10 Years

“Welcome to Blue Field,” He reads as the sign flashes past. He glances over his shoulder to the grumpy ten year old strapped into the back seat across from him. Adam grins.

“C’mon kiddo, it’s not the end of the world.”

“Yes it is!,” Lucas huffs, stretching back in his seat, manner looking especially wired and edgy in the new surroundings. “I don’t want to live on a farm!”

“A farm?”, Adam chuckles. “Is that what you think?”

“Yes!” He exclaims, glaring out the window as they slip past little old houses surrounded by acres of rolling hills adorned with cattle.

“What? It’s a nice country town, “Adam says amused. “It’s different from the city, I’ll give you that. But I think it’ll do us some good.”

“’Good’, Lucas snorts, “Yeah. Right.”

He knew this move wouldn’t go over to well with the kid, but he had hoped it would of gone over better than this. It’s not like they were actually moving to a farm.

“Look,” he says, “it’s a fresh start. Sure, it’s not what we’re…used to, but at the very least try to give it a chance. We’re going to be here awhile.”

Lucas shifts in his seat as the car continues on, curling along worn-in country roads that feel as settled as the thick trees and scattering leaves across their path.

The car rolls past an older man walking his dog by the side of the road. He’s wearing a warm looking plaid jacket and walking a small terrier with one hand. With the other he smiles and gives the car a wave. Lucas raises his own hand in return. Adam catches it just in time.

“What?” Lucas complains. “I’m just being friendly.”

“Yeah? That your friendly finger there?”

Lucas gives a cheeky grin before leaning back into the seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Making a poor first impression isn’t gonna help your situation, kiddo,” Adam sighs.

“Worth a shot.”

They’ve driven into the centre of the town by now. Adam slows down as they move past little shops, with people wandering the streets in plaid and fleece and wool, their cheeks flushed red with cheery expressions. The shops leaned comfortably against each other with that worn-in, well-situated New England feel to them. It was different from the city, that was for sure. He wasn’t going to admit it out loud, but there was something a little unsettling about it all.

The colours seemed so damn bright, almost impossibly so. And he was pretty sure the sky should not be that blue, and the grass should not be that green. Everything felt brighter because the stuff around it was daring it to, but the effect was still dazzling enough that it hardly felt real at all.

“Can you check those directions?” he asks, “I think we’re close.”

“What directions?” Lucas says, still gazing out the window without making a bit of effort to reach for the map seated beside him.

Adam grumbles and reaches into the back seat, unfolding it and giving it a look over.

“Okay, we’re close.” He turns the wheel south, heading down a road behind the town centre, where a little road sign reads “Oak Street” back to them.

“Here we go!” He announces, ignoring Lucas’s groans with easy practice.

Their heads swivel to look as the car pulls up onto the crunch of the lower drive and Adam kills the ignition. “Home, sweet home,” he grins, popping open his door.

Lucas clambers out of his side onto the lawn as Adam stretches, crisp air sneaking in under his denim jacket.

It was a nice looking house. The kind that you picture a kid trying to draw when they’re little: square, sides, square windows, triangle roof, door right in the centre.

There’s a wide and simple yard that loops around the front to the back, and there’s even a few of those big fat oak trees standing proudly in the vivid green grass, steadily dropping brilliant leaves every couple of seconds.

Lucas glares at the place like it’s leaking toxic waste. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Hello there!” a voice calls.

Adam turns, just in time to see two chipper faces heading towards them from the road. He clears his throat and gives Lucas a good glare before plastering on his best smile. “Hey!”

“Have we been waiting for you!” the woman pronounces.

“I’ll be in the car,” Lucas mutters.

Adam just manages to hiss “No, you don’t,” before the lady’s within earshot.

They’ve reached them now. Two of them, a man and a woman, maybe just a little older than him, mid-thirties or so. They look like they came in a boxed set. A couple straight off of health insurance flyers: beaming fitness, tall and upright, with smoothed down haircuts and shining white teeth, picture perfect, right down to their matching hiking boots.

The man extends a hand almost too eagerly. “I’m John, and this is Lisa. We’re your neighbours just around the corner there.”

Adam takes the offered hand. “Adam Reed, and this is my son Lucas.”

Lucas eyes the two, and leans back against the trunk of the car, attention narrow and suspicious.

