The Albrechts

Chapter 3

The drive to the Ozarks was one that no family should have. It was quiet and long. The family tension was in the air. Even though they took separate cars, it was like a trail of dense despite that followed the cars. The trip was slow nine-hour drive with rain and construction. Rory had her headphone on listing on her iPod the whole nine hours. She slept and looked out the window. Rory continued watching outside that drove passed her. She finally saw a green sign that said OZARKS in big, white writing. "I hope this trip is good daddy." She took off her headphones and placed them into her backpack. Her father turned her head and looked at his daughter. "It will be. Granny wanted this to help us grow together. Maybe there might be some tension, but it will work itself out." Davis took his right hand off the wheel and took Rory's hand. He kissed the back of her hand tenderly and shook it. "This trip will be all right." He bites his lower lip. Davis prayed this journey would go well. He hoped for his family to get somewhat long and nothing goes to hell. Davis grabbed the wheel a little tighter and drove onward to the house in the Ozarks.

The small white car behind Davis' truck was Tommy, William, and Gracie. Music played, but Tommy was writing his heart out in the backseat. His leather bound journal filled with his poems and short stories. It was his heart and soul in his writing. No one but him read his work. They were his deep thoughts in his head that Gracie looked back at her son whose legs were up on the bench of the seat and was leaning against the car door. He wore light washed jeans cuffed at the bottom and a dark t-shirt. His shoes were bright red, low top converse that showed his white socks. He was scribbling stuff with a wooden pencil into his journal. Gracie notices the concentration in her son's eyes. "Whatcha writing TomTom?" His hazel eyes glanced up at his fake red haired mother. "Umm, nothing...Just ideas." He grinned and went back to his work. Gracies nodded and sat back forward to the road. "Always ideas and never a story." she thought. So far, she thought this English degree was shit useless. But for Tommy, it was not a useless degree. He was writing another short story.

"His hands lingered down my body ever so gently. His eyes were golden like honey and his lips a sweet pink." Tommy sighed deeply. He erased his writing and started once more. "Her." crossed out "His eyes were honey they warmed my soul. His hair was unruly at times, but it fit him. When he grinned, it was like the––"

The car halted quickly, and Tommy looked out the window. They were at the final destination at last. He noticed Rory stepping out of the car pulling out her canvas backpack and duffle bag. Tommy quickly gathered his journal and pencil. He opened his rucksack and tossed the items in the bag. He grabbed his William Wordsworth book from the floor of the car and proceeded out the door. "Kids," Kenny walked up to the group from his rental truck. "You have the upstairs. There are two bedrooms for you and Tommy. James will stay in the room next to Tommy. The rest of us will be taking the bedrooms down stairs."

Rory looked around and so far, compromising wasn't too hard. "Come on Rory let's go up stairs. Maybe we can do figure what to do around here." Rory agreed and walked on the rocky path toward the house. "This trip is going to go to hell." Rory looked at Tommy when he talked. "Hopefully it doesn't." He grinned at his younger blood line and draped an arm around him. "It will be okay." The two walked side by side toward the cabin. It was two stories tall with dark brown wood all around. The steps were stone, and so was the porch floor. The porch wrapped around the cabin. On it was a wooden swing bench along with three rocking chairs. Tommy opens the front door and lets his cousin in first. Inside the floor plan was open with wood accents everywhere. The floors were a chocolate brown, and the coaches were dark brown, leather. To the right, there was a stone fireplace with wood sitting right next to it. In front of the two teens was the kitchen. The appliances were old from the looks of them; possible from the 1960's. Next to the kitchen was a long staircase that led to a balcony up top. Four doors were above. Tommy and Rory walked up the stairs and took a peek into all the room. Tommy opened the door at the farthest left, "Bathroom is here Roe." Rory nodded, "Then the rest are bedrooms. The beautiful thing about these, they all have a balcony." She smiled wide, and her brown eyes looked at her freckled face cousin, "I'll take the corner one."

