LOTF: Before and After

Phase 3: Chapter 38

Ralph wasn't expecting to wake up alone in Jack's bedroom the next morning. There was a blanket he hadn't gone to sleep with draped carefully across his body. For all the aggressive, vulgar things Jack Merridew could be, he had a soft spot for Ralph; a side of him that only existed for him. Ralph pealed the blanket off and stood weakly to his feet to make his way down the first set of stairs and then the grand staircase.

Ralph was surprised to find Paige alone in the kitchen. She sat at the end of the large dining table, a bowl of cereal in front of her. Ralph checked his watch; it was 1023 hours or 10:23 AM.

"Morning" Paige said simply between bites of Raisin Bran.

"Good morning" Ralph rubbed his eyes, sitting down in a chair adjacent to her. "Where's Jack?"

"Baseball, I think" Paige shrugged without looking up from her cereal.

"He plays baseball?" Ralph was surprised to learn.

"Baseball, choir, debate, swim team, and of course, weekly detention. Jack does it all" Paige answered with a hint of disinterest.

"He never mentioned any of that" Ralph observed. A little sting formed in his chest as he realized Jack left him out of the loop.

"He does that a lot" Paige thought aloud as she continued working on her cereal. "Keeps shit to himself for no good reason. Didn't even mention it when he won athlete of the term at school."

Ralph didn't know what else to say. He thought he was at least owed a heads up that Jack would be gone when he got up this morning. But then again, with everything that happened last night, it could've simply slipped the boy's mind.

"Do you need a ride home?" Paige spoke again to ask after Ralph failed to respond to her last comment.

"I can call my parents, one of 'em should be able to come" Ralph assured her as he watched her distractedly push the flakes around her bowl.

"I really don't mind" Paige insisted, "I could use a reason to get the hell out of this house for a bit."

"That'd be great then, thanks" Ralph smiled sympathetically at her before excusing himself to go gather his things from Jack's room.

The ninety minute drive from the Merridew house to Ralph's was quieter than it usually was when Paige drove him home. Jack would be there most occasions, but even when he wasn't, Ralph enjoyed talking to Paige. She was brought a little sanity to the Merridew name, he thought.

But today, Ralph decided to give Paige the space to think. She obviously needed to clear her head; a good night's rest having done little for her damaged emotional state. Ralph leaned his head against the passenger window and tried to figure how to go about telling his parents what happened in a way that would warrant the most tame reaction from them. Or more specifically, from his overprotective mother.

Upon arriving at the Langley residence, Ralph thanked Paige graciously for the ride, and she promised to tell Jack to call him later when he was home. Ralph thanked her again and waved her off as he entered his own house. Returning after spending a night or two at Jack's always gave Ralph a weird feeling, like he'd just got home from a week long vacation he wished never had to end.

"Hey, kiddo, how was the trip?" his father asked from the couch, a soccer game playing on the TV in front of him.

"Bizarre" Ralph admitted as he let his backpack fall carefully off his shoulder, onto the floor.

"What was bizarre about it?" Jeffery asked curiously, turning the volume on the TV down as Ralph came and sat beside him. He wrapped an arm around his son, pulling him against the side of his own body.

"Their mom showed up last night" Ralph admitted as he stared painfully into his dad's eyes. He was glad that they were alone. He didn't think he could deal with his mother's melodrama right now.

"Jack's mother? I thought he didn't even know the woman" Jeffery pondered, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"He doesn't" Ralph admitted sadly. "But that didn't stop her from coming to the house."

"Was their father home?" Jeffery asked curiously.

"No, just us and Paige" Ralph was starting to tremble a little. "She just showed up out of the blue and Paige got really mad at her" his eyes became teary as his dad's large, warm hand rubbed his shoulder and upper arm for comfort.

"Did they say if this has ever happened before? When was the last time they saw her?" Jeffery asked as he tried to piece the troubling puzzle together.

"Twelve years ago" Ralph's lip quivered as he spoke, as he realized for the first time that he too was disturbed by the experience.

"And she just showed up at their house after dark? When no adults were around? Did she say why she was there? Did she try and talk to you or come into the house?" his father pressed on worriedly.

"No, she didn't say anything to me. Only to Jack when he got the door and then just to Paige after that. She wouldn't let 'er talk to us. Paige was screaming at her telling her to leave. Jack didn't even cry but me and Paige did. I thought she wasn't gonna leave but eventually she did after Paige said she was gonna call the police" Ralph cried through the words, rambling as the memory replayed in his mind.

"Oh, Ralph" his dad sighed as he pulled his distraught son closer to him. "I know how scary that must've been for all of you. I hope Paige told her dad about it, I'd be worried about leaving the two of them alone in the house again if they were my kids" Jeffery thought aloud.

"I think Paige told him after she sent me and Jack upstairs to go to bed" Ralph considered as a tear drop trickled slowly down his face.

"That's good. And if I'm being perfectly honest, kiddo, I don't know that I want you going over there again until the Merridews figure this out. I'm not comfortable with the possibility of a woman the kids aren't supposed to have contact with just showing up like that, and then refusing to leave until the police were mentioned? That isn't okay, Ralph. I don't want you being put in that position again" Jeffery decided, feeling Ralph's body tense up beside him.

"But Jack can still come here, right?" Ralph asked urgently.

"Of course he can. And it's not that Paige is unwelcome either, I just worry about you in that house. Their father doesn't sound like the best parent either, we've always worried about that. But we let you go because we trust you, and we trust Jack and his sister. If anything were to happen to you over there, I know you would tell us about it. But this is one of those things that could happen, and did, so I want to ensure your safety by letting them figure this out before allowing you to go back, okay?"

"Okay" Ralph sniffled in agreement. Part of him was secretly relieved by his father's decision, but the other part was stressed about not being there to protect Jack. Clearly, Paige was capable of doing so, but Ralph always worried less about Jack when he could be there with him.

Later that night, Ralph was watching TV in the living room, awaiting the dreadful moment his father would tell his mother about what had happened at the Merridews last night. It was just after 2030 hours when his mom returned from work. After she greeted her son and asked him how he was doing, she went off to shower. Ralph figured his dad would probably wait until after he and his parents went their separate ways for the night to tell his mom about the surprise visit from Jack's mother. At least, that's what Ralph was hoping for.

After his mom disappeared down the hallway, and Jeffery still sat at the kitchen table immersed in one of his crossword puzzles, the phone rang. Jeffery and Ralph locked eyes before the boy grabbed the phone and saw the Merridew caller ID on the landline.

"Hello?" Ralph answered excitedly.

"Ralph, it's me" Paige's voice came through the static of the phone line.

"Paige?" Ralph questioned, clearly expecting Jack.

"Yeah, um, you haven't heard from Jack, have you? He's not with you, is he?" the girl's worry was made clear to Ralph by the her unsteadiness in her voice.

"No" Ralph stood to his feet as he answered, concern filling his voice, drowning him in a wave of panic. "Why? Why would he be here?"

"He never came home."