Hello Darlin'
Short Story
All over 18
Some things may only be seen in the direct rays of sunlight. In the early morning underneath a tree canopy of oaks, poplars, and pine, the intricacy of a magnificent spider's web tenuously balancing between branches revealed itself. Without the direct rays of sunlight, the web would have remained undetected until an innocent prey haphazardly stumbled upon it. Unlike the loud rhythm of the song of the male cicadas which rolled from tree to tree that called first to give life then death.
It was time to bury the rabbit. Her dog had chased it down. No Easter bunny for her. She loved her dog no matter how many fluffy bunnies and baby squirrels her dog caught. She looked back up for the spider web but the rays of the sun had moved on to a new spot so she no longer could see the twinkling, silver shimmer. Daydreaming, she stood staring up into the tree canopy with a shovel in her hand and a dead rabbit on the ground at her foot. The breeze tickled the oak tree leaves and they fluttered in response. The poplar tree leaves waved back. Where the direct rays of sunshine bounced on the leaves they appeared to glow. It was magical. The light was very dim under the tree canopy except for when the sun's rays managed to pierce through. She imagined pink, blue, green little fairies sitting on the pine needles.
A noise startled her and she saw her brothers and her cousin approaching. Her younger brother offered to help and put his small hand on the shovel. Her older brother reached down, grabbed the stiff rabbit, and threw it as far as he could. She gaped at him. Now her dog would find it again and run all around the yard with the dead rabbit in her mouth dragging it til she got bored.
That's exactly what happened. The memory made Jessica smile thinking of her brothers and cousin. She stood in the same place staring up into the same trees but there were no leaves. Only the evergreen pine tree had color that remained in the cold months. It was winter and a decade later. Her family had moved from the property not too long after the rabbit incident. They kept the house and rented it out for additional income. When she heard the most recent occupants were leaving she begged to be able to live in the house. It gave her the illusion of independence. In return, she would gradually start renovating a room at a time. It would be a very slow process. In her mind, this old house full of memories was home and not the newer monstrosity her parents lived in now. The cold was settling in her bones and it was time to head back in the house. Boxes were everywhere. She picked the least ravaged bedroom which was the one her brothers shared years ago. The carpet was too disgusting for her to go barefoot. The flooring would be the first item to get her attention.
Her younger brother, Dave, messaged her the next morning wanting to come by. As soon as he walked in the door he let out a whistle.
"You sure you know what you are doing? This place is a mess," he exclaimed.
She hugged him and laughed. "No idea but it will be fun. Since dad no longer wants to run for political office and finally return to normal life, this will be my first taste of freedom!" she breathed.
Her brother looked at her and shook his head. "It was rough on you through school wasn't it? The only daughter of a local politician and having to always be on best behavior. I want to throw a party!" he put forth.
She put her hands on her hips and faced him. "This is why you were never my chaperon. Always wanting to stir up something! I will be in so much trouble!" she exclaimed.
"How can you get in trouble? This place is a dump. We can have the party before you start working on it. Speaking of chaperon, you can not let Patrick know. He will ruin the whole thing before it even starts," he declared.
She thought of her older brother, Patrick. Growing up their parents made him go everywhere with her to keep her in line. Could not afford to have the only daughter in any 'delicate' situations per her mother as cameras were everywhere.
"Ok. You can have your party and I won't say anything to Patrick but you have to spend the weekend with me pulling up this horrific carpet," she bargained. Nodding his head, Dave agreed. While pulling up the carpet the following weekend, the only thing Dave was thinking about was alcohol, food, girls, and money. He helped her set up her home office in the bedroom so she at least had a reasonable working space since she worked from home 90% of the time.
They were standing together on the tiny back deck sucking in fresh, cold air looking into the backyard. "You should get a dog," her brother offered.
She turned to her brother and smiled. "You remember Patches?" she asked.
"Hell yeah. That dog killed anything that came in the yard. Mom said Patrick was always having to hide the carcasses from you," he divulged. She laughed and gave him a peck on his dirty cheek.
The following weekend was the party. It was Saturday and she invited two friends from her old school. The rest of the crowd were acquaintances of Dave. Dave was four years younger than her and recently graduated from high school. Thankfully she got along with his closest friends. She hated not asking Patrick to be there but Dave was right, he wouldn't be that much fun. The loss of their cousin last year while overseas was hard on all of them but especially Patrick. Her parents had practically adopted their cousin and he and Patrick were inseparable as kids. She was always jealous as the younger sister. She wanted all of Patrick's attention. Despite Patrick recently moving to another city to get away from their parents, she believed she and Patrick had become even closer. She felt she was a link to the past and all the fun memories.
The party initially began fairly tame however it became more and more popular. She was doing shots of tequila. Dave was constantly disappearing on her with at least one or two of the girls he had hanging on him all night. Unfortunately she blacked out as a result of too much alcohol. She did not remember when the neighbors called her parents and the police. The next morning she had the worst hangover and the house was trashed.