The Post Sunday Experiment | COMPLETED 2020

Chapter 3

The sun was directly above Ody's head by the time the bus finally rolled up in front of its stop in Cazenovia, New York. Taking his first look around his old home through the bus window, Ody did his best to shove the memories deep down.

"So son, what brings ya to a small town like 'dis one?" the old man asked, packing up his stuff and shoving it back into the bag that sat at his feet.

"My father's funeral," Ody nearly whispered as his eyes drifted to the ground. Upon hearing this, the old man put his bag down and turned to look Ody head on—the emotion-shift eminent in his eyes.

"I won't believe it, ya Devlin's boy? Ody, eh?"

"Um, yeah, that's me," Ody forced a smile, his attention on the quiet town outside the window rather than the man he was speaking to.

"Why didn't ya say so, son? I worked with Devlin! He used to talk about ya all the time and show us all pictures of ya and Penny. I thought I recognized ya," he laughed, shaking Ody's hand.

"He... mentioned me?" Ody asked in disbelief, pulling his eyes from the town to the man's wrinkled face.

"Oh yeah, son, all 'da time. He would talk about how ya mama would send him pictures of ya in school and when ya tried out for 'dat science fair a few months back," the man stopped and chuckled. "He would share 'em with our whole team so we all felt like we all were sorta a father or mother to ya both."

"But... why didn't he invite me to visit then?" Ody choked, doing his best to stay calm. "Two years and he never even asked to pay for a bus ticket."

"Listen, my boy, your pops... was a busy man. He spent so much time on his work 'dat 'ere were some nights he simply couldn't come home at all. He loved ya but was obsessed with figuring all else out. I am sure that if 'dat man had seen 'dis comin', he would have gone tah see ya right away."

The two of them collected their last few items, stuffed them in their bags, and then climbed the steps out of the bus. The old man's cane tapped the concrete as they were given their suitcases from under the bus. Pulling his phone out from his sweatshirt pocket, Ody started to schedule for an Uber, but the man—still nosily following him—looked over his shoulder.

"My boy, if ya need a ride, I have a car waiting for me. I'm sure the driver wouldn't mind if ya hitched a ride."

There was a pause and the man seemed to notice the boy's nervous glance. "Oh, don't ya worry, ya don't have to if you'd rather pay for another random driver to take ya over."

"Oh, all right." Ody fought for a smile, still unsure why the man was being so nice to him after how he had acted at the bus stop.

"That would be me," the man smiled as he pointed to a car that was driving up. Ody turned around to see the car, his mouth dropping open at the sight of it. The slick, black limousine sparkled in the sunlight.

"Who... are you?" Ody nearly laughed, his eyes still glued on the expensive car.

Chuckling, the man replied, "Me? Well, if ya gotta know, my name is Dr. Benjamin Plomin," the man smiled, knowing the boy would recognize the name.

It took Ody a second before the name sunk in. But when it did, his mouth nearly fell off.

"You- you're Dr. Plomin?" the boy nearly laughed as he remembered learning about this man from his father.

Benjamin Plomin was a famous scientist in psychological disorders, similar to his father's profession, yet Dr. Plomin focused more on the mind itself while Devlin focused on how plants and nature affect it.

Ody had always been fond of Devlin's job. It was a little difficult, yet he was in love with the psychological side of it. He could never fully understand it, yet that's why he loved it so much. Back in the days when Ody used to follow Devlin around and ask him questions, he did all he could to understand what his father said.

His father was his hero. Throughout his childhood, Ody thought the man was perfect. Now he knew that was not true. He couldn't quite shed that image of his father, though. He chose to remember him that way anyway because, despite his flaws, the man had been good at the heart and always searched for the best in other people.

As Ody and Dr. Plomin climbed into the back seat of the limo, Ody could not help but smile as his old life came flooding back into his eyes. He knew he was only staying for the weekend, but he did not care. He was going to savor every second he had here.

The inside of the car was nice and had leather seats and tinted windows. Dr. Plomin poured himself a glass of wine and struck up a conversation with the driver while Ody sat silently.

It was not long before the tires of the limo found the dirt road that led to the large plot of land the Winters possessed. It was ironic seeing such a nice vehicle on this dirty part of the country.

As the car drove into the driveway in front of the old house, Ody let himself smile. Yes, his world was falling apart and had been for the past two years, but it was impossible for all not to simply feel right in this place.

Climbing out of the car, Ody gazed up at the old farmhouse with its white paint and blue shutters. It looked nearly identical to the way it had the night he had left.

Following Dr. Plomin inside, he took his shoes off at the door. The house was a mess as it had always been with the papers, textbooks, and magazines laying about—tabbed and waiting to be finished being read. It was heartbreaking to see all these papers and unfinished books that were half written or read—never to be finished by Devlin himself.

There were many people in the old house, so it did not take long for Ody's heart to begin to race. His skin grew hot and his hunger finally kicked in making him feel light to the head. Wanting nothing more than to escape the crowd of people, he slipped unnoticed through the throng and upstairs. The second floor was quiet and dark and there wasn't a person in sight.

Walking down the dark hall, Ody stopped in front of a familiar door. The hinges of his old bedroom door creaked as he entered. Despite the light layer of dust, the room seemed to have remained untouched. There were papers all over the walls with simple equations and chemical combinations. The bed was bare and all of his drawers empty for he had brought everything with him to New York City.

"I see ya found your way back home?" a familiar voice called from the doorway—one he had not heard for years.

Turning around to see who had spoken, he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat as his eyes met hers. Fumbling to find words to say, the girl smiled, yet it was obvious that she'd been crying.

"Welcome home, Ody."