Dancing in the Oaks

Confrontation

Walking in was scary. Walking in almost reminded me of the two fateful days. The first being the day that the barn caught on fire with me inside it. That second day being the one where both Nick and I both almost met our demise. The vibe was heavy and the air was thick and heavy. It almost seemed as if there was something present that was not supposed to be. It almost reminded me of going into the mortuary when I was supposed to bury my family. I saw my family sitting on the couch with officers surrounding. They were in handcuffs, which made me feel somewhat better. Nick stopped me in the hallway before entering. "Hey, it's gonna be alright Norah. You ain't gotta worry."

"Sure now you're changing your accent to be more noticeable. It's so obvious. I like it." I said while taking in a deep breath and letting out a sigh of relief.

His eyes wandered my face. "No, I'm being serious... it's gonna be alright. We're gonna try to get 'em to spill as many beans as possible. " He smiled when I smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh nothing. You're just overreacting."

I laughed quietly, "oh really. Ugh Nick!" I slapped his arm lightly. I gave him a shy smile. "Hmm" was all I could mumble under my breath.

"Hmm what?" He questioned very rapidly.

I laughed again. I guess at this point we were trying to laugh to get the stress levels down. "Okay stop it! Let's quit flirting and let's get our information that both the cops and us need."

"Great idea Norah." He said in a very mocking tone of voice.

My face went cross, "Shut up Nick!"

He laughed. "I know you really didn't mean that. You've told me the opposite twice now."

"Wow. You are so good at understanding my thinking." He really is great at understanding my thoughts and feelings.

We finally walked into the front room. It felt bad, real bad. "What do you want, Norah?" My mother asked almost in a demanding manner.

"You know what I want: the truth. It's simple. Just please give the cops, Nick, and I the truth." I said. That is truly all that I want, and nothing more.

"I have a question for you Norah!" My mom said, "are you willing to answer?"

"Yes? Depends on what it is." That was all I could say at that point.

"Is Nick from Kentucky?" She asked.

"Yeah." Nick answered.

"There's another family. We mistook him and his family for another Reed family."

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly.

"They were our friends. Friends turned frenemies. Nick's family is so kind. We messed up that relationship."

"This makes no sense." I kind of hid my face in my hair. Nick stood very close and would always have his eyes alert.

Nothing that my family ever says makes actual logical sense. It's always been like this... or has it? They seem to try to cover up the past to mend the future. It makes no logical sense in my mind. Why can't they just admit they were at fault?

"If you're looking for answers you're not getting it." My father snapped back.

"One minute you're dead dad and the next you're alive. It makes no sense." I said.

"You know Mr. and Mrs. Jean, y'all have to give us the truth. We need it. Your very own daughter deserves to know the truth. Especially after all she has gone through. Please stop keeping it. It's either let it out now or we will find out later in court. From what I understand about y'all is that you guys have zero capacity to admit what you did. You're scared and I understand why. Just let it fly and give it to us. What's this about another Reed family?" Nick put in some input.