Infinite

Reentry: Part 4

Houston, Texas, in the Clarke Home, Monday, August 12th, 2030 at 5:30pm

Rachel

I rubbed my temples as Principal Jeffreys finished up with the staff meeting. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was after five o'clock.

"Thank you all for coming, I will see everyone tomorrow morning!" she said cheerfully, although I could see how tired she was. She was almost nine months pregnant, but hadn't confirmed who the temporary replacement will be while she's on maternity leave.

"This meeting is going to be an hour my ass," Artemis said next to me. I chuckled and shook my head at her. She had wild curly hair and the pattern of her sweater and her dress were mismatched. She was the head of the Performing Arts Department, and my closest friend at work.

"You know how these meetings are," I replied to her as I stood up and collected my belongings. "We have one before every school event to make sure we still know how to talk to other adults."

Artemis laughed heartily at me. Parent teacher conferences were coming up on Friday.

"Are you headed home?" Artemis asked as she applied a third coat of bright red lipstick. It matched her glasses, which appeared to be floral print today.

I think she has enough glasses to start her own store. Frames of Artemis, or something like that.

"We could grab a drink," Artemis suggested. We had been hanging out a lot while Lucas was away. She was there for me through a lot. I shook my head at her.

"No, I'm going home." My voice started to quiver a little. The stress of the uncertainty of whether or not Lucas was going to be at home was consuming all of my energy. Artemis put her makeup away and gave me a big hug. She smelled overly sweet like an ice cream shop with a hint of acrylic paint.

"Call me if you want me to come and pick you up," she said as she pulled away. "I can be there in a jiffy." She bent her arm and swung it in front of her like she was about to throw something.

She's always so animated and positive.

I met her two years ago when I got hired. She was tasked with showing me around the school and teaching me how to use my lunch number. She used to do pageants, and it showed through her positivity and confidence.

"Thanks, Art. I'll let you know if I need anything," I said goodbye to her and some other coworkers before getting in my car and heading home.

#

The drive felt shorter than normal. We only lived about fifteen minutes from Vanguard Prep, but it felt like only a few minutes had passed before I was pulling down our road. The sun was still shining, but the light was more orange than gold at this time of the evening.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Lucas' white truck sitting in the driveway.

Oh my god. He's home.

He really came home. I almost missed the turn into our driveway. I couldn't decide which I felt more of; relief or anxiety. Were we finally going to address what happened back in November? Was he going to ask me about what I did while he was away?

My mind was racing a thousand miles a minute as I got out of the car and walked along the stone path that led up to our door. The sunlight hit the moss in between the stones, giving them an almost magical appearance. Our porch was covered with specks of gold coming in through the lattice. I inhaled deeply; the smell of flowers and freshly mowed grass filled my nose.

Sunshine really is therapeutic.

I headed up the stairs and as I was about to reach for my keys I saw the door knob start to turn. I froze. The door opened and Lucas was standing there. His face was worried at first, but when he made eye contact with me his expression softened.