Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Eleven- Brady Bunch

Her father's beat up Ford pickup truck, with various shades of rust and aged cherry red, came down the gravel driveway, passing by Peter's bus that had just dropped him off. He was already in the house now, having grasped something was off the moment he spotted the mint and fruit mimosa in his sister's hand.

The men had left to go get steaks; her father having stopped drinking by noon. It was her father's theory that the more people who saw their alliance, the better. No teacher who was sleeping with a student would hang out with her father after such an allegation was made public.

The creaking of the old door as it opened filled the desolate silence. As Tom exited the truck, he appeared as if he'd aged a year since leaving an hour ago. No doubt he'd fallen victim to the stares and whispers she'd suffered through in the halls of the school. He gave her a long look and a weary smile before slamming the door shut behind him, knocking off a piece of rust.

Her father's boots struck the porch and paused for only a note before continuing. "I'll go start the grill."

Tom didn't move from the first step until the front door closed. Even then, each step appeared to require most of his energy, and there wasn't much to spare. The porch swing rattled and jerked as he plopped beside her.

"That sucked," he groaned.

Ada didn't doubt she'd take it all back if she could. It would be tragic to say goodbye to the memories, but she'd do it for him. She would change the night where she went to his place, instead she'd go home, eliminating all the hardship she'd done to his life. Gone would be the night they'd talked into the early morning, and the decision to seek him out when she needed to get out of town. Gone would be his irritation with expensive furniture, which would no longer be delivered tomorrow, and their lunch and her list of exciting things she had to do that summer.

And because those things she cherished were erased from existence, gone would be the public confrontation he had with her father that sent everything crashing on top of them. Amazing how so much had changed between them and in their own lives in a few quick days.

Whether she'd drifted off in thought for too long or he just wanted a change of topic, Tom continued. "It's incredible here, isn't?" His voice was peaceful now.

Ada looked around her. He'd found calm in their surroundings. Though the porch faced the road, few cars passed by. There were only three houses on this road; theirs, her grandmother's and an older couple who only came to town in the summer and an occasional Christmas.

The main road was too far away to hear the cars pass. Other farms in the area were miles away, enough distance where their smells didn't float into their peaceful front yard.

The backyard was more peaceful yet. The river carried with it wildlife, producing the perfect picture and the perfect symphony of sounds. There was a willow tree with a tire swing and a larger garden of vegetables that the wildlife got to before they could, no matter how high a fence they put up.

"When you told me you weren't going to college," Tom continued, "I was damn pissed. I mean, it was a relief I wouldn't have to say goodbye, but I still wanted to scream. You were giving up this incredible future, and for what?"

Ada grabbed his hand. "Tom-"

"And then I came here and met your parents and saw all of this. This is why it was so easy to make peace with your choice. I guess I didn't get it because I've never been all that close to my family. I love 'em, don't get me wrong, but I've never had this, whatever the fuck this is. Your family's sort of like The Brady Bunch on acid."

Ada laughed. "Pretty sure most of the cast was on acid during The Brady Bunch."

"You know what I mean."