I pulled into the long gravel drive and put the car in park. I was careful not to block the garage door. Fetching my phone from the console, I glanced at the time as I unlocked the screen. I would normally be at work. It was good to be at Cory's instead of driving a tow motor. I needed the day off. I sent the text message before climbing out of my car and stretching. The sun was climbing in the morning sky and my decision to wear shorts already felt like the right choice.
I shut the car door and made my way toward the front porch. I glanced at the modest little home, amazed at how nice Cory and Sherri had made the place. Once again I found myself wondering if one day I might build a nest like this one. The thoughts drifted off as soon as they'd formed. I climbed the brick steps to find the door already opening in front of me.
Cory stood in the door. He nodded his head to me and waved me in.
"Hey, man," he said. "You didn't block the garage, right?"
I contained my sigh. "Nah, I didn't."
I stepped into the living room of Cory's house, careful to kick off my shoes at the door. Not a thing had changed since last week. Cory bent to snatch up a few more toys from the carpet.
"Well, how's work, dude?" Cory asked me.
I shrugged. "Same."
"Did you ask Danny about the raise?" Cory asked, standing with an armful of Transformers.
I made a face. "Yeah. I did. I got the old, 'look at you next time bud' speech."
Cory scoffed and shook his head. "Crap. So I take it there's probably no openings either?"
"Nope," I answered. "Not unless you can swing District Sales Manager."
Cory snickered and made his way just down the hall.
"At this rate I'll be lucky to swing a spatula," he called back.
Cory disappeared into one of the kids' bedrooms. The silence in the house told me that the two of them were at school already. I didn't see Cory's better half, but I knew she was there. I stepped into the kitchen aimlessly, noting the half piled sink and the full garbage can beside the counter. I cringed, knowing I'd hear something about that soon.
I pulled my phone out and absentmindedly glanced at the time once again. The day couldn't start soon enough. It seemed like the weeks had begun peeling off of the calendar, and my day off during the week had become the day I looked forward to the most. My eyes drifted toward the corridor on the other side of the kitchen. I thought about opening the fridge and getting things started. I knew that was a bad idea.
As if my thoughts took form, Sherri came walking into the kitchen. At first I thought she didn't notice me. She pulled open the door to the fridge and retrieved a small blue lunch bag before turning to set it on the bar in front of me. I pretended to look at my phone, peeking at her through my eyebrows. I could see she was dressed for work, with a simple button down blouse and tight black trousers. Her black hair was fading into it's natural brown. I found myself in an awkward position trying to decide whether it was a good day to greet her or not.
"Haven't found anywhere better to hang out, Jeff?" Sherri said without looking at me.
I offered her a grin that she didn't see.
"I was actually thinking about moving in," I said. "Couch downstairs doesn't sound bad."
I saw Sherri roll her eyes. "I've got enough children in this house to look after."
Cory's wife hurried back and forth across the kitchen gathering a few items to add to her lunch bag from the cupboards. I watched her, careful to make sure she didn't look up at me. It always felt weird looking at her. Sherri was a slim girl but had very wide hips and an athletic build. I wouldn't be the first guy to sneak a glimpse at her bending over. She was Cory's wife, though. Not to mention, I knew her well enough now that she almost seemed like family. Her attitude toward me certainly fit.
"There's chips in here," Sherri said leaning into the pantry door. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't eat them this time. They are for Hannah and Aiden's lunches."
My eyes lingered on the tight black pants that stretched over the mounds of Sherri's ass. I couldn't help myself. Gravity itself was pulling my eyes down.
"I ate this morning, Sher," I said to fill the silence. "No worries."
For the first time her weary eyes found mine as she stepped back to the bar to stuff a granola bar in the lunch bag.
"Right," she grumbled. "So you'll be good for another hour."
