Thin Air (Complete EDITING)

39- Brandon

39 Brandon September 2, 2020

"Thanks for helping me with all of this." I say, gesturing to the mess of half-full boxes scattered around the room. "I don't think the lady at the front desk likes me much. She didn't even offer to hold the door open when I dragged the last load out."

Jamie scoffs, "Who, Lois? She's a peach." The laughter in her eyes betrays her sweet words about her cantankerous coworker.

"Is that her name? I've been calling her Louise. Whoops."

We work in companionable silence as we pack the last of my father's things away. Shannon, ever the organized 'do-er', doled out responsibilities and I am in charge of clearing out his room here at the care facility. I hate that he spent the last of his time in this impersonal room. Shannon and Jamie did the best they could to make it homier, but you can only do so much given the stark white walls and speckled vinyl flooring.

I've just placed the last of his pearl snap shirts in the heavy garment bag when I notice that Jamie is holding a small box Drew had carved years ago with tears in her eyes.

Making a noise to catch her attention, I gesture toward the box. "Drew is quite the woodworker. Being the troublemaker that he was afforded him a lot of time to hone his skills."

Her glassy eyes raise to mine, and she looks guilty when the words start pouring out of her mouth, "Brandon, I was so short with Cal the last time I saw him. I even switched so I wouldn't be assigned to his room anymore."

I'm confused by her admission. I thought she had taken care of dad the whole time he was here. I've never known Jamie to treat anyone other than Andrew poorly, and even then he usually brought her wrath on himself. "What do you mean?"

"I found this box a few weeks ago, and it had Erin's keys in it. I thought that meant Cal had something to do with her going missing." She is full-on crying now. "So I told him that I couldn't be around him. I knew it wouldn't do any good to turn him in, given his condition, so I got rid of them. When I came back to work, I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. The last time I walked out of his room, I told him I couldn't be around him knowing what he had done."

"My dad? You though my dad killed Erin?" I am baffled. What was he doing in possession of Erin's keys?

"Yes," She sniffles. "I couldn't think up any other reason for him to have them. I know Uncle Rob-Robert, confessed to killing Erin, but I still don't understand how Cal got her keys. "

We are both staring at the now empty box when it dawns on me.

"I think I know."

_______________________

"Damn it, Drew, where the fuck have you been? ", my usual calm demeanor long gone.

He's stopped right in front on me, hanging his upper body out of my driver's side window. "I had to take Jamie home. I couldn't have her with us while we drag Dad's drunk ass home, could I?" He looks around, confused. "Where is Dad? I thought you said he was passed out in his truck."

"He was. When I got back from walking Erin home, that-," I point at the now cold vomit."-was in his parking space."

"Gross." He gags. "Okay, well, hop in. I'm sure he went home."

"I am not riding bitch in my own truck, scoot over."

We came across dad's wrecked truck a little way down the highway, just past where Erin and I had parted ways. If I had walked the street back instead of the footpath, we would have seen each other.

I pulled over and ran to the cab, finding it empty. Drew yelled from the front that dad was on the ground, passed out cold.

The two of us heaved him up into the cab of my truck, home, and into bed. There was nothing we could do about his truck in the dark, so we let it sit on the side of the road for the night.

Drew and I had gone back early the next morning to assess the damage done to the work vehicle. We found the source of the accident to be a mountain lion that, unfortunately, did not survive the collision. We swung by the auto parts store on the way home and picked up a new headlight after disposing of the mountain lions carcass. A little manpower and the dent was more or less popped out. Not good as new but good enough.

___________________

"Dad acted really off in the weeks following Erin's disappearance. We all chalked it up to him being embarrassed about his bender. Knowing what we do now, I guess that he went back to where the accident happened and found her keys."

Jamie looks even more devastated by what I just told her. "Cal thought he killed her."

"I guess he did." My poor father. If he had just lived one day longer, he would have known the truth.

Learning about Mom's affair the other day had hurt, not me personally but on dad's behalf. She had been his whole world. I hate Robert for sleeping with her and taking her from us. I hate him for killing Erin and leaving my father with guilt that never applied to him. Robert can hide behind his philanthropic façade all he wants but I know the monster he really is. I'm glad he will spend the remainder of his days in jail. Even more so now that I know my father spent the final two decades of his life in a self-imposed prison that Robert rightfully belonged in.