SteeleKizz, Inc

Familiar Faces

Sean

Grampa had driven the rest of the way home with the twins in the back abnormally quiet.  He sensed something was off, but couldn’t pry anything from them, even joking.  Pulling into the driveway, he saw in the rearview mirror that the kids perked up seeing his and Grandma’s house was within sight and reach.  The tension in the kids' faces eased quickly.  The door flung open, Sean and Cara slipped from the seat and bolted inside dragging their bags behind them.  Grampa could only shake his head at their excitement of being back.

Grandma’s joyous voice could be heard from as far as the steps to the porch.  Walking in, the kids had dropped their bags mindlessly at the doorway.  He picked them up and plopped them into the nearest chair.  Making his way to the kitchen, the kids naturally made themselves at home diving in on multiple questions of what to eat.  Leaning against the framed archway, he watched on with increasing curiosity.  The minute food was placed in front of them they gorged, digesting everything they could.  It was like they never at

“Loren,” he said in a soft tone once she had a moment to escape.  “Do you notice that they act near starvation?”

A playful slap on his shoulder sent him to quiet down with his comments. 

“They are growing children, of course they’re hungry,” she replied with a smile.  Although her eyes told a different story, she wasn’t going to admit anything out loud.  At least, not while the kids were here.

It didn’t take long for their tummies to be full from the buffet of food.  Their attention was then redirected to any school work they had brought with them.  Settled at the kitchen table, Grandma had gotten everything they needed to 

Grampa took this distraction and pulled Grandma away to a more private part of their home.

“Alec,” she queried.  “What if the-“

He gave her a sideways look for silence.  

“Loren, I know you miss them as much as I,” he said calmly.  He kept a low tone so as to not alert or alarm the kids of their adult conversation.

“Erick is home. Whatever either of us feels, he’s their father.”

Loren was about to make a motion, but he stopped her by taking her hands.

“Eleya made her choices.  We as her parents have to respect them.  Even if it means that the kids live with him.  I will have a heart to heart with him as soon as we reach him.  Until then, enjoy their time here.”

Alec looked to Loren for confirmation that she understood.  She nodded slowly.

He pulled her in close, but whispered something to her.  “I think the kids pulled something to come here.”

Once he let go of his wife, he gave her a smile.  She returned it with another.

“Yes, yes, I agree.”  Was all that Loren could say before footsteps came to the back entry.

Sean stood looking at his grandparents.  He had so much he wanted to say, but didn’t know if he should.  Instead, he did the next best thing an eleven year old could do.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

He then took his smaller body and shuffled between them to the bathroom down the hall.  The two adults looked between each other and shook their heads as they went the opposite way towards the dining room.

Cara looked up at them and gave a coy smile.  Loren looked over her shoulder at Alec and shrugged when the girl returned to the book she was reading.  Both of the grandparents knew that the kids were sLorener than normal kids their age.  Eleya made sure that they excelled in everything they thought about doing or did.  

Out of thin air, Cara’s eyes remained fixed on the words before her in the book, but her mouth betrayed her focus.

“Sean won’t say it.  Dad drinks.  A lot.  We just want to be here.”

She finally looked up from her reader at her grandparents.  With a shrug, she went back to her work.  

Sean came back into the room wiping his hands on the side of his pants from washing them.  He pulled out the chair and sat down.  The look on the grandparents' faces gave him a feeling of concern and he turned to look at Cara who was deep in her book.  She intentionally ignored her brother, but he knew she’d said something. 

“Cara!” he exclaimed.  

Alec and Loren jumped at the sudden outburst from Sean.  Slowly moving her eyes up to him, she looked blankly.

“Yeah?” she asked.

He tilted his head and gave a what did you say type of look.  She returned with another look of so what.   

The grandparents watched the quiet conversation that the twins had and were impressed with their quiet replies.

“Would either of you like something to drink?” asked Grandma Loren trying to cool the air between them.  Grampa Alec just stood with his arms crossed at the two kids, shocked.

