The Secrets of Hickory

2

JORDAN

I had seen the same car parked in the same spot for over a week now, there was someone sitting in the drivers seat but I could not make out who it was. I could hear Analia in the back of my mind telling me that I'm just being paranoid, but how could I not be paranoid, I've felt like someone is watching me twenty-four-seven for the passed week now.

Hickory wasn't a very big town, and I like to think Analia and I knew just about everyone. My mom worked shift work at the logical hospital so everyone knew I was Tessa Browne's son, and everyone knew Analia as the girl who's dad had an affair with a younger women and left her and her mother.

I peaked my head through the blind again and watched the car sit under the old oak tree towards the end of my street. There is no way I'm just being paranoid, someone was watching me and I wanted to find out who it was. I quickly snapped a picture of the car and a zoomed in picture of the license plate before I sent it to Analia, she could help me being a journalist she always knew the best places to look for information. Shortly after I sent the picture her name popped up on my screen.

"Please tell me your not creepily staring at that car you told me about last week?" I could hear the rustling of paper and assumed she must have been at work with her headphones in.

"Of course I am, it's a car I have never seen before with a driver I cant distinguish, wouldn't you be slightly paranoid that someone is watching you too?" I used my office chair away from the window and back to its original position in front of my laptop screen.

"I personally would walk up to the car and start asking questions,"

"Ever the journalist." I mumbled before she could say anything more.

"Have you spoken to Max about it?" I let my head fall slamming it against my desk.

"Yes I have," I left my face squished against the cool timber of my desk. "He doesn't recognize the car or the driver. He booted up the cameras just in case though, I feel like I'm being followed." I lifted my head off the desk and opened my laptop. I typed away looking up the make and model of the car and then I ran the plates, it came up with nothing of use to me. Analia kept talking on the other end, something about some story she was doing on some socialite in Manhattan, she kept saying that talking to this socialite was horrible, even worse than spending two hours in detention with Mrs. Applebee. Now that was torture, we spent too many hours in there with her than we should have.

"Maybe one day something interesting will happen here and you will get to do a story on your boring ass hometown." We chuckled together, knowing fully well that nothing news worthy would ever come out of Hickory.

"I'll probably get to write my mother's obituary, as depressing as that is. How is she doing anyway? Max said she was going through chemo?" I nodded my head and wedged my phone between my ear and shoulder.

"Yeah, she seems to be doing okay, she doesn't talk about the cancer so much, likes to talk about the old days, back when you and I were kids, she keeps saying that she is going to die before she see's you get married and have kids of your own, she knows that Max will never find someone. But you know what your moms like, she doesn't talk about what is really bothering her, but I see her everyday, we talk everyday, and I think that is something that she needs to keep her sanity, Max is always working. But you and her are the same, you know what she's like." I heard her scoff as I opened the curtain to take another look at the car. I noticed the driver wasn't in their car this time and I quickly searched the surroundings. I couldn't find anyone walking around the street so I just shrugged it off, maybe the driver was a friend of a neighbors' from out of town or something.

'So in other words, she's trying to tell you to get with me so she can see me happy?"

"Bingo, right on the money." We laughed together. "So when are you coming to see me?" I asked as I turned away from the window and closed the blind.

"I will be coming home next week Jordan, we've talked about this."

"But next week is thanksgiving. Is that seriously the only reason you're ever coming home? For the holidays?" My shoulders slumped in defeat. I knew she hated this place but I didn't think she hated it this much. I thought being an adult she might have looked at things differently now.

"I have a job Jordan, I cant just up and leave because you miss my face, why don't you come up and see me?" She knew why, we always have this conversation and it usually ends up with one of us annoyed at the other for even bringing up the topic,

"Okay well I'll see you next week, at moms place right?"

"Of course Jordan, I'll see you then but for now, I have to go, love you."

"Love you too Lia, be safe." She hung up and I went back to playing Minecraft on my laptop trying to forget about the strange car parked at the end of my street.