Out in the Wind

Chapter 5

I sighed as I turned up the garden path to Aunt Barbara's house. I hated her. I hated her husband, and beyond all I hated her house and her rules. I could see she wasn't a nice person. I had no idea how my mom could have been related to someone like her, but obviously you couldn't choose your own siblings. Maybe I just felt this way because I was homesick, but I just could not stand where we were living. I would have chosen to be anywhere else in the world if I had the choice. But I had no choices left...

As I walked up to the door I could hear the raised voices behind it. For a moment I thought about standing still and listening in, but before I could decide what to do next the door swung open on its hinges and out came Aunt Barbara. Her hair bellowed behind her as she rushed out the door.

"Oh, you're home," she snarled at me on the way to her car, not really stopping for me to reply. All I could do was look on as she climbed into her car, slammed the door so hard that it sounded like it would crash right through to the other side of the car, rev and drive away at a much higher speed than what I would have suggested. Someone must have pissed her off pretty good.

It was only when my mother appeared in the front door that I actually realized that Aunt Barbara hadn't even bothered to close the front door of the house. That however wasn't my main concern at all. My mom's face was all puffy. Like she had been crying. Actually the tears still streaked off her beautiful face, and when she saw me she quickly tried to hide it as best she could.

"Come in Cory," she said as she turned around and walked into the house. I could hear that it took all her strength to keep her voice from breaking into sobs.

I knew my mother well enough to know when she was really upset. At the start she would put up a fight. Maybe even scream. But she never threw doors shut. She never broke anything out of anger or sadness. She just cried. And then she would try and hide it, even though we could all see that there is something bothering her. When it was really very bad however she had a complete different approach. I had only seen her like this once before in my life. The night that dad died, and the day or two afterward. Even though her eyes were puffy from all the crying she had a weird smile on her face. Almost like she was telling you to just accept the mask and get it over with. Do not ask. Do not tell. Just live with it. What is happening will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you.

She had that smile on her face the moment she saw me. I knew better than to ask questions. I knew if it was really bad I would find out soon enough.

Without thinking I touched the silver sea shell that was hanging around my neck. Mandy meant well. She was still there for me. I had my mom, my sister and Mandy. That was enough. Maybe I even had Mister Graham? He was terribly kind giving me his signed book.

"What do you have there?" my mom asked as we entered the kitchen where she immediately gave me a glass of ice cold milk.

"Oh, Mandy gave it to me. She's back from her holiday and everything. It has an engraving on as well," I said as I showed off the little necklace dangling from my neck.

"Well isn't that pretty," she said as she lifted the shell from my breast, looking at it closely. "Mandy really is a nice person. But that wasn't what I was talking about," she continued, looking down at the book that I had just placed on the kitchen table.

"Oh... Yeah... That's kinda weird. Mister Graham gave it to me. He said it was the first book dad ever bought from him. Well... Not the very same book, but a copy of the same one I guess. This one is signed. By the author..." I muttered out very fast. I didn't want my mom to think what I was thinking about Mister Graham; that he was the weirdest person ever. And from what I have seen on television, weird old men never prove to be all that good.