Chapter 20: Being Home Is Not Enough
THE NEXT DAY, THURSDAY
After Simon recovered, in the most sense, from his massive headache, he and Dave left the tree house and went back inside so Simon could go lie down in his bed. The echoing voices took a lot out of him, and he really hated being rude towards the two detectives. They risked everything to raid the Island in order to rescue the children from there. For the rest of the evening, Simon wasn't able to focus on much of anything, but sleep.
Thursday morning came along and Simon still had a bit of the headache, so Dave decided to let him stay home from school today. Most of the morning, Simon just slept. When he finally woke up he suddenly heard Tom's voice in his mind, asking him to meet at the park and that it was very important.
Simon got out of bed and threw on his cloths. He then started to head downstairs and almost reached for the door when Dave called out to him. "Simon, you're up?"
'So close and yet so far.' Simon thought. He slowly turned to Dave and made a nervous grin. "Ah, yeah…I-I thought I'd go for a walk to get some fresh air. You know, to clear up my head a little more…and I figured, hey, why don't I go get some fresh milk while I'm at it?"
"Hmm? We are out of milk already?"
"Ah, yeah, we are." Simon lied.
Dave thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure if Simon should go out just yet, especially in his condition. "I don't think I should let you go out on your own right now."
"Ah, Dave…I'm 15 years old now, not ten. I think I can handle going to the corner store and back." Simon reminded him.
Dave saw the sincere look in his son's eyes and figured he did have a point. "Alright, but I don't want you to be gone for too long, ok."
"Ok, Dave." Again Simon was about to escape when Dave called out to him, again. "Oh, Simon…"
"Yes, Dave?" Simon cringed.
"Here's five bucks." Dave said as he pulled the money out from his wallet.
"Huh?" Simon looked dumbfounded.
"For the milk?" Dave said with a crooked smile. "You said you were going to get fresh milk, right?"
"Oh, yeah! Right, heheh!" Simon then takes the money from Dave's hand and leaves the house.
Simon knew Dave wouldn't care too much of him meeting Tom, considering after the little 'party' they had Saturday night and the one they had by the football field at the school on Monday. Lying wasn't something Simon liked to do often, especially to Dave. But being that this was an emergency meeting and that it wouldn't take too long he figured it wouldn't hurt just this once.
Simon walks a few blocks away and passes the corner store then heads straight for the park. He Sees Tom waiting on a bench that was at the edge of the park. Tom looks up and sees Simon walking across the street and he stands up as his younger friend approaches. The two friends stand face to face looking right into each other's eyes.
Right away Simon could see a tired look in Tom's face. It scared him, he knew that the chemicals in their bodies were deteriorating, but they seemed to be deteriorating at a faster rate in Tom.
"You wanted to see me, Tom?" Simon finally asked.
"I want to talk about our situation." Tom replied getting to the point.
"What do you mean? We are home, right? Shouldn't that be good enough?" As Simon asked he pulled out his package of cigarettes and handed one to Tom being that he still owed him one from the Mall.
"Thanks." Tom said, just when Simon held up a light for him. He inhaled then exhaled the toxic chemicals from his mouth then continued what he was going to say. "Look, you know as much as I do that we might not have much longer to live if we hang around here. Home or not…we need to be where we can 'survive'."
"What are you saying?" Simon didn't like where this conversation was headed. He himself then lit up his own cigarette and inhaled it.
"Face it Simon, I'm betting we are the only survivors from that Island! I mean Mary and the others wouldn't abandon us like this. They must have died somehow. We would have sensed them by now if they hadn't." Tom pointed out.
Simon hated to admit it, but he knew Tom was right. Simon simply just nodded in agreement with his friend.
"We have to do something…we need to contact Brenda and Brian…!" Tom trailed off as he started to plan the next course of action.
Yeah…I can sense they are not fairing to well…" Simon adds looking up at the sky as if he could see them in his mind. "Has Renee spoken to any of them through email lately?"
Tom shook his head just before letting out another puff of smoke. "Not since our little 'bomb fire' celebration last weekend."
"Oh."
"Simon, we are losing Renee." Tom said with a solemn depressed expression.
"W-w-what do you mean, Tom?"
"I mean she's started taking drugs. And I don't mean the 'simple' kind like marijuana…she had gotten into some really heavy stuff recently."
"But we promised not to take anymore drugs after our little 'vacation' with ecstasy on the island." Simon started to feel really guilty more now then ever that he hadn't gone back to Renee yesterday in the hallway. He knew something wasn't right with her, but he was so much 'in love' with being with Jeanette, that he didn't really notice at that time.
"Maybe so, but I've been noticing Renee slowly falling apart ever since we were taken off the island."
