Prologue
I stood outside in the bright, sunny day with a stern composure and the brown suitcase in my hand. The bright beams were a lot more forgiving today and I was just lucky that boots, jeans, and a shirt was the most I could wear. Still, no one dared to come outside. It was a Saturday in late August and it seemed that everyone in the neighborhood had gone inside for lunch. In the distance, I could hear the joyful cries of children and the hearty chuckles of the parents. I could not see them and yet I could see their smiles. I exhaled at the thought of relaxing with some warm dinner. It’d be a treat to spend such a nice day doing those activities, wasting away in the sweet company of family.
“Jack? You forgot a bag, sweetie!” Oh, how being a kid must be nice. I turned towards the house, my dear mom rushing out of the front door with a suitcase swinging in her hand. She had on her deep red flannel shirt that breezed as she sped out to me. “You almost left without your hair gels and cologne. How are you gonna make a good first impression without all that?” She exclaimed in her strikingly soft voice. I simply smiled back at her claim. “Good point, Mom,” I replied back. I took the suitcase from her and set both of them on the ground. “I sure hope that you’re right on this one,” I stated. I wasn’t typically one to make my worries known but she had a right to know. At least before I go away. She nodded solemnly.
“I am. This is gonna be the best place for you, I just know it.” She grabbed my shoulder, her soft yet firm hands giving me some sort of comfort. “Besides, it certainly beats Copperland.” I dry-laughed. “It has to be, at least we know someone that lives in the area.” She laughed back at the sentiment. I’m gonna miss her sweet soul while I’m gone and it won’t be fun.
As she did, Dad came out in his long sleeved work shirt to see me. Mom stepped back to let him closer to me. We locked eyes for a moment, unsure of what to say that would make the moment better. Yet as I opened my mouth to say something, he beat me to it.
“Son, I think where you’re going is gonna benefit you greatly. You’ve got a good heart in you, let them know it and you’ll be fine.” He spoke in his gruff voice. I nodded to his words, letting them sink in and giving them place in my mind. “You’re a hell of a young man, you know that Jack?” I gave him a half smirk in return. “Yeah Pa. I’m sure I am.”
He shook his head and chuckled before continuing. “I think that when you come back, you’ll be the man I know you can be. You just need to see it for yourself.” He held out his hand to me. I held out mine in return to give him a firm handshake. Those I may miss worse. He stepped back and I saw them both. They had such high hopes for me, I could tell.
I held out my arms and they both came forward to embrace me. Even if they were both different sides of the parenting coin, they still hugged with firm force like I was going to disappear completely. But I don’t complain as I eased into it. I’ve never doubted one thing in my life which has yet to be proven wrong or detested: As much as I will miss them, they will always miss me more. We must have stayed like that for a few minutes, it certainly felt like it. Nevertheless, I pulled away to face them. “I’ll send y’all a postcard whenever I can.” I stated. They seemed a little relieved at the remark, they needed that. As I relaxed from the hug, I heard what sounded like a low and growly engine coming closer towards the house. I turned to see just what I was expecting. Who I was expecting.
It was a burgundy colored Camaro, what looked to be a 3rd generation stock car in shape, and covered in dirt from the middle down. For as long as I can remember, the man behind that wheel has been driving that car longer than I’ve been born. Even Dad seems to forget sometimes, that car has been around for even most of his life. Yet it didn’t squeak, crash, or scream at any point as it came closer to the house. There’s a reason that car is still alive.
The car came to a stop towards us, the sound of the refined engine silencing itself. I turned to face the car fully as the door to the car opened and the man inside got out. That’s him alright, I said to myself. Tan combat boots, old blue jeans, and long, silky, brown hair with stubble. The man took a second before realizing who it was.
“Hendrix Jr!” He shouted before running up and wrapping his skinny arms around me tightly. I barely breathed out, “Hey uncle Joe!” He let go to briefly take a closer look at me.
“I swear, you look more and more like your Grandpa every day.” I softly chuckled. That was one thing I could never seem to run from. Even though he died shortly after I was born, I’d hear it at every family reunion or funeral. I’d often hear that I didn’t get my thick hair for my parents, nor my deep brown eyes. And the one saying it loudest and proudest was Joe Hendrix, my uncle. He turned away from me to look at my parents.
“I’ll take good care of him, Sherry,” he said to Mom. He knew she was prone to worrying about me. He was even the focus of her motherly rage at points in my childhood. She just smiled and muttered a thank you under her breath. He then locked eyes with Dad. “He’s gonna become the man we know he can be. I’ll make sure of it, Andrew.” He nodded to his brother. Afterwards, he looked at me.
“You said your goodbyes already?” I picked up my two suitcases with ease. “Yep. I’m ready when you are.” He held up his signature thumbs up. That thumb had been the focus of many family jokes and fond memories. Hell, when I dug up Joe’s old photos from Kuwait, he was holding up that shit-eating smile with his left thumb up in the sun. While he was standing next to a dead civilian. Needless to say, he had some explaining to do at that years’ Thanksgiving dinner. Anyways, he walked back and climbed into the Camaro while I opened the trunk to set my suitcases inside.
Once I shut the trunk door, I looked to my parents who were only smiling. I shot a smile back before I made my way towards the passenger door. The brown dirt was caked into that side as well, which had always made me question how expensive the car washes were. I gently opened the door and set one leg in before I looked at Mom and Dad one last time. She waved while Dad just gave a knowing nod. I only waved back, too worried that if I were to say anything else that I would not be leaving. After I waved, I climbed into the seat and shut the door. The seats were a soft, khaki corduroy material going from Joe’s side all the way to mine. Since the back seats were so rarely used, they had become more of a beige lining to collect dust.
He started the Camaro and shoved the stick into Drive, letting off the brakes as the car rolled out into the street. We went further up to the stop sign before Joe said something. “You want any snacks before we head home?” I thought for a moment before shaking my head. “Nah.” His eyebrows went up a bit before he replied, “Sweet! That means we get more time to catch up.” I giggled at his remark.
I responded, “Fine by me. We got a lot to talk about.”
