Homecoming by Diane Dakers

Author:Diane Dakers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV021000, JUV013000, JUV039210
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2014-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

I wake up Saturday morning to the sounds of Mom and Dad crabbing at each other. Again.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I hear Dad ask.

“Forget it,” says Mom. “I’ll deal with it later.” I try to tune them out.

It’s been like this ever since Dad came home. My parents weren’t particularly lovey-dovey before Dad went away, but since he’s been back, it’s even worse.

I’m not sure they even like each other anymore. They think I can’t hear them, that I don’t know what’s going on. I roll over and pull the covers over my head, wishing I couldn’t hear them. And I don’t even want to know what they’re going on about this time.

What I do know is that Mom is really choked that Dad was so naïve about going to prison. He wasn’t guilty, so he didn’t hire a proper lawyer. Mom said he should have paid whatever it cost to hire the best lawyer in the city because in the end, he lost everything—his job, his friends, his freedom—trying to save a few bucks. “Being innocent doesn’t keep you out of jail,” she said. “A good lawyer does.”

Ever since Dad’s been home, Mom has been holding this I-told-you-so attitude over his head. I don’t really blame her. Life sucked for both of us while Dad was away.

At first, it was really brutal. Nosy neighbors telling Mom she should get a divorce. Creepy emails to both of us from Morgan and her psycho mother—the cops took care of that pretty quick. And of course all the hassles I had at school.

We also had to cut back on everything to try and save money. No new clothes. Bag lunches only. No unnecessary car trips to the city. Even Honey had to switch to cheaper dog food.

Eventually, though, Mom and I found our groove. We got into a new routine. We figured out how to live with less, how to look after everything on our own—the house, the car, the pool. I guess what we really figured out was how to live our lives without Dad.

We got pretty good at it too. We basically started over. Our “new normal,” Mom called it. But this new life didn’t have Dad in it, so now that he’s back, it’s all messed up again. I mean I’m happy he’s home and all, but it sucks all over again.

I can still hear them slamming around in the kitchen, so I get out of bed, knowing that when they see me, they’ll stop griping at each other.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Mom says as I wander into the kitchen. As if everything is fine, like we’re living in an episode of Leave It to Beaver, that perfect-family, black-and-white tv show from a hundred years ago. “What would you like for breakfast this morning?” One big happy family!

After we eat, I do my usual Saturday morning chores. This is one part of the “new normal” I don’t like—I have to do a lot more work around the house. I’m hoping now that Dad is back, my chore list will shrink.

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