6
The smells of crispy bacon and coffee began to stir the rest of them from their beds. Ben greeted them as they filed into the kitchen one by one. Johnny ran in wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt.
After eating, they’d brought out Johnny’s cake and sang happy birthday to him. He blew out the candles and they had a slice each.
“So, I’m going to head on back home, you can drop down whenever you get back Ellen,” Gerald said as he kissed her goodbye on the cheek.
“Johnny,” she said, walking to the table where he was sat coloring. “Go get everything ready, were going soon.”
“Okay mom,” he stood up and left. Ellen finished putting the dishes into the washer and left to go pack.
Ben sipped at the coffee and stared out at the blue sky. His eyes looked around the kitchen, settling on the press under the sink.
The press…
Ben thought about the dream, the box of sleeping pills. He stood up and walked over and opened it.
He found nothing inside.
It was just a bloody dream, stop it, stop being paranoid.
He left the kitchen and went to help them pack.
After pulling onto the freeway, Ellen let back her chair and pulled her hat down over her eyes.
“Just having a nap,” she said, stifling a yawn with her fist. After a minute of silence he looked into the rear-view. Johnny was sat in the back watching cartoons on the in-car DVD player.
“So, Johnny, are you excited?”
He looked up, “Yeah, you?”
“Yeah, I’ve wanted to go to Orlando for years.”
“Who’s you’re favorite person?”
“What’s that?”
“My favorite is Jack Sparrow. Who’s you’re favorite person, that’s what I mean.”
“Eh, well… don’t tell your mother,” he said lowering his voice, “but I’ve always had a soft spot for Cinderella.” He winked at Johnny through the mirror.
Ellen nudged him with her elbow, “I’m still awake.”
Ben laughed and a minute passed by.
“I wouldn’t mind being swept away by prince charming myself, it’d be a first.”
“The lady’s got jokes!” smiled Ben.
She lifted up the hat, looking at him, “your cooking skills are the only jokes I can see. Damn bacon was burnt to a crisp.”
He held up a finger for effect, “they were crispy, Ellen, cris-py. It’s not my fault you like your pork still snorting on the plate.”
“Hah! You were never the cook of the house anyway,” she lay back, a hint of a smile on her lips showing as she pulled the cap back down over her eyes.
“Well, I’m trying. That’s what matters, right?” he said, low enough for only her to hear.
They drove on in silence.
It was beginning to feel like this road trip was exactly what they all needed, thought Ben, something to get them all back together.
He’d had it in the works for months and now all the saving had paid off. The smiles on their faces seemed to relieve the stress he’d felt for so long. Besides the odd day trip they’d never done anything major as a family.
Nothing was going to piss on this weekend, he’d get the cheesiest hats and t-shirts he could find and soak up every bit of it.
Maybe a job closer to home wouldn’t be so bad?
He could certainly ease up on the drink for a while too, to show Ellen he meant what he said. She was right in a way because he had been hitting the bottle hard recently.
Those solitary nights spent in the motel rooms, or in the back of his cab, were the only relief from the paranoia that seemed to come over him when he stayed at home.
But it was killing the relationship between all of them. He couldn’t let that happen, he would—
“Did you find the pills you were looking for?” said Johnny.
Ben looked up at Johnny who was staring back at him through the rear-view mirror.
“The sleeping pills you were looking for, did you find them?”
“W- What’s that Johnny?” Ben could see the color in his face drain in the mirror.
“Yes dear, they were in the bottom of my dresser,” said Ellen. “I can’t imagine how they got there,” she lifted up her hat, giving Ben her I know you did it expression.
Ben shook his head back at her.
Ellen put the hat back over her eyes, “if you’re having trouble sleeping Ben, just ask.”
He looked up into the rear-view; Johnny was smiling at him.
No he thought, surely he didn’t mean…