“We’ve been watching the movers unpack all yesterday without a sign of you, but I suppose moving is such a hassle,” the woman says, “there’s no reason to be part of all that fuss.”

“Real neighbourhood watch you got going on here, huh?” Adam says. Silence follows.“I’m kidding, of course.”

“Oh, yes,” Sarah grins a little too widely.

Adam can’t help but notice that they’re staring at them in a very particular sort of way, like they’re looking for something they aren’t quite finding.

“And I’ll admit,” she continues, “we were being a little nosy. We were wondering who would snatch the place up, and when Karen said she’d sold it to a nice…” she hesitates, “family. Well, we were very excited to finally meet you.”

“Thanks,” Adam says stiffer than he means. He can’t help it. The way she’s eyeing him was making him uneasy. “It’s good to be here. Nice town.”

“It sure is,” the man chimes in. He’s got the sort of voice that runs for senator all on its own. “What do you, uh, do for work?”

Adam hesitates, “I’ve, uh, actually purchased the coffee shop in the centre of town. I’m sure you know of it.”

“Oh really, god, how interesting!”

“Not really,” Lucas says.

Adam gives him a look to convey his annoyance. The boy looks to the ground in response.

“I’m sure it’ll be a lucrative business,” she says.

Adam squints, trying to clear the patronising out of his ears.

She then turns her attention to the brooding ten-year old. “So, Lucas? Right? Where’s your mother? I’d love to meet her.”

Lucas glares levelly back at them, arms crossed. Adam cuts in, “I’m afraid my late wife and I have separated.”

The couple blinks. “Oh, that’s—” And Christ, he almost feels sorry for them. Almost.

“Well,” Lisa recovers first, “we’re very glad to have you.”

Adam hears the emphasis easily enough and hell, maybe this was a bad idea after all, but it was too late now, wasn’t it?

He plasters a practised warm smile over his face. “Thanks, Lisa. Appreciate it.”

“It’s such a lovely house, even if it is a bit run-down. I always thought it was a bit of a shame. But now that you two are here, I’m sure you’re going to turn it around in no time.”

“That so?” Adam says, raising a jagged eyebrow

“Oh yes! I’m sure you’ll do something wonderful with it,” Lisa continues on, undaunted. “And just so you know, I know all the single ladies in town. If you’re ever looking to-”

“Yeah, well, better get inside,” Adam cuts in, “make sure the movers got everything in okay.”

“Oh, yes, sorry for chatting your ears off here!” Lisa continues. “But we just wanted to be sure we said ‘hello’.”

“And feel free to pop by anytime,” John adds.

“Great,” Adam holds his smile firmly. “See you later then.”

“See you!” They wave as they head back down the street.

“Friendly,” Adam notes as they vanish around the corner.

“Oh yeah. Real friendly.” Lucas agrees. “We’ve got stalkers too.” He points across the street.

There’s an older couple standing behind their glass front door across the street, staring at them with sceptical focus. Adam decides not to wave.

“Great. This is going to go great.” He turns back to Lucas with a sigh. “Let’s just get inside and out of view of our stalkers.”

“Right,” Lucas grins. “Can I give them my ‘friendly finger’?”

“Do it, you lose it.”

The door swings shut behind them, as Lucas follows him inside. He turns to double check that the door was indeed shut, still feeling the inveigled stares from the couple of mannequins and the peeping toms from across the street.

He narrows his eyes, gazing around the living room. There was a quaintness permeating utterly everything. His beaten-up wooden coffee table sat in the middle of the room, a fireplace staring back at it. Bookcases built into the walls, cluttered with familiar looking spines and records. Pictures of happier times between bookends.

Lucas wanders down the hall to scope out the bedrooms before meandering back out to find Adam grinning in the kitchen. “Check it out.”

Lucas moves his eyes around the room. “It’s a kitchen.”

“Oh come on,” Adam continues, still beaming, “that all?”

Lucas looks again. “It’s a big kitchen.”

“It’s huge! And do you see these counter-tops?” Adam insists, running a hand over the stony texture on the tops of the counters.

Lucas can’t help smirking. “Sure, dad.”

“Come on kid, even you have to admit it’s a pretty nice place.”

“Yeah,” Lucas says earnestly.

And for one precious moment, Adam thinks this may not have been such a bad idea after-all.