16. Elijah
16
Elijah
“They should be right around the corner there,” Dad said into the phone.
I walked into my dad’s office and turned on the light. Right where he said it was, I saw the keys to the basement cage in his file cabinet. “Yup. Got ‘em.”
I picked up the keys and placed them on his desk.
“Thanks so much, kid. I don’t know what I was thinking about putting them in there. The supervisors will be able to find them easily on my desk.” He said.
I nodded my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, it’s no problem.” I had to pass the restaurant to the lakehouse, anyway.
I couldn’t believe I was actually spending a month away with Tobias and my dad, but honestly, after the few months I had since March break, it didn’t seem like the worst place to be.
Here’s a tip: Don’t break up with your girlfriend, the most loved girl on your floor.
This is the loneliest I’ve felt in a long time.
“I can’t wait to see you, Eli. Please drive safely for me.”
“I will, dad. I love you, goodbye.”
“I love you, goodbye.” He hung up the phone. I put my phone in my back pocket and closed up the office.
The restaurant was empty and quiet since it was still early morning, and I was the only one in the building.
I knew I had better leave early to get on the road this morning if I didn’t want to be driving forever. School to home was already a 5-hour drive last night, and the lake house will be a few more this morning.
I opened the door to head to my car and locked the door behind me. The opening manager will have to unlock it, which is the procedure.
I noticed a familiar car right down the street as I turned around.
I squinted my eyes to make out the car better. Was that Derrick Voss?
There he was, peering back at me with that smug look. He wore a black t-shirt with his arm perched up on the windowsill of his black car. He was slowly smoking a cigarette, and it gave me the chills like he always does. What did he want?
I clenched my jaw, remembering his fight with my father. Is that why he was here? For round two?
I walked over to his car. There’s no fucking way I’d let him anywhere near us.
“What the hell do you want?” I spat.
“My son here?” He said simply, taking a drag of his cigarette.
“Does it look like he’s here? It’s 5 am in the fucking morning.” I folded my arms across my chest.
I watched as he looked me up and down, clearly thinking whatever he saw was hilarious.
“I should’ve known it’d be you.” He said, blowing out a cloud of smoke into the air. “You were always a little fruitcake, even as a kid. No one is that close with their father.” He looked off into the distance.
I leaned down so he could get a face full. “I was that close to my father because he was a good fucking dad. Hell of a lot better than you. You deadbeat, asshole.”
This got his attention. He turned to me suddenly, throwing his cigarette on the ground. “You listen to me, you little shit,” He spat, pointing at my face. “I gave that kid EVERYTHING.” He had such anger in his eyes. It took me by surprise. “Someone had to correct him, and it wouldn’t be any of you.”
“Correct him? Tobias never needed any correcting.” I said, straightening up.
“Oh, I’ll correct him alright. Straighten him right out.” He looked back to the road and charged up his car. “You tell him I’m looking for him. Tell him he can’t run forever. He has to come home sometime.” With that, Derrick drove away.
I sneered at his car. Tobias is home.
***
That conversation with Tobias’s dad gave me plenty to think about on the drive to the lakehouse.
What would’ve been a beautiful scenery drive turned into a drive full of seething anger and resentment.
What was with his dad? Why did he have such hatred in his heart? Why did he think Tobias needed “correcting,” and what did that mean for what he’s already been through with him?
I shook my head to try and erase the thoughts, but they kept coming back.
If what Tobias said was true back at the house, he not only had to fight with his dad growing up, he had to do it alone without me.
I rolled my eyes. Ugh. Life is so much easier when I just hate him.
I gripped the steering wheel as I turned into the hidden driveway of the lakehouse. The drive up was always covered in a gorgeous tunnel of trees.
Further, I drove down the gravel path, the more the lakehouse came into view. It looked like a big brown wooden house with a bunch of windows cut throughout all the sides. The light shining in the morning was always heavenly. Not to mention, the view overlooks the water.
It was a bigger house, surrounded by rocks and beames to help support it. I parked my car next to dad’s big black GMC. They got here yesterday, which is nice because they had the honor of opening up everything for the season. I always hated the chores of taking all of the covers off the couches, making up the beds, or dusting off all the webs and dust that accumulated throughout the time we weren’t here.
I brought my bags up to the house and opened the door.
“Hello?” I called out. No answer.
Walking into the living room, I took in the house, breathing it in. I always loved the smell of coming here. It smelt like wood, fire, and the outdoors, in a good way.
I headed upstairs towards the bedrooms and dropped off my bag in one of the rooms that didn’t have bags in them.
Where could they be?
Running back down the stairs, I looked out the back windows.
There they were, squirting each other with water guns. I opened up the back door and stepped out onto the back deck.
They were down closer to the water, Tobias yelling for his life, covered in water, getting pinned by a cold stream of water from dad’s gun.
“Oh, I got you now.” Dad laughed, spraying Tobias in the face.
Tobias picked up his water gun and gave it to him right back.
I listened in on their laughter that was loud alongside the music from an Alexa that was out here. Playing from the speakers was Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader.
It was nice seeing my dad so happy and carefree. I have to admit, seeing him chase Tobias around the yard brought back so many memories of us as kids doing the same thing.
Tobias’s eyesight veered towards me, stopping in his tracks. Dad almost toppled into him.
“Elijah! You made it!” Dad cheered.
Tobias straightened up, droplets falling down his bare chest. I breathed in deeply.
Get ahold of yourself, Elijah.
“Yeah, I just got in,” I answered back. Tobias continued to pierce me with his blue eyes. “Hey,” I called out to him.
“Hey.” He answered back.
All of a sudden, a cold stream of water hit me right in the face. “Hey!” I gasped.
“The last one in has to clean the bathrooms!” Dad laughed, running to the dock and jumping off into the water.
Dammit. I hate cleaning the showers.
I looked down at what I was wearing and lifted my dark blue navy button-up over my head, leaving me in just my white shorts. I ran for the dock, passing Tobias on my way.
He caught up to me pretty fast as I flicked off my shoes on the dock, but before I got into the water, he wrapped his arms around my waist, twisting us both so he hit the water before I did.
“Damn you!” I shouted as soon as I broke through the surface. He laughed, which prompted me to splash a heap of water on him.
“He won fair and square, Elijah. Don’t be a sore loser.” Dad laughed, floating on his back.
Tobias shook his hair before running his hand through it, pushing it up off of his face.
I hated how much that move made my stomach flip into itself.
I huffed, dipping myself back down into the water.
How was I going to survive this summer?