Simon remembered Mary and the others, how they did what ever they could to make sure he and the other chipmunks were safe. It worried him so, not knowing what could have happened to them during their last mission to the 'outside' with a few of the Founders.
Simon delayed in telling his friend about the last talk he had with Mary. The talk that was to be kept secret until he was sure something didn't go quite as 'planned' for Mary and the boys. He feared that would lead him back to the one place he didn't wish to go, but also he knew that if they stayed much longer it would be too late for them. It would be fate for them to return to the Island anyway. Finally Simon took a deep breath and looked up at Tom. "Tom, there's something you should know…" He said.
Meanwhile, Dave had the distinct feeling that Simon was not out to get more milk, especially when he went in the fridge and saw that there was indeed an almost full container of milk. Dave really hated being lied to. This made him think what his son's real motives were for wanting to leave the house. Immediately, he set out to search for Simon.
He walked around the neighborhood for 15 minutes then finally turned the corner and saw Simon talking to Tom just out side of the park, the same chipmunk he had forbid Simon to see for a while. Dave started to boil with anger. Not only was he with Tom, he was also smoking…in public, which angered Dave even more. Although Dave already knew Simon smoked, it still was a bother to see it; in fact it was kind of depressing. This defiantly was not the son he had raised. Then he had remembered what the detectives told him too, that sometimes a child could change dramatically during a kidnapping experience. But that wasn't going to stop him from trying to direct his son onto the right path once again.
"Simon you have to tell me what Mary told you…?" Tom began to plead.
"SIIMOOON!!" Dave's 'trademark' yell was heard throughout the block.
"D'oh!" Simon cringed when he heard his dad bellow from behind him. Instant memories came to him as he heard his dad's yell. Only, usually, it would have been Alvin's name that would get that certain pitch to it. He refused to turn away from Tom, the tone of Dave's voice said it all…he was simply mad.
"GET OVER HERE, NOW!!" Dave yells again.
"Geez, Simon. Who pissed in his Corn Flakes?" Tom asked, being he was in complete view of the livid Dave.
"I, ah, lied about there being no milk in the fridge." Simon sheepishly answers.
"Wow, good thing he's not a Founder, or you will get the 'whipping table'." Tom half joked. He then gives an attempt smile and waves at Dave. Instead of a smile and a wave back, Dave responds with an angry frown on his face and places his fists firmly on his hips. "You get the distinct impression you dad doesn't like me too much?" Tom whispers to Simon.
"I'm sure he would if he'd take the time to understand you more… If there was a way to tell him...Maybe then he wouldn't be so harsh in criticizing you and Renee so much?" Simon said as he shook his head then takes another drag of his cigarette. He didn't even bother turning to see Dave's angry face…he could just sense it.
"Yeah, well, at least your 'old man' doesn't try to get you to work with him at his store…which mine had been trying to do with me since the day I returned. I could tell that would be his dream to have a 'father/son' business…" Tom snickers before giving a hurtful look as his childhood memories kick in. "Like that would make up for all the times he was absent from me when I was a child?" Then he looks back up at Dave and notices him heading their way across the street. "Hey, he is starting to come this way…" He then places a hand on Simon's shoulder. "I should get going…don't want you to get in too much trouble!"
"Aahhh, compared to what the Founders did to us…Dave's punishments are like a walk in the park…so to speak." Simon scoffs as he looks at the kids playing on the Jungle Gym. "I mean, the worst he would do is make me go to school tomorrow."
"Ok, then…stay frosty. We'll talk later about that discussion you had with Mary, ok." Tom says just before Dave came into earshot. He steps back as Dave approaches Simon from behind. "Hey, Mr. S, don't be too hard on him, it wasn't his fault." He pleaded defensibly to Dave to show that he will stick up for his friend.
"Go home, Tom!" Dave said sternly to the teen chipmunk.
"Hey, I'm gone…don't worry about it!" Tom lifted his hands up in a 'surrender' position as he continues to back away. "See ya around, Simon, I hope." He trailed off in a whisper after turning around to walk away.
"Yeah," Simon said with a distant expression – he knew what was coming next.
When Tom was half way down the block Dave then brought his attention down to Simon, whom was still facing away from him. "What's the matter, Simon? Didn't you hear me when I called out your name?"
"Yes Dave, I'm sure the whole block did!" Simon sarcastically answered. Then he starts taking another drag of the cigarette in his hand.
"Put that out!!" Dave growls a warning. "I don't want to ever see you smoking again!"
"Fine!" Simon answers as he throws the half finished bud onto the ground then stomps it dead.
"Simon, we are going home now to have a good long talk about a few things! Apparently when you were on that island you got away with so much that you have somehow forgotten you 'at home' rules!" Dave says as he points to the direction of home. Simon simply shrugs and follows Dave's lead.