Sean and Cara sat in their seats looking across the table at one another in an angered staring contest.  After a few moments of sharing argumentative looks, they returned to their studies.

Both had spoken up wanting some chocolate milk which their grandmother brought to them and placed near them.  Taking sips now and again as they finished their homework.  

Alec left the three and went into the living room to make a call to Erick.  He wanted to get to the bottom of things and figure out a better resolution that would make all parties happy.  After several attempts and the phone ringing but no answer, Alec put the phone back in the cradle.  He pondered on what Cara had disclosed and wondered if that’s why the school didn’t call him first or if they did and got the same, no response.  

Whether he received a call back from their father or not, he was going to plan for the kids to stay the night and the coming weekend.  It might help the kids to relax and not have to worry about whatever was going on back home.

The evening went relatively well, even though their father hadn’t returned any phone calls.  After supper and nighttime baths, Grandma read the kids a story in Cara’s room.  She was tucked in bed already and Sean lay across the foot listening to one of many folklore stories that their Grandma would concoct.  Both kids had joked between themselves if the stories were true or not.  They dared not ask her for the truth or she may stop telling them.  

Cara drifted to sleep near the end of her story. Grandma put a finger up to Sean and motioned for them to exit her room quietly.  Sean began to turn to his room when he stopped midway.

“Grandma?” he said to her with his boyish tone.  A sadness ebbed from his baby blue eyes.

“Yes, dear” she said and walked to him, bending down as best she could.

“Dad says we are going to have to move,” he said and looked down as a few stray wet locks fell forward.  “I don’t want to leave you and Grampa.  I know Cara doesn’t either.”

Grandma pulled him in for a hug seeing a few tears well up in her grandson’s eyes.  She knew those kids had already suffered and lost so much.  Now, moving away and to who knows where.  That put a whole new set of worries in her mind.

“We’ll figure something out for you Sean,” she said, attempting to comfort the hurting boy.

“Let’s put this in His hands for now,” she said.  “Get some shut eye.”

Sean looked around briefly and nodded.  “Okay.”

He gave her a quick kiss and went into what was his old room and his mother’s hand slipped under the familiar blankets and laid his head on the pillow.  It wasn’t long before he fell asleep, knowing that his Grampa would keep them safe.

“Alec,” said Loren as soon as she entered their bedroom.

He stood looking out the window into the backyard.

“I heard,” he said.  “Let’s get some sleep.”

He stood motionless for a few minutes before he slipped into bed.  It was a restless night for the older man, but he had a lot weighing on his mind.  He needed to find a resolution for the kids' concerns.  Even when Loren was apparently sound asleep, he’d quietly make his way to the kids’ rooms and watch them sleep soundly.

The next morning, after breakfast, Erick arrived looking worse for wear and smelling like his drink of choice from the day or night before.  Sean and Cara were in the backyard playing when he came to collect them.  Alec had a near confrontation with him.  Standing his ground on the kids behalf, he was able to persuade Erick to let them stay until their Dad had found another place for them and showed him.  Using his own military connections, he was not about to let those kids go without a confirmed location where they would be residing going forward and that he knew where they’d be going to school.

Once he made that clear with Erick, their dad left without much else to say.  

Sean had come in just as Erick pulled out of the driveway.  He walked up to Grampa and looked around the older man.

“Is he gone?” he asked.

“Yes,” he said firmly, still gritting his teeth.  “Yes, he is Sean.  Your dad agreed to let you and your sister stay until new living arrangements have been made.  That’ll give him time to reflect on his choices and to find the best place for you kids and him.”

He looked at the young boy whose face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Can we stay here forever?” he asked.

“Let’s not count your chickens before they hatch, Sean”  He placed his hand on the boy’s head and ruffled his hair.  Then he straightened it.  He recalled his own lecture from his daughter about messing up her children's hair.  Alec didn’t much like that lecture, but agreed if he ever did he’d fix it just as quick.  He had many promises that he’d made his daughter.  Keeping her twins safe and happy was her primary request.