Moving On

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Tyler stood by the door for a moment, his eyes scanning the room.

The room appeared less cluttered than he remembered. There used to be files and paper stacked on the table, then more files on top of the cabinets lining the wall.

He entered the room and moved toward the antique table Kate spoke of.

Everything in the house was so familiar, yet so strange.

His hand skimmed the surface of the table, and he wondered how many times he had been in the room. He was fairly certain that he'd loved barging into the room even when he wasn't allowed to, but the memories seemed so distant that he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it.

He moved around the table and immediately saw the photo in a silver frame. A photo of a boy sitting on his grandfather's lap.

It took him a moment to realize that the boy in the photo was him. He couldn't recognize himself with the wide, carefree grin.

For the first time since being in the house, a happy memory surfaced; the camping trip he'd begged his parents and grandfather into bringing him on.

He was thrilled to be able to stay in a tent while his grandfather told him silly folklore.

Even as his lips curled into a smile, his chest tightened and he couldn't breathe.

He swallowed and looked away. That was when he noticed the black Bible sitting in the middle of the table.

"Your grandfather wanted to give that to you on your eighteenth birthday. He gave something similar to your dad on his eighteenth birthday."

Tyler turned away and shifted his attention to the cabinets.

"Your grandfather had one, too. The only verse highlighted within was 'Ask and it will be given to you,' " she said.

Tyler remained where he was, his back facing her.

"I once asked him what he was asking for. He said he'd asked for courage; courage to meet you, to talk to you."

"Then God failed miserably," he replied.

Kate shook her head. "Even when God parted the Red Sea, I'm sure the Israelites didn't gain courage until they started walking and started seeing that God would keep the water from them. I'm sure that if he'd taken the first step, he would have realized that God had supplied the courage."

She didn't wait for a reply. Moving toward one of the cabinets behind the desk, she continued. "There's a safe in here. The password is your date of birth." Then she returned her gaze to Tyler. "The password to every safe in this house is your date of birth." Moving past him, she strode out of the study without another word.

Tyler trailed behind her, not knowing what to say.

He was thankful that he was with Kate. He didn't want, or perhaps didn't dare, to walk around the house on his own.

Before she arrived, he'd lounged on the couch downstairs, refusing to budge.

Since he was thrown out, he'd always wanted to come back home. Now that he was home, he couldn't understand the dread he was feeling.

He thought this house would help him remember all the good times he'd spent with his parents. He thought that by being back in this house, the lingering sadness that had shrouded him all these years would finally leave.

He was completely wrong.

Instead of the laughter, he only remembered the screams. Instead of the smiles, all he could remember was the agony on his parents' faces.