He Started It by Downing Samantha

Author:Downing, Samantha
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781405943697
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2020-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

The day passes in a scenic haze, like we’re driving through a postcard. Without Krista to complain, or lead a cheer, we are silent and bored. Last time we weren’t because Nikki made sure of it. Halfway into the drive, she bought two disposable cameras. One was for us to have fun with.

I still have some of those pictures. There’s one of Nikki and me sitting on the hood of the minivan, the sun shining down and making us squint. Both of us are sticking our tongues out at Eddie, who took the picture.

Another picture is of all four of us – the kids – and we’re all lying down on a bed in a motel room, looking up at the camera. An early selfie, I suppose. That was near the end of the trip, and the first time I saw that picture I was shocked at how wild we looked. In just two weeks, we had gone from well-groomed suburban children to near feral. Our hair was unkempt, our faces a mixture of tanned skin and peeling, sunburnt noses. By then our clothes were dirty and we barely bothered to wash. Nikki wore oxblood-colored lipstick she bought at a drugstore and it made her look unreal.

The second disposable camera was for Grandpa. I don’t have the photos from that one.

We haven’t taken many pictures of us on this trip. There was one at the beginning, when we first started out, and another at that hotel bar. Felix has taken a bunch of pictures of the scenery but not of us.

I almost feel bad about it now that Krista’s gone. Not too bad, though.

Lunch is at a roadside hot-dog stand, and that’s where Eddie corners me about Krista. He waits until Portia is on her phone and Felix is in the bathroom. Or he might be smoking, because I put cigarettes in his bag this morning. Yesterday he checked for them at least a dozen times.

‘Hey,’ Eddie says, motioning for me to follow him. He leads me away from picnic tables. ‘Can you text Krista?’

‘Why?’

‘I just want to make sure she got home okay. She’s not answering mine.’ He sighs. ‘She’s not really talking to me, so I didn’t think she would.’

‘How bad was this fight?’

‘Bad. She wanted me to leave, too. Said our marriage was more important than any inheritance.’

‘Did Tracy call again?’

He shrugs.

I don’t say anything, so he says, ‘I can’t control what Tracy does.’

He’s right – he can’t – but knowing Eddie, this is partially his fault. ‘Okay, I’ll text her.’

‘Thanks.’

‘You want me to ask her if she has the ashes?’ I say.

Eddie gives me the finger as he walks away.

I type and retype a text several times before sending it.

Hey, Krista, I just wanted to check in and see if you got home ok? Sorry we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. This road trip has been so stressful for all of us.

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