Suzie’s House 534 : Back to the Crib

Emma didn’t want to go home. You’d think after so long she’d either get over it or not feel it anymore – that reluctance to go to the place she was supposed to belong. And she did belong. Mostly. But here she was shuffling her feet as she made her way from Gene’s house.

It felt like she’d been kicked out of her real home even though she never slept there or left things there or anything. It wasn’t really home. But not being allowed to go back for a while, even if it was for her own good…

Her entirely too vivid imagination saw a future in which she was sacked out in the den with the rest of the band – everyone in sleeping bags, even Gene – and everything being as normal as they ever got and then – bam! There was a serial killer.

In her dream she stood up and whipped out a gun from thin air and shot the guy. Case closed.

As far has her daydreams went, that was pretty tame. Maybe even a little watered down. Maybe it was because she lately her real life had been even more dramatic than her dreams. Incredible things were all too real.

From what Ben said, and what she overheard the grown ups saying, this wasn’t the first time crazy stuff had happened in that house. There really could be a serial killer crashing their sleep over. Assuming they ever really had one like that in the first place. And just where would she get her hands on a gun? Certainly not from thin air.

Knowing herself, she’d probably have stuttered something stupid, then thrown up on the guy. And a minute later she’d be dead.

She stubbed her toe on and uneven section of sidewalk as she shook her head at her own stupidity. What a klutz. What a looser.

She turned up the walk to her front door. With each step her tension inched up a notch. Now was the part she dreaded. She’d open that door and then face some kind of surprise.

Either her parents would be glaring at each other. Or her father might be literally crawling around begging. Or they might be necking like that one time…. No matter what she found inside, it was bound to be awkward and most likely embarrassing.

Drawing a deep breath for fortitude, Emma opened the door.

Her parents sat together on the couch, watching something on TV together. Her father had his arm across her mother’s shoulders. They both turned their heads her direction, then unleashed welcoming smiles like they were really glad to see her.

“How was the pizza?” Mom’s smile never dipped.

“Good.” Emma ducked her head.

“Don’t stay out too late,” her father said. “It makes me worry.”

“I… I’ll be home early from now on.” Or at least until a serial killer was caught.

“Good. Glad to hear it.” He smiled like a regular father. Then he and Mom both turned back toward the movie.

Emma thought about joining them. They’d have welcomed her. But then she felt like maybe she’d end up talking to them about serial killers and where it felt more like home. It was probably better not to say any of that. It was just nice to come home and find things mostly normal again.

“I’ll be in my room.”

They waved and grunted acknowledgment as she shuffled off to do her homework.

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