Suzie’s House 434 : A Ring of Useless Keys

Nathan told himself yet again that he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. There’s no way he could have hitched home any faster than Gabriel was willing to drive, but did they have to stop at every friend’s house along the way? At least he was clean, well fed, and warm. He had shelter for the night. It just wasn’t the shelter of his own home.

“Hey. Wha’cha thinking?” Gabriel came up beside Nathan and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Nothing.” Nathan told himself it didn’t mean anything, not even the way Gabriel stretched his arm across the length of Nathan’s back. Gabriel was just that kind of guy.

Without meaning to, Nathan shrugged out from under Gabriel’s hand.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Gabriel looked out over the corn fields as if nothing had happened. “This kind of view is so resonant. Sooths the soul.”

“Yeah.” Well, nothing had happened. Just Nathan and Gabriel looking at a sunset in Illinois a few hours drive from Madison.

“Still think we should land on your wife at midnight tonight rather than waiting until a decent hour? We don’t even know if your key will still work. Or did you lose that too?” Gabriel smiled placidly.

“I have my keys.” Nathan had lost a lot since he’d driven away from home, including his car, but he still had the keys. A whole ring of useless keys.

“I’m willing to try it if you are, but I think you’ll just be writing your own obituary. I mean, from what you said about your wife, she’s got a right to be none too happy with you.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Nathan bent forward, unable to bear the sight of a beautiful sunset right that moment. He stared at his Oxfords, thinking they’d seen better days. “Did you mean what you said about my Emma?”

“What? That I pitied her? Yeah. I mean, from what you said in the car, she spent her whole life getting bullied by her brother, and neither your or your wife did anything about it.”

“I tried….”

“Yeah, yeah. But you already know that business about innocent until proven guilty didn’t work for raising your kids. Right? I mean, think of it from her point of view for once? All her life everything she ever wanted got taken away from her, and no one was ever on her side. Are you so sure she’s going to welcome you home?”

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