Tommy nodded, "Fine...I-I don't care." Rory knew he was lying. He does care. He looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck when he spoke. "You don't have to lie. You can get the room, Tommy." Rory pointed at the door at the far right. He shrugged, "No. I'll take the room next to yours. James can have the room." He cocked his head back when mentioning that last room and quickly walked passed Rory. Rory heard her family enter the house in silence until Anna Mae told Davis and Kenny to go pick up food for the week. Rory watched from above as Kenny was given a list of things. At that moment Rory went into her room. She tossed her bags onto the bed and headed to the screened door that leads to that corner balcony. Her small hand opened the door, and she walked outside. It was late afternoon, and the sun was still beaming down. Rory leaned onto the ledge. Her arms crossed over each other, and her hands fell over the edge. She leaned in and observed her surroundings. Her eyes scanned the area seeing the small lake that had a diving board and canoes that laid off the shore. She looked over to her right that was the farthest from the lake she saw a tree house. From the looks, it was old. The wood was rough and showed the age. The tree house wasn't high in the tree, but just enough so steps added. Rory smiled and walked back inside and took out her Civil Rights textbook. Inside she pulled out a piece of paper and an envelope. She quickly took out a pen and uncapped it.

Dear AJ,

Hopefully, we can spend time together. I miss you. I miss your touch and your lips. I miss everything. Please give this all back to me when the time is right.

Your dearest, Rory

Rory folded the paper up and slipped into the envelope just as she did that, Tommy walked in holding his leather journal. "I have this story I wanna share." Rory smiled. "Let's go outside, and I'll read it to you." She nodded quickly and gathered up her book and her bag. The two walked down the stairs and saw James and William talking. "Where are you two heading?" James asked. His blue eyes locked on Rory. "Umm out. We are going to explore a little..." Her eyes didn't even look at James. "Alrighty, be back before 6. Dinner will be ready." William spoke as the two went out the back door.

The pair walked down the gravel path toward the small lake. "So I have this story about this girl and guy. They fall deeply in love b-but they can't." Rory looked at her cousin, "Like Romeo and Juliet?" Tommy shrugged. "Kind of...it's complicated. Have you been writing?" Tommy questioned. "Yeah...it's a love story...of some sorts." She was talking about her letters. Her letters that she wrote to her love. She smirked at the thought of him. "It's not complete quite yet, but I'll tell you when I do. I've been reading a textbook about Civil Rights."

Tommy chuckled, "Don't tell Aunt Anna Mae." Rory looked at Tommy, "What the hell does that mean?" Tommy stopped walking, "Don't tell me you are clueless on Aunt Anna." Rory turns toward her cousin and shrugged. "What? She's not racist." Tommy cocked an eyebrow, "You weren't th–forget it." Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's move on now." Tommy started to walk toward the dock. "No! You can't just leave the conversation like that!" The freckled face boy rolled his eyes and sighed. "No, just forget it. It's not important. Now let me read this to you okay." He sat down on the dock waiting for Rory to come. She walked over to the dock and sat down Indian style. "She's not...She liked my mother." Tommy shrugged, "Maybe she was just drunk." He pulls out two of his leather journal. "Just forget what I said and move on. "Here is the story." He sat down an old brown leather journal on the dock and open a newer journal on his lap.

Rory watch Tommy read the first page of his book. Rory wasn't truly listening to his writing. She fixed her position several times. She laid on her belly and arms were crossed and her head on the back of her hands. Roy's head was toward the water. Her eye were on the old broken in the leather book.

"Tommy?" She spoke up interrupting Tommy. "What's in that book?" He looked over and quickly grabbed it. "Nothing...just some writing." He placed it back in his rucksack. Rory smiled. "Ooo! Now c'mon! Let me see!" She reached over him and he swatted her away. "Stop! It's mine! Just sit down and listen to it, Roe!" He pushed her off of him. "Damn...fine then." She ran fingers through her hair. Rory looks at her cousin and was just dying to know what was in that journal. He didn't have anything to hide. If so, how bad could it be?

AN: Another chapter will be up tonight! Stay tuned