Simple Man

- TWENTYSEVEN -

After leaving Ozzy's he pulled over just before the bridge and sat there for the better part of an hour. He must have disassociated after finally starting his engine again because somehow now he was here. 1506 Greenway Road. The house was a lot smaller than Rowan remembered from his childhood. No matter the nightmares that lived inside after she left the outside of the house still reminded him of his mom. The tire swing he loved was now on the ground, weeds were up to his knees growing through the hole; the rubber was cracking and falling apart. He fell out of that very tree when he was five and upon hearing his cries his mom ran out to help him. The wind had been knocked out of him and he had sprained his wrist that day. He was certainly upset but not quite as upset as his mom was.

He wanted to hate Briar August for abandoning him here. He might have at one point but he was so focused on hating Bill all those years that he didn't have energy enough to hate them both at the same time. He was just sad when he thought of her now. Why did she leave? Why didn't she take him with her? Why did she trust that such a depraved man would look after him? These questions still tormented him somewhere in the back of his subconscious but he figured he would never get the answers so there was no point to keep willing them to come from somewhere out in the ether.

With hands in his pockets Rowan slowly walked around the property. Leaves had fallen in the grass and the driveway but it was still mid-autumn, they were no where near in number that he recalled as a kid racking them up and cursing at the endless piles that seemed to accumulate. Autumn was simultaneously his most favorite and least favorite season. He loved it for Halloween, the cooler weather and Juniper's Annual Fright Fair. These were things that had always been something to look forward to as a kid no matter how bad life got.

   Some of the fondest memories he looked back on were of him tearing through the neighborhood on his bike as he went door to door for candy. The reason he also hated autumn was because that Thanksgiving—the one right before he turned seven—was the last holiday he would spend with his mom. She had always been a good mom from what he remembered of her. Kind, caring and he still can't smell peppermint without thinking of her even for the briefest of moments. She never gave any indication she was unhappy, she was never distant or resentful toward Rowan those early years.

She never said a word about leaving, not even goodbye.

He seriously doubted the key around his neck was still any good but even if it was did he really want to go inside? No. He knew all he would find were the remnants of a highly disturbed individual. Beer bottles. Stacks of mail and newspapers. Dirty dishes. Spoiled food. Bugs. The thick brown shag carpet was probably still as matted as ever with food and other unsavory substances. He felt zero desire to explore the inside. He didn't know what his plan was for the house. He didn't own it but he wasn't sure who did. Bill might have because he had briefly been married to his mom but he wasn't even sure his mom owned it. It was originally the home of his grandparents—the great love story of Juniper.

The sound of a car driving through the neighborhood pulled Rowan out of his thoughts and he was shocked to see whose vehicle was pulling up in front of a neighboring house, across from the home he was standing in front of. The car was, of all things, a rusted El Camino—Rowan smiled to himself as he imagined Meghan rolling her eyes at the sight of him. What was she doing here? Rowan waved and walked over as Meghan parked half in the grass and half in the road. "You know some might consider this stalking." Rowan asked as Meghan got out of the car, his brain subconsciously noted Liv and another child get out of the car as well but he didn't acknowledge either. His eyes were too busy soaking in the beauty of Meghans' face—no matter how irritated it looked to see him at the moment.

"Simple. Then stop stalking me." Meghan retorted, as she swatted at the no-see-ums that were thick in the air after a good rain.