Chapter 2:

Parents

Carl's day only got better.

He took Sophia home to the trailer that she shared with her mom. He stopped on the way home at a gas station to fill up the Ford F150 that Shane had bought Carl last year for his birthday. Then, he stopped at the Walgreens to return the Redbox movie the family had watched last night and to pick up tonight's movie. Finally, he headed home.

Once upon a time, Shane would have never been able to afford the nice house that the family lived in. He'd been a Sheriff's Deputy and had made a modest living, but after Shane and Lori got married, he'd worked his way up in Corrections and now proudly held the title of Chief Warden at the King County Prison, a much better paying job by far. And it was this job that had bought the nice house in the "good part of town", the nice vehicles, the nice life that Carl had been afforded.

Pulling into the driveway of the two-story home where he resided, Carl noticed Shane was home from work early, outside, hosing down the RV. Shane had bought it a few years back from some old man who had taken it on a trip all around the country, all by himself. Despite all the miles on this RV, it still ran like a charm, and had provided many great memories for Carl and Shane. It had allowed them to bond in a way Carl hadn't been able to do with his own father.

"What's with the RV?" Carl asked as he stepped out of his truck, joining Shane by the RV.

"Oh, I thought we'd take her out this weekend, head up into the mountains for a little weekend get away. You, me, your mom... Sophia, too, if you'd like. I figure it's the least we can do to celebrate this moment in your life... That is... If you're up for it."

A grin spread across Carl's face. "Hell yes I am!"

"Good!" Shane replied, "Now go help your mom with dinner. I'll be in in a bit."

Carl started towards the front door of the house when he heard a horn honk. He turned his head to the street where he noticed the familiar sight of a Squad Car pulling up, parking on the street. The window of the Squad Car rolled down to reveal Rick Grimes in the driver's seat. Carl shot Shane a glance, then looked back at his father. Those two didn't talk much, and for good reason.

Carl lightly jogged across the yard to his father's car. Crouching, he peered into the window and across to the driver's seat where his father sat.

"Dad," Carl greeted his father, "I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah," Rick nodded, "Yeah, I would have called, but..."

There was always a sort of awkward silence between the two, every time they talked. Rick... just... wasn't good at expressing what he was feeling. He tended to keep everything bottled up inside. There was a time, after the accident, when that had started to change. Rick had started to open up, started to express himself... Until his wife left him for his best friend. Rick's relationship with his son had never quite been the same since then.

"Do you want to come in? I'm sure mom wouldn't mind. She's cooking... um... On second thought, you probably don't want to come in. Mom's cooking."

Rick chuckled. "I just wanted to come by and tell you how proud I am."

"Oh," Carl replied, nodding, "Thanks."

Rick's eyes shifted to the road ahead, glaring off at some unseen sight in the distance, trying to avoid eye contact, to avoid showing too much emotion.

"If you're not doing anything, I was thinking we could go grab some dinner, maybe catch a movie," Rick proposed.

"Um," Carl paused. His mother was cooking dinner, but on the other hand... His mother was cooking for dinner.

"Okay, I guess that sounds cool," Carl agreed, "Let me go tell Shane."

Rick watched as his son jogged across the yard to Shane. Shane. Rick's former best friend, the man who had been like a brother to him, who had stabbed him in the back and stolen his wife and son from him. Shane. Rick could barely stand looking at him. He watched as Shane looked up at Rick, processing Carl's request, and then watched him nod as Carl ran back towards the squad car. Opening the door, Carl got in and proceeded to buckle his seat belt.

"So, dinner. What did you have in mind?" Carl asked his dad.

…

Community Groves Trailer Park

May 16th

9 A.M.

"I mean it, Sophia!" Carol insisted as her angry teenage daughter stormed across the room towards her bedroom.

"Mom, I'm eighteen! You've given me this talk a million times! Carl and I are waiting till marriage! Nothing's going to happen! You're being ridiculous!"

"I'm being realistic!" Carol responded, "I know what it's like to be eighteen!"

Sophia slammed the door to her bedroom. Carol stopped outside the door, waiting.

"Great!" Sophia yelled back, "I'm so glad to know that my own mother doesn't trust me!"

"I do trust you, honey," Carol replied, "But Carl's a teenage boy. And teenage boys only have one thing on their mind."

"So you don't trust Carl? The same Carl who's come over for dinner, like, a million times? The same Carl who's mom is like, your best friend?"

"I trust Carl," Carol replied, "I don't trust his hormones. Or yours, for that matter."

Sophia opened the door and glared at her mother.

"Mom. Sooner or later, you're going to have to stop looking at me like I'm the same, fragile little girl who needed your protection, and start looking at me like an adult."

Carol sighed. "I know. I just wish you wouldn't be in such a hurry to grow up. Everything's changing and this isn't easy on either of us."

"That's how life works, mom," Sophia replied. "Things change. I've changed. You've changed, too. We're both strong, independent women. And we can both take care of ourselves."

Carol smiled lightly. "When did my little girl grow up to be such a wise young lady?"

She wrapped her daughter in a hug.

"Mom," Sophia protested, "You're suffocating me."

Carol released her daughter from the hug and gave her a studious look.

"Fine."

"What?" Sophia replied.

"Fine."

"I can go?"

"You can go," Carol replied as Sophia started to cheer ecstatically, "But, you better make sure this room is clean before you go, young lady! And I'm going to tell Lori to keep an eye on you two! And that boy better be sleeping on the couch! And-"

"Thank you, mom," Sophia replied happily, "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby girl," Carol replied, "I love you, too."