"I thought I could get a desk and put it in the corner behind the recliner," I enthused. "I could do my homework out here. Maybe I could have some friends over to play video games or something."

"We can talk about that later." Mom cleared her throat. "You've done a great job. You deserve a steak dinner."

"Maybe you can have a few friends over to celebrate your return to society," Seth added, never taking his eyes off Mom. "You've made it through two months of exile from your friends with few complaints."

I could tell, he was concerned about Mom's reaction, but I had to give it to him. He was walking on eggshells to point out that I had done what she asked. He seemed to think that I deserved props and some kind of reward other than dinner with Mom and him. At that moment, I had a grudging admiration for Seth. He was trying to use his shrink skills to bring peace instead of tension to my relationship with Mom.

"He did, didn't he," Mom murmured. She shook herself as though forcing emergence from a trance. Turning on her heel, she led the way to the car. "I'm starved. Let's eat."

During dinner, Mom brought up Seth's suggestion.

"Would you like to have some friends over for a party now that your grounding is complete?"

I pushed my food around my plate while contemplating my answer. Mom knew most of my old friends. I had hung out with the same guys since grammar school. She might not like the new ones I'd made in the last couple of months, and I didn't want her to get all suspicious again.