Finding Home

Chapter two

I dump my backpack on the chair that sits in the front hall and yell through the brick two story house, "I'm home!"

Aunt Kathy appears in the kitchen doorway.

"Hush! Ted is taking a nap," she scolds. "How was school?"

"It was school. What's for dinner?"

She points at the stove.

"Lasagna."

I walk over and flick on the stove light. I peer into the oven and my mouth immediately starts to water.

 A lot.

"Noah, you'll burn yourself," Aunt Kathy chides. I tear myself away from the bubbling goodness soon to be my meal and walk into the living room and plop on the couch. I tune the TV to Fox Sports and watch as whats-his-name talks about football. Leaving the TV on I walk into the backyard. My baseball is lying where I left it last night. I grab the ball and hurl it against the fence. It leaves a deep mark next to all the others. I throw it a few more times until our grumpy old neighbor Mrs. Shelfton yells at me. I stop myself from flipping her off and leave the ball at the base of the fence. I yank open the screen door and walk inside.

"What were you doing out there kiddo? I heard Nancy yelling," Kathy calls from the kitchen. I join her.

"Just throwing the ball," I tell her.

"Is that the whole story? Were you throwing it against the pitch back?"

Argh. She got me.

"Uh, no."

She shakes her head. She finishes cutting the tomatoes and tosses them in with the romaine leaves. I grab the cutting board and place it in the sink.

"Go wake up Ted, sweetie," Kathy instructs. I walk past the living room where a clip from last night's football game is running. Aaron Rodgers is throwing the football across the field to Malachi Dupre. I trot up the stairs to the master bedroom and knock on the door. A groan comes from the room. I push the door open to see my uncle, still in his police uniform, lying on the bed. His shoes are the only thing he took off.

"Long day?" I ask politely.

"Yup," he responds, rolling off the messy bed.

I walk out of the room and enter my own. I push aside dirty clothes and walk over to my desk. I push off old homework assignments and random crap until my laptop reveals itself. Opening it up and type in my password, 1-2-3-9. Genius. I know. I open my email and scroll through the unread messages. I ignore most of them. 

"Dinner!" Kathy calls up the stairs.

I run out of my room to see Ted walking down the steps. He kisses Kathy. I gag. I slide down the stairs on my socks. Walking into the dining room I see the steaming pan of lasagna lays in wait for my hungry stomach. A much less important dish of salad sits beside it. I collapse into my chair and serve myself a huge chunk of lasagna.

Kathy purses her lips and gives me a look. I reluctantly take a couple scoops of salad. The only way to eat salad is to drown it in ranch. The good stuff. I take a bite of the gooey lasagna and minutes later I'm done. Kathy is still eating her salad. I roll my eyes and get up from the table.

"You don't want dessert?" Kathy asks me, looking up from her plate. I shake my head.

"Maybe later," I say. I walk up to my room and lock the door.

"Hey Cleo," I say out loud to my sister who lives in another world.

"Not now, Noah! I've been telling you for months now about the race. It's today!"

My younger sister's voice comes into my head, as clear as if she were standing in front of me. I can hear the annoyance in her tone.

"Yeah, yeah. Can't you make time for your lonely brother?" I complain. It's true though. I don't have many friends. I can practically hear her eyes rolling. She didn't tune out so I hear her friend Silete say,

"Cleoda, do you think you can beat Kutlipe? I've been watching her train. She is getting good."

I furrow my brow, not recognizing this name.

"Who's Kutlipe?" I ask. Cleoda ignores my question and tunes out fully. I sigh and collapse on my bed. I stare at the lengthening shadows creeping across my carpeted floor. I summon Cleoda again but she seems indisposed. I sigh again and flick on my lamp as my room becomes steadily darker. An hour later I summon Cleo again. This time she notices.

I hear the voices of Marmodia and Brenda.

"Ugh. They're gonna make you late, Cleo," I say, glancing at my phone.

"Shut up," she responds. "Also, when are you going to learn how to talk through thoughts, not words? Men. So weak."

I roll my eyes. Women. So...? I don't know. Give me time!

"When are you going to learn that when I find you I'm gonna kick your you-know-what."

'What's a you-know-what?"

"It's the other word for butt, dumbo," I say with a laugh. "You Amazons are so uneducated!"

"Go away I need to focus!"

I shut up but don't tune out.

"I said go away! Besides, can't someone hear you?"

"Nope! I locked myself in my room. Kathy and Ted are still eating."

"Why would you do that?"

"I-"

"Never mind I have to go!"

I imagine the sound of someone disconnecting a phone. I stare at my glowing phone screen and click on the Youtube app. I spend half the night watching Youtube videos. I barely acknowledge it when Kathy comes in to kiss me goodnight and reprimand me for being up so late. I fire back with, "you're up this late!"

"I'm an adult."

I roll my eyes at this old old comeback and roll over. Ted comes in a while later to tell me goodnight.

I turn my phone off and pick up a sports magazine and flip idlily through the pages. I'm reading an article about golf when I remember my sisters race. I know time moves differently between "Them is scary" and Connecticut but if she's not done she's probably deep into it.

"You're winning, right?" I inquire.

Her answer surprises me.

"I'm not even running, Noah. And who names a kid Noah?" she asks scornfully.

"Mom did. Brenda, remember?" I tell her, sending a pang through my heart.

"Her name is Cyenice, Noah."

"How do you even pronounce that?" I ask her, growing annoyed at the reminder.

"It's easy! Cye-nice! Cyenice," she teases me.

"That is a weird name, sis," I reply, squinching my eyes tight.

"Goodbye," she says in a sing-song voice.

"I'll be cheering you on!"

I turn off my lamp and close my eyes.