I didn't respond. For a few seconds, I studied her while her eyes were busy. I noted the absence of makeup on her worried face. I saw the hint of dark circles under her eyes, a contrast to the pale, icy blue orbs that rested there. For the first time since we were so much younger, I could see the faint speckling of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Something inside of me sank a little, seeing the wounds of time that were weighing on Sherri. I could hardly remember the sassy girl that had married my friend so many years ago. She was still beautiful, but much of the light in her had dimmed.
"You guys are staying here, right?" Sherri asked suddenly.
All I could offer in the moment was a shrug. She'd never asked that before.
"I mean, I guess," I said. "I had no intentions of going anywhere."
It felt like a loaded question. Maybe she was trying to get me to admit to day drinking. Cory emerged from the hall at that moment to save me from the wintery stare of his wife.
"Babe, I think Aiden's backpack is still in his room," Cory said. "The one in the closet?"
I saw Sherri roll her eyes as she grabbed the lunch bag from the bar.
"That's his old one," she told Cory. "There's holes in the bottom of it from where he drags it on the ground. He has the new one at school with him. Do you not remember? I bought him the Spider-Man backpack last weekend?"
I glued my eyes to the screen of my phone. The tone had already crept into Sherri's voice.
"Oh, right," Cory said. "Do... you want me to throw the other one out?"
Sherri shook her head. I noted her eyes as they darted over the full trash can.
"Don't worry about it," she said.
I saw Sherri motion around the kitchen.
"Look, I don't mind if you're not job hunting today," she told him, "but if you're going to be home, could you at least help me clean some of this stuff up? There's the dishes, and I've got a load of laundry that's probably full of wrinkles now and--"
"Hey, I'll take care of it, babe," Cory assured her.
I wasn't looking at them, but I could feel Sherri's eyes when she glanced at me and then back to her husband.
"Well, I need to get to work," I heard Sherri say.
Cory guided her toward the door to the garage. I could hear the way their voices grew lower as they went, and I pretended not to notice. I scrolled through minutiae on my phone and leaned on the bar. In just a few minutes it'd be over. I made a mental note to maybe show up a little bit later in the future. It was a sad thought, but things felt so awkward around the two of them now. I distantly hoped that I wouldn't become that way, if or when I ever settled down. The idea itself dissipated. That future seemed so far away.
I heard the engine of Sherri's SUV before the door to the garage closed, and then Cory appeared at the bar in front of me. I looked up at him. He simply offered me a shrug.
"Well? Shall we?" He offered.
I nodded toward the rest of the kitchen.
"You sure you don't wanna tackle the chores first?" I asked him with a grin.
Cory waved his hand. "Been tackling them all week. I've got all day."
I stuffed my phone in the pocket of my shorts and followed Cory toward the corridor on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Though it had become a routine for the past couple of months, the sense of relief still fell over me descending the carpeted steps to the basement. My hand slid down the flat rail to the landing and down another flight of steps into the room below the house. The comfort seeped into my very skin. While the house above may have seemed like a middle class playpen, the fully furnished basement was a different story. I grew excited just seeing the plush couches and the pool table. The flat screen was still tilted on the wall. The air felt so much cooler and easier to breathe in.
Cory wasted no time fetching a pool stick from the wall. I didn't immediately join him. I found the remote to the TV and brought the gigantic screen to life, then stood debating whether or not to find the PlayStation controllers somewhere in the shelving on the wall. Instead I used the remote to find some music. A thought occured to me.
"Should I go back up and grab us a few beers?" I asked.
Cory grinned but shook his head.
"Dude, it's not even nine yet," he said.
I reached for another pool cue from the wall.
"Not really seeing your point," I added.
Cory began racking the balls on the table.
"We should at least wait until Sherri is at work," he told me. "Never know when she'll forget her water bottle or something, you know?"
I nodded. I knew all too well.
Cory stood and began chalking the tip of the stick in his hand. He turned his brown eyes toward me. I already knew what he'd ask.
"Seriously, there's no spots opening up?" He asked.
I shook my head. "None. They are actually letting people go. Thinning us out. If I hadn't already been there for ten years, I'd be worried that I'd be out of a job man."
Cory grimaced, his dark goatee pulling across his thin face.
