Amber stood in her driveway as Katelyn backed out. The drive back down the hill after their discussion had been subdued as Amber explained her memories to Kat, realizing how mistaken she had been when she woke. She was appalled at her accusations. Katelyn, being the awesome friend that she was, understood and gave her time to think.
But now she faced a new issue. It was early morning and she was about to enter the house where she lived with her father. There wasn't going to be any way to sneak in, and he was going to know she'd been out all night. Sure, she was an adult, but her father, while loving, was very protective. Maybe even more so after what happened to her mother. "His house, his rules," he had said once. Normally, it wasn't a big deal as she wasn't exactly the partying type. Plus, free room and board were hard to pass up when you hadn't quite yet established yourself in a career. She took a deep breath and turned the key in the lock.
As she entered, she fully expected him to be in the kitchen.
The party ran late and I stayed with Katelyn and Aaron
was sitting on the tip of her tongue, but he wasn't there. She listened but didn't hear anything other than the ticking of the old clock in the hallway. She went upstairs and looked around the corner of his bedroom. The bed was made and there was no sign of him. She searched the rest of the house, but it was empty.
Making her way back downstairs, she stopped in the kitchen to grab something to eat and saw a note on the table:
A - Got a call that one of the generators went belly up at the auxiliary lab. They have samples that can't thaw so I'm heading up there for an emergency repair. Probably won't be back until late morning. Hope you had fun with your friends. - Dad
Her father could have just texted her, but he sometimes liked to do things 'old school'. He "liked the flavor of handwritten notes over impersonal screens."
Well, looks like I dodged a bullet there. No need to tell him I was out all night. Ugh, Spencer, how am I ever going to fix this?
Her phone rang and startled her. It was her father's deep, gravelly voice. "Hey, Sweetie. Didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, I'm up."
"Oh, good. So, this job I'm on... it's a nasty mess and I'm going to be here a while. People can't make decent goddamn equipment anymore--damn seals are failing prematurely. Anyway, after this repair, they want me to head to the other five sites to ensure the same problem doesn't happen there. Long story short, I'm probably going to be gone for the rest of the week, maybe longer if they don't get the parts in quickly. Dale's going to be stopping by later to pick up a suitcase for me. Can you pack me some clothes, my razor, toothbrush, that sort of thing? Make sure you throw in some warm clothes too."
"Sure, Dad. No problem, I'll get on it right now. If I have to head out, I'll text Dale the garage code so he can get it."
"Thanks. I'll keep you posted." Her father then muffled the mouthpiece and yelled something at someone off the line before coming back on. "Sorry about that. For all of their brains, some of these egghead scientists sure can't grasp basic mechanics. I gotta go. Love ya."
"You too, Dad. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll go grocery shopping after work."
"Sounds good. And that reminds me--Sofia was going to stop by later today. She said something about bringing over a lasagna. I swear, that woman thinks I'd waste away if it wasn't for her cooking. Anyway, be sure to give her a call so she doesn't make it. That's a lot of work, and I'd hate for her to waste her time." He paused for a moment and then, somewhat hopefully, "But maybe next week? Bye, and thanks again--No, William! For Christ's sake, you have to bleed the pressure first..."
Click
.
Amber smirked, imagining some young scientist in a lab coat cringing from her father's gruff tone. He may be hard, but she guessed that by the time he was done, they'd learn a thing or two about the equipment he was working on. He always tried to teach those around him if they cared to listen. "Ain't never a bad thing to learn a skill or two," she could hear him saying while his head was buried in a piece of equipment.
So, Ms. Carlucci was bringing some lasagna by?
Sofia Carlucci was a widow about her father's age who lived nearby. She'd lost her husband to cancer some time ago and had met Amber's father at a support group for grieving spouses. She'd found out he excelled in mechanical skills and asked if he could help fix her dishwasher. In return, she'd made him and Amber the best meatballs they'd ever had. Over time, the two had settled into this strange routine--something would need maintenance at her house, Dad would take care of it, and Sofia would bake something delicious. Despite her father's grumblings, he never turned down one of her meals, and Amber believed he'd developed a fondness for her. She wished they'd just admit they had feelings for each other, but she supposed that maybe they'd feel like it was somehow "cheating" on their deceased spouses.
Not like I'm an expert on feelings and how to act on them
, she thought miserably as she climbed the stairs to pack her father a bag.
*******
Amber dropped her father's suitcase in the entryway.
That's one thing done. I really ought to suggest he keep a 'go bag'. Maybe I'll get one set up for his birthday...
She tidied up a bit around the house and performed some other chores waiting for Dale. Just as she was about to text him to let him know she was going to head off to the store, he knocked on the door.
"Hey, Dale," she said, opening the door. "Here's his bag. I think this should be enough to carry him over. I even threw in some cookies as a surprise."
Dale was an old Texan who had spent so many years outside, his skin was a leathery brown. He'd worked with her father for as long as she could remember and felt like an uncle. His rich voice and its twang always made her think he would fit more in a cowboy flick than setting up testing labs. "Hey, Darlin'. Ya shouldn't have mentioned them cookies--I might just have to take 'em as payment for driving yer father his
habiliments
." He grinned at her. Dale liked to really dial up the twang, but he was not some backwoods hillbilly with a limited vocabulary. They'd had a longstanding joke of throwing down unusual words.
"And that is why I also packed some... hmm... hold on..." she said, looking upward in concentration. "Ahh... I packed some
comestibles
for you as well." She handed him a ziplock bag.
"Oooh, oatmeal raisin, mah favorite. Guess he's off the hook this time." He reached around to give her a hug and turned to leave. Pausing, he turned back around and asked, "Say, why you all dolled up at this time in the mornin'? It ain't Sunday."
Amber realized that she'd just gone from one thing to the other after arriving home and was still wearing her skirt and top from the night before. At least she had taken off her boots. She glanced up, caught his eye, and blushed. "Umm..."
Dale smiled and winked. "Ya know what, never mind." He raised his hand as if to block whatever she was going to say. "I've seen a nice sunrise today. And I've seen some beautiful birds this mornin'. But what I ain't seen is Ed's not-so-little girl comin' home after bein' out all night. No, miss, I'm just gonna drive my truck, enjoy my cookies, and not worry about the things I ain't seen today." He walked to his truck and got in. "Take care, Darlin','' he yelled out the window as he backed out.
Amber smiled and then yawned loudly as she closed the door.
