Eau Claire, WI. Dreaming (ePub)

DESCRIPTION:
Calvin returns home from University to find his life changed forever.

EXCERPT:
There was a nice little gathering, mom and nan put on a good spread, some friends who hadn't gone off to University were still around, but most others were probably at their ma and pa's having chicken spread sandwiches and a bbq at the back recounting old stories. It was nice. The house felt terribly small and dated. I'd only been gone 3 years, sure I'd been back during the break, but it hadn't seemed as . . shabby as it did. Mom busied herself with the food and drinks while nan made her plans for me for the future. The Mayor of Blair. Hmm. Couldn't see it to be honest, but she was off on her dream and I slipped away without her noticing. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed out the back. The ribs and wings were blackening nicely, so I grabbed the tongs and turned them over. Fat dripping onto the coals, flames licking the meat spitting white hot heat. I felt like my dad. I felt immortal.

This is where I wanted to be. At home. With a family, cooking . . stuff on the bbq. While a beautiful woman hangs off my arm as our family run round the yard. My daydream was cut short as my mom linked her arm through mine and hung off my forearm, swaying lazily. "Your dad always liked being out here whenever there was a party. It was his place of solitude. You look so much like him, now" I don't think mom had been drinking, but she had that drunk hazy look in her eyes, my, I wanted to kiss her so much at that moment. I shook myself, metaphorically and steeled myself away and turned the meat again. I took a swig of beer from the tin and gazed, again, across the yard. I had good memories, real good memories. Maybe I'd find him one day and we'd start over.

Nan left first, I assume she'd set Blair straight, now that I was the Mayor. But she seemed happy I was back and my school friends drifted out the house once the food had been eaten, leaving my mother and I to clean up. “Sit down, let me do this. You've been on your feet all day” she didn't need a second invitation, she took her shoes off and sprawled out on the sofa, watching me cleaning up. Mom was approaching her 47th birthday, but she didn't seem to worry too much about the years, she tried to keep her figure, without pushing or punishing herself. If she wanted to eat or drink, she would. She was about 5"7', 5"8.5' with her heels on and always had her hair tied up. 50's style. Plenty of hair spray. Even sprawled out on the sofa, she'd have given Jackie Onassis a run for her money.