Kindred: A Love Story (Editing)

Chapter Twenty - Kentucky

*The song for this chapter is In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins. This song is wonderful both vocally and musically, and I really wanted to hear it.*

Pete pulls up to a small farmhouse driveway. There is an old Ford pick-up truck parked by the house, a couple of chickens cackling on the walkway. The screen door looks as though it is hanging on its last hinge, and the porch steps could use some work.  Pete parks his truck, gets out and looks around. He hardly recognizes the place he used to call home. There is no life there and everything just looks dead and dreary.

He has been putting this off for the past four years, but he knows he would never be able to move on with Alex if he didn’t talk to his mother and put all of the pain behind him. He is jaded and trust of others is almost impossible, figuring if the one person who is supposed to be there for him abandoned him what would make someone else any different. So to save himself he kept everyone at arm’s length and never opened his heart, well at least until he met Alex. He takes a deep breath and walks up the broken-down porch steps and knocks on the screen door. A small-framed woman answers.

“Who’s there?”

            “Mama, it’s Michael.”

“Michael?” She says as she opens the door and sees her fully grown son standing before her.

He knows she is choked up to see him but trying to hide her emotions, that about his mother hasn’t changed. It has been over ten years since she’s laid eyes on him. Pete looks at his mother’s face realizing the years have been rough on her. She looks tired and sad. Mary Peters has always been a beautiful woman, but her brownish-grey hair is thinning and she looks as though she’s been crying daily for the past ten years.

            “Hi mama.”

“Michael, come in. How have you been?” She says motioning for him to come in.

He enters.

“I’ve been good. What about you, mama, how have you been?” He hugs her but tries not to squeeze too hard afraid she might break.

            “Oh, I’m ok. A few ailments here and there, but that’s about it. Come in and have a seat.”

“I’m fixing some corn and bread for my supper. You gonna stay for supper?”

She walks into the kitchen and he follows behind her looking around the house.

“Yes ma’am.”

“You’ve gotten so handsome. I’ve kept your room just as you left it. You can go see if you like. You remember where it is?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Pete walks through the place where he grew up almost not recognizing it. There is nothing in the house that time has not touched. He walks down a small hallway, stops at a closed door with his name sign still hanging on it, opens it and walks in. The room is filled with sports posters, trophies and photos of all his high school friends. He smiles as he remembers his old life and how much fun he used to have.

As he walks further in, he sees a photo of himself and his deceased girlfriend, Karen Sullivant, taken at their senior prom.  He picks it up, takes a closer look, and then sets it back down on the night table. He walks to the closet, turns on the light and reaches for a shoebox hidden in the back of the shelf. He sits on the chair at the small desk and opens the box. It contains memories of his grandfather, fishing lure, photos, set of truck keys, and a ring box. He takes out the ring box and slips it into his pocket. After closing the box and putting it back in the closet he continues to look around the room, touching various things and smiling.