Chapter 9: The Secrets part 2; Time Wasting
"Come high or low waters, woman, I want you out of this house!" Tried wasp of the voice was, of a male, very clear at his wits ends.
"Is that anyway to speak to me? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even still have a roof over your head or better yet, have any well way supporting your family." Elder in muse that voice was, fulsome, and sharp as a flawless diamond glass.
"Mother, please, we are grateful for what you have done, but you have over stayed your welcome. You promised, Jaded is home now, you can go . . . now."
The elder woman to look to her daughter, eyes hotly in spite, even in the words didn't lack it.
"And what of that thing, do you really think I would leave, still knowing that sad excuse of a . . . child still lives here, would that be so wise, even with the younglings, and what if they catch what that thing has? I don't want any of my kin catching a filthy snowcap's retardation . . ."
"That's it! Get out of my house, now!" Jaded Ember now beyond heated with unsettling anger; had all but pushed his mother-in-law out the door, with a slam, winching when hearing his younger children crying; from their room, from the sudden noise.
Looking over his left shoulder, seeing his wife going back in a rush down the hallway to the nursing room, hushing the babies; though her own shuddering of cries didn't go unnoticed, even when she finally hushed the babies, upon feeling the arms of her husband wrapped around her, in a soothing matter.
"Hazy . . ."
"Don't say it. Please, I would think after that, entire she finally won . . . please don't."
He made response back, rocking back and forth with her, in time while she rocked the crib, the little ones insides, fussing but enough in peace to rest again. Their parents looked down on them, worn out by the passing days, worried enough that their eldest had gone missing, the days up to now, haven't been very kind.
"He's all okay, right, he's just gone off to see them right? Jaded . . ." Hazy voiced tried to speak, but still full with hiccups, tears still fresh on her face, hands tightly gripping the edge of the crib, when feeling Jaded's grip around her tauten as well.
"He's fine." He stated simply, letting go of his wife, softy turning her away from the crib, as he slowly dragged her out of the nursing room, leaving the door just ajar, as they headed for the living room, for some peace of mind.
Jaded noticed a scrapbook lying on the coffee table, muted in colors, as it had aged for some time. Out of old habit now, he grabbed it, opening it carefully, slowly turning the pages so none of the pictures fell out.
"He's always been a handful." Jaded stated, though he wore a fond grin on his face, eyeing picture of passing picture, enjoying and even eye rolling some of the things, the pictures held.
"That boy is our handful though." Hazy said just in the way, raising a hand to a certain picture, making her gasped a laugh at the memory of it. Stopping at certain picture, that made her smile drop only a fraction of itself, before speaking out. "I swear nothing hurts more of when you can't hug your child, because of other's misjudging."
"Oh come now, not this again."
"Three years, Jaded, you owe me three years of hugs."
"Two and half, he's been more open as of late." He answered back, moving onto the next page, which got him to chuckled a bit, even to solicit a question. "I know the answer to this, but I can't understand him and his love for winter, how hasn't he caught sickness because of it?"
"He's been getting used to this weather, from when we moved, he doesn't take ice baths that often anymore." Hazy replied, turning to the next page, implying next. "Though, if it makes him happy, I'm not going to stop him."
"The frostbite will be you on that fault." Jaded said back, grinning wider, when feeling Hazy lips pressed to his check, in soothing and understand of what he meant. Soon he changes the page.
"He'll come back."
"When he's ready . . . no matter what that woman says, he's got a good head on his shoulders, he will."
"It doesn't stop me from worrying, honey."
Jaded only nodded back, turning to the next page, seeing the past helped with the weight he felt on his shoulders, finally able to come back from work, but sadly to come home to this, it wasn't the best welcoming. Yet, sadly, he knew it could have been worst, glancing to his wife as she rested her head on his stiff and tired shoulder, they sat there, in quietness, enough to hear if one of the twins wakes up in a fuss again.
Meanwhile off near the borderline of Frozen North Mountain Valley, sleet fell from the sky, harden in fall for the temperature taking its way, were only slowly dropping by days, at nights freezing within seconds of contact, inside the mini mart did what it could to hold back the chill, just enough.
"You quite made a dumb move on your end, sonny, taking a train when weather like this is going to get worst . . . mind filling me on this? Can't be wise for you, where are your parents anyway?" Asked the store clerk, of whom; was standing by the shelves, restocking, eyeing the boy that stood near the window, holding a warm drink in hand, much thanks for the store clerk, and the younger one's mind elsewhere.
Soft off season music played through the store, the boy's breath fogged the window of where he stood, eyes looking out, searching for something. When unsure, turned to the store clerk, signing the best he could for a pen and paper.
After sometime, the request for it was finally brought to him, sparing to finish his got drink before writing something down, handing it to the store clerk.
"Hmm, that's a bit ways from here, kid, a real shame though. Any reason you want to go there?" The store asked, handing back the paper, for it to written on again, before having to see what on there again, soon answering. "Sorry for your lost, there. I think if you head just down the path sides of the store east of here, stay close to the tracks, about a less than a mile, I think you'll find it there."
The store clerk handed the note back, sadden eyes looked to the child.
"You were once a local in those parts, huh, explains why you came from the south, hope you are being taken care of?"
The boy nodded, with a smile, switching sides of the paper for a blank spot before writing on it. Soon he handed to the store clerk.
"You take care now kid, try to call your parents or something though, they must be worry about you."
The boy gave another nod, before finding himself, quickly out the door, back in the cold sleet, that was very welcoming compare to the humid south. Heading east way by the tracks, he made through the sleet storm, glad to see it had finally lighten up, even though it thicken his clothes stiff from frozen sleet, and it made the travel more bearable as it could. In careful steps, kicked sides of the tracks to be sure, he didn't stray his way, now and then, before coming across where a granite wall rested. Sleet built up, but only a bothering at best, as he leaned closed to it, reading the names on it. Using only his memory on what he was looking for.
Wiping away sleet from his goggles, bending close to read what was on the well craved black hue granite, slowly finding what he was looking for, sitting on his knees on the cold and freezing wet ground, running a hand over the wall piece that was before him, a ghost of a smile of his face.
In a fleeting second, the boy ended with resting his forehead on the wall, shoulders shaking not of cold, but that of a missed world, that could have been. Yet, within, there was no doubt, despite everything, there was nothing that needed change.
Light of a siren went off in the distance, flashing lights of red and blue appeared behind the boy after maybe long into night hours alone, with no one but his thoughts and the wall, and he didn't turn yet, wanting to be alone just a little longer. Lost in the world, that could have been his home, to be only now just a time wasting thought, of a home that wasn't his, not anymore. But it set him at ease, even more, when a voice behind him spoke.
"Night Stripe Inkwell, it's time to come home now." An police officer spoke out.
He applied to older man, slowly standing up, running a hand over the slab, mouthing words to it, a soundless voice those engraves could only hear. Before soon, turning around and going home, his home.