Shadow Of The Truth [boyxboy]

Preface

Fall - 1997

            Debbie smiled as the sound of her son’s laugh echoed through the kitchen window.  Fresh pine scent filled the air, warning of cooler weather ahead.  Debbie stifled a giggle while taking in the sight of her husband gently tackling their boy after lobbing the brown ball at him.  Before she called them in for lunch, she stirred the pot of leftover turkey and gravy before attempting to pull the warm rolls out of the oven.  With her second child due in about a month, bending over was becoming more difficult by the day. 

            “Jack! Jack, Time for dinner, hun!  Bring in the little one, will you?”  Debbie could not help but whistle a tune as the guys came stomping in. “Don’t forget to take off the muddy shoes, boys. And wash your hands, they are filthy!”

            “As you wish, Ma’am!”  Jack said, as he bowed with a crooked grin on his face, only to leap up and toss his son over his shoulder to obey the demands of the lady of the house. 

            “I’m only twenty years old!” She hollered back.  The walls shook as the two made the way to the restroom to wash mud and tree sap off hands and elbows.  “Lord help me, I married a child,” she muttered, shaking her head in amusement.

            “Mom! Daddy says I can get a quarter back if I throw the ball far.  Do you think he’ll really give me money?”  Debbie could not suppress her laugh as the three year olds serious face begged for an answer.  One eyebrow was lower than the other one, and they pinched together as his head cocked to the side, waiting for an answer. 

            “We’ll see.   Are you hungry for some cookies?  Now those, I can promise, will be ready soon.”  She seemed to know that you should not offer sweets to a child before they eat their meal, but the overjoyed look on his young face could have melted anyone into giving in.  “Tell you what.  If you hop up in your chair and finish dinner, I’ll give you a quarter and two cookies!”  He wasted no time climbing into his booster seat, and then he scooped up his fork, waiting for his meal.

            “Babe, you’re really going to bribe our children?  How are they ever going to live in the real world?” Jack asked as he walked to the table. 

            “I’m not the one offering him money just to throw a ball around, thank you!” She quipped.  Jack mimicked his son’s earlier actions and lowered his eyebrow, wondering what Debbie could have meant.  Glancing around the table, he smiled at his growing family.

----

            “Jack, the alarm…. Please.”  Debbie’s voice rang through the early morning, waking her husband from his slumber.  He grumbled as he lifted himself from the bed, all the while the clock reminding him that three thirty was entirely too early to rise.  Without the sun to guide his way, he felt his way to his closet to grab his things before returning to the bed for a moment.  “Thanks for waking me up, babe.   I love you so much.” Leaving her with a kiss that was never felt, Jack began his day.

            Stepping into the shower made him jump from the chill of the cold water, and this only reminded him that there was a better life out there, if he could only work hard enough.  With the water heater on the fritz, the broken mirror above the sink did not even fog over after the five-minute shower.  Jack didn't waste any time after checking his phone.  He dressed himself on the way to the door one leg at a time, and cursed the entire way to the car. 

            “Learn how to drive, moron!” Jack barked at the other drivers on the single lane road even though the pace was steady.  Sweat broke out on his face as he nervously glanced at the neon green digits on the radio’s display.  Pressing the gas and nearing the rear bumper of the car in front of him seemed to be a wasted effort, yet he tried to push the car ahead of him to no avail.