Vampire Hunter: Corey Crowgarden's guide to killing vampires for fun and profit.

Lesson 6 part 2

"Should we go see mum?" Carrie asked.
"Wanna drive?" Corey asked. "We'll take your car, too."
Corey went to the washroom, washed his face and looked at the tired, old man in the mirror. "Maybe I should have a shower and freshen up for your mum!" he yelled.
"Good idea! Let me grab you a towel...Bobby has some razors in the cupboard. I don't think he would mind if you shaved either!"
"Are the towel still in the same place?" Corey asked, then went out into the hallway and went to the linen closet. He hauled himself out plush, white towel then headed back to the bathroom to run a hot shower. He and Karen had lived her with her parents after they had gotten married. The bathtub had not changed, it was still a 1970s avocado green.
The water was not the same as city water, or even the water that would be taken from the water tanks, but it seemed like it was just pulled from the local Creek. To be honest he hasn't missed the showers in this water at all, even when he had lived here he would often have a shower at the gym.
That was a long time ago.
It was a quick and dirty shower.
It was quick and he was dirty.
He borrowed one of Bobby's razors and a handful of shaving cream. After he was done he rubbed his smooth face and squinted at his reflection in the mirror.
He almost looked respectable.
He got dressed in some clean clothes and went downstairs to the kitchen where he caught Carrie finishing a sandwich.
"It's good that you got some McDonald's," Carrie said. "There isn't much to eat around here."
"Maybe we should pick up a few items," Corey suggested.
He stopped and looked at his youngest daughter who had blossomed into a fine young woman. Somewhere along the line he had missed it.
He could play the excuse of being a forgotten single Dad, although technically he wasn't divorced. He could suggest it was being away to earn money, in Afghanistan, or China but how true was that? He had ENJOYED being away, being different, being special but after he had learned about fangers he was putting his family at risk.
A risk they finally cashed in on.
"When was the last time you saw your mum?" Corey asked.
She looked at him rather sheepishly as she unloaded the dishwasher, "it's been a while. Why?"
"I think she's been compromised." Corey said.
"Tainted?" She replied, standing on her toes to put a coffee mug back on an upper shelf.
"Worse," he said.
She inadvertently pulled an old mug from the shelf and Corey stretched to catch it.
He missed and it shattered on the floor.
She looked at him for a moment, pale in the afternoon light that streamed through the window.
"How could we let this happen?" She said, standing frozen at the counter.
"We?" Corey replied. "No, this is not your fault. This is my bad." He reached around her to the broom closet.
"Why do you always do that?" She replied, anger in her voice. "You have been out of that house for years. You were probably in China when they did it! Bobby and I are at LEAST as responsible for this as you are!" He took the broom out of the closet, but she snatched it from him.
He stood back and let her aggressively sweep the shards of the broken cup.
He thought about hugging her but with the look on her face he changed his mind. He loved his daughters , but sometimes he felt like everything he touched turned to shit.
"Okay.. well no matter who is at fault, it is what it is. I just wanted you to be prepared. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He reached into the broom closet and got the dust pan. He squatted down with a crack coming from his knees. It was one of her Karen's mothers old white cups.
Carrie swept the broken shards into the dustpan.
"Should we bring mum a gift?" Carrie asked as he dumped the sharp edged shards into the trash.
"What would we bring her? Flowers? Chocolates?" Corey asked.
"I don't know... it seems rude to show up empty handed."
'Rude to show up empty handed to my own house' Corey thought, but said nothing. "We could stop in Fenwick and pick up some fresh flowers at Gilbert's?" he suggested.
"You look really good, Dad." Carrie said, taking a moment to appreciate the effort he had put into his appearance. "I'm sorry I yelled."
"It's okay," Corey replied. "I do have a tendency to play the martyr."
"Give me a minute to freshen up and we'll go."
He went out the side door and got in the passenger seat of Carrie's car. It wasn't particularly pristine. The afternoon Sun had beat down on the black exterior and the passenger seat was hot to the touch. Carrie emerged from the house a few moments later, her hair pinned up and she was wearing a fresh, white blouse. Corey could see her resemblance to her mother at the same age.
They were both so lovely.
After locking up the back door she hopped into the driver's seat. "Sure you don't want to drive?"
"No," Corey said, "it'll be like the old days in the Seaway Mall parking lot before you got your license."
She chuckled a bit as she started the Ford Escape, "does Crystal have her license yet?" Carrie asked.
"I doubt it. Why drive a car when you husband can magic a trip to the Avondale for you?"
The took Canboro road east past farmers fields that had been harvested into the hamlet of Fenwick to Gilbert's florist. The florist shop was a small, cramped building.. little more than a shed really, but behind it was row upon row of greenhouses.
They got out of the car, careful not to park in the sun and went into the cool of the florist shop.
"What should we get?" Carrie asked as she looked at the repurposed Coke fridges at the different pots of flowers.
'What says 'I'm sorry I abandoned you and let you become a vampire' Corey thought to himself and smirked.
"What," said Carrie. "You got an idea? What about roses? Everyone likes roses."
"Roses were always a bit .. ostentatious for your mum. She always preferred lilies." Corey replied. "Maybe get a mix.. lilies, daffodils.. anything but carnations."
"Why not carnations?" Carrie asked.
"She never really liked them," Corey replied.
"Hey, wasn't Tim working on a 'flower magic' book or something like that?"
"Ya, based on Victorian flower symbolism or something," Corey said. He went to the counter and told the attendant what they wanted and she put together a bouquet of cut mixed flowers and Corey reached for his wallet.
"Let me at least chip in," Carrie said.
"We can settle up later," Corey said. "We should get going."