Gathering Dust : Adam Emerson prologue:
"Drew?" Adam asked with trepidation, "Where are we going?"
"To Chicago. Remember Mom told us that at dinner."
"But then are we gonna go home?"
"We will be home."
Drew's voice was quiet with the gravity of new understanding and even as he said the words to his little brother their true meaning fanned across his burgeoning view of how the world operated.
Hours before at a McDonald's somewhere in the state of Kentucky their mother had tried to explain to them that they were on their way to a new life in a new city. Eliot had known from the moment he watched his mother carry out the first box to their 1983 station wagon that they were leaving. But it had taken Drew much longer to realize they were leaving everything and that included their Father. Little Adam at seven years old could hardly understand why everyone was so quiet and why his mom had been intermittently breaking into tears every time she looked at him. Was she angry, had he done something wrong? He watched the road where they had been studiously, a small wrinkle worrying the space between his eyes. He didn't know what was happening but he could tell it was important. Eliot had been no help since they had left their house. All he did was sulk or bury him self in " The Man in the High Tower." In the past his oldest brother could always be counted on for guidance and insight. Ignoring his younger brothers seemed to be a new hobby and Adam wondered if Eliot would ever talk to him again. A tight and scared feeling began needling away at his young heart and suddenly he knew what it was like to be home sick. For him home had always been a place he knew, filled with people who he didn't always understand but who he knew loved him. Did Eliot not love him any more? Did his mom not love his dad any more?
"Boy's?" Their mother called as she turned off the turnpike and into an all night gas station.
Instinctively Adam and Drew turned in their shared bench seat to their mother behind the wheel.
"Its real late," she paused and glanced to the back seat where two eyes out of six were missing. "Eliot," she waited. "Son, I need you to listen to me with your face."
There was a loud sigh and then the shuffling of pages as a sullen man-child of twelve popped his disheveled head up from the back seat so his mother could see his eyes.
"We aren't going to get a motel tonight, we can't afford it," she said in a low even tone as the car came to a stop. As she turned off the ignition and the world was suddenly plunged into silence. "I want all three of you to get out your tooth brushes and walk into the bathroom here and brush your teeth. Drew?"
The nine year old in the way way back snapped to attention.
"You're in charge of the toothpaste. Eliot you make sure everyone rinses their face and washes behind their ears."
"Mama?" Adam hollered a bit to loud.
"Yes baby?" their mother stifled a smile.
"What am I in charge of?"
"Son you're in charge of the most important thing, that's making sure that you and all your brothers get back here in exactly ten minutes."
Adams bright eyes danced, dizzy with power and importance.
Drew met Eliot's gaze and they bother rolled their eyes simultaneously.
"I see that." Elizabeth Emerson hid her amused expression.
The brother's all dug in their overnight bags, found their toothbrushes and a wash cloth they had each been instructed to 'borrow' from the cheap motel they had slept at last night and followed Eliot into the convince store. Adam who had just learned to read two months ago darted ahead of his brothers with a "There it is!" and banged his way into the door with the man sign on it. Unfortunately it was locked. When his shoulder hit the metal enforced door he bounced and landed on his back side. The wind was knocked out of him, and his small boney shoulder ached. He wanted his mother to come and scoop him up in her arms. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and cry.
"That's why you shouldn't run ahead dip shit." Eliot stepped over him and laughed.
Adam looked at the floor, Eliot was saying bad words now.
"Are you okay?" Drew had shoved his toothbrush and the toothpaste haphazardly in his pocket and was pulling Adam to his feet now.
Adam rubbed his shoulder and picked up his toothbrush that had fallen out of his hand when he hit the ground.
"Eliot, I'm gonna tell mom that you said a bad word at me."
"Go ahead you little tattle tale, I don't give a SHIT."
"Adam don't be a baby, only babies snitch." Drew added as a matter of fact.
"I'm not a baby!" he pushed Drew with everything he had.
Drew was about to push him back when he saw his mother glance through the front window at them. He didn't want to hear about being a good older brother for the bajillenth time so he just shrugged his shoulders and breathed "Whatever".
They heard the lock on the bathroom door being unhinged and stepped back as a man three times their size crossed the threshold back into the store. He eyed the three boys as the younger two both hid behind the older one.
"Fellas." He nodded with a surprising grin.
They watched the giant trucker grab a few snacks and pay at the counter, until finally Drew and Adam felt Eliot shuffle them into the bathroom.
"Hurry up." He commanded.
As charged by their mother Drew put a squirt of toothpaste on each of their brushes and they set about their nightly routine in a less then normal place.
"If we aren't getting a motel tonight, then where are we sleeping?" Drew was clearly addressing this to Eliot who was already done brushing his teeth and was now washing his face.
"In the car dummy."
"But there isn't any room, cause'a all our stuff." Adam added in a confused tone.
"Yeah well, maybe we'll put you on the roof."
This was one of Eliot's most pure joys in life. He could get Adam to believe almost anything; his favorite's were telling Adam he was adopted, that he was actually an alien, and that when you kissed a girl a baby would pop out.
"What? No! I don't want to sleep on the roof!"
Drew rolled his eyes while he spit the last of his toothpaste in the sink. "Relax, don't be stupid. Mom would never let you sleep on the roof."
Eliot elbowed Drew hard in the ribs and gave him a look like he better shut his mouth or else.
"OW! Eliot I'm telling mom!"
Eliot threw his hands in the air and let out a frustrated noise straight from his gut.
"Damn it to hell, you two suck balls!"
"You suck balls!" Adam screamed back at him without even an understanding of what suck balls meant. He imagined it had something to do with sports. They watched Eliot push his way out of the bathroom and then let the door swing shut with an angry thud.
"Adam!" Drew eyed his little brother with a dark glare. "Don't you say that. Mom says that's vulgar speaking and we shouldn't do it unless we want people to think we are trash."
"What's vulgar mean?" he scrubbed the stolen washcloth behind his ear with vigor.
"I don't know, but it's bad."
"Well, why is Eliot talking so bad."
Drew stopped what he was doing and stared at himself in the mirror, searching his young mind for anything that made sense to him. When he arrived at an answer his heart got a little cold and he turned to open the bathroom door, "I think because Dads not here."
Adam followed him through the store silently coveting every sweet he saw and when they got out side they noticed that Eliot was already in the car, his flashlight on and his nose stuck back behind his book. Adam was okay at reading and he didn't mind doing it in school but he couldn't understand for life of him why anyone would want to read stupid books when they weren't even at school.
"You're late." His mother eyed him.
"But I didn't have a clock, how's was I spossed to know how long ten minutes was?"
His mother looked at him seriously for a moment then grinned, "Alright, you make a good point, we'll let it go this time. But next time you better be back on time, okay?"
"Yes ma'am." Adam saluted her resolutely.
She saluted him back and then place her hands on his shoulders, stooping down to his eye level.
"Did you wash behind your ears?"
"Umm hum." He nodded with exaggeration.
She looked at him tenderly for a moment and then tears came to her eyes. She quickly pulled her youngest son into her arms and with an almost crushing force hugged him fiercely.
"I love you baby." She managed to get out before releasing him.
"Mom," Adam whined. "I'm not a baby! I'm seven years old!"
She took a deep breath and shoved another tear as well as her emotions away and answered with smirk, " I know you're seven and you are right, but you will always be my baby, no matter how old you get!"
Rising to her feet she followed him to the car and held the back door open for him.
"Boys, make sure those toothbrushes get back in your bags right this minute. Lord knows I can't afford to be buying toothbrushes everyday."