Chapter 2

:3

1:45.

     "Take the rest of the day off," Rosemary said to me.

     "Are you sure?" I asked, actually kind of surprised.

     "Buisiness is so slow," she said. "Just go home and take it easy. And you can take tomorrow off, too."

     "Why this all of a sudden?"

     "You work too much," she said, her hands on her hips. "You're still young, you need to live a little! Alright, sweetheart?"

     "If you say so," I said, putting down the flowers I was holding. I wished her a good day and exited the flower shack, staring straight ahead down the path I had to walk. I fingered the keys in my pocket. Two hous keys, one mine, one Edward's. And then the car key. I never drove the car unless it was absolutely nessessary, which it usually never was. It was just sitting in the same spot it was when Edward left, collecting dust and rust.

     I couldn't help thinking about him. I felt close to tears everytime I thought about him. It was easier to keep a brave face when Asher was near me, but when he wasn't, I was scared and paranoid.

     My house was in sight, and I tried to focus on what I had to do when I got there: finish cleaning the dishes in the sink, pick up Asher's toys, figure out what I was going to make for dinner, feed the dog, let him outside, and then relax, maybe catch up on some sleep until I had to pick up Asher from daycare at three.

     "The busy life of a mom," I said to myself. "I feel more like a housewife than ever."

     I got closer to my house and took my key out of my pocket, going over in my head again my list of "To-Do's."

     When I went around the car, I froze in my tracks. There was someone sitting on my porch steps, a brown suitcase at his feet. He had long blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail. His head was leaning against the railing, his eyes closed. His clothing consisted of a blue shirt, unbuttoned, with a collar, and a white T-shirt underneath. His jeans were faded. His shoes looked old.

     He opened his eyes, the gold iris finding me immediately and locking me in his gaze. He smiled. I dropped my keys.

     I knew who this person was. I clasped my hands together and held them at my throat, my wedding ring feeling like it weighed fifty pounds on my finger.

     The man on my porch was Edward.

     He casually stood up and walked down one step and onto the ground, standing next to his breifcase.

     "Sorry I didn't call," was all he said.

     My heart was pounding. Edward had been gone for five years. I hadn't heard from him in five years. And now, he was suddenly standing in front of our house, looking the same as when he left, if not a little tired looking.

     I had to put my hand on the car to steady myself; I felt off balance. Seeing Edward was a total shock. My breathing got shallower, quicker, and my chest tightened.

     "Lucy, calm down," Edward said, taking a step closer to me. I put out my hand, and said, as best as I could, "Hold-Hold on..." I quckly took the paper bag I always carrid with me out of my pocket, unfolded it, and began to breathe into it. I hadn't hyperventilated since the year before when Asher fell into the river by my house.

     For a minute or two, I breathed into the paper bag until my breathing was regular and even.

     "I'm sorry that this is a total shock to you," Edward said, shoving his hands in his pockets and shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I tried calling when I was on the train ride here, but you didn't answer. I couldn't get ahold of Winry and Granny, either."

     I put the paper bag back into my pocket and said, "They went to Rush Valley a few days ago. Winry said they'd be back later this week."

     "I see," Edward said, looking around. He was looking everywhere but my face.

     It felt awkward talking to him now. We became strangers over the five years apart.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

"So, why weren't you home?" Edward asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "and where's Asher?"

     "I was working," I said, pouring tea into two cups at the counter by the sink. "and Asher's at day care. He goes there during the week while I'm working."

     "Were do you work?"

     "At that flower stand by the train station," I replied, bringing the cups of tea to the kitchen table. I then went to the sink and pulled a bag of dog food out from under it, thus pouring it into Dexter's food dish.

     "Dexter!" I called up the stairs.

     "Who's Dexter?" Edward asked.

     "Just wait for it," I said, hearing the heavy thumps of his feet hitting the floor as he jumped off of my bed and ran out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and eventually to his food bowl, not even caring that there was a strange person at the table that he had never met before.

     "When did you get a dog?" Edward asked. "And, why'd you name him Dexter, of all things?"

     "There was a storm one night, a few years back," I said, patting Dexter on the head and walking to the table, taking a seat. "Asher and I just found him on the porch, shivering. He didn't have tags or anything, so I just took him in. He's a good dog. And Asher named him."

     Dexter finished his food quickly and then turned to face Edward. Dexter wagged his tail slightly and approached Edward, putting his head on Edward's lap.

     "He likes you already," I said, smiling at Dexter. Edward grinned and patted his head.

     "So," Edward said, turning back to me. "tell me what you and Asher have been up to."

     "Well," I began. "nothing, really. I'm going to have to find a different job pretty soon, because the old woman I work for is going to close shop early this year. I'm barely making enough as it is."

     "You're going broke?" he asked, a serious look on his face.

     "Just about," I replied, swirling my tea around in the cup. "It's...getting hard. But, we're both doing fine. The hardest part may be Asher's...condition."

     "What do you mean?" Edward asked. "What's wrong with him?"

     "He, well, has Asperger's Syndrome," I said. "He's a good boy, he really is, but he just is a bit rebellious and doesn't really respond to anything. He has these little habits and a daily routine that he can't stray from and all that, but he's doing fine."

     "Jesus," Edward muttered, lowering his head and staring at the table. "I...I don't know what to say to that."

     "You don't have to say anything," I said. "We're dealing with it, and we're doing fine as a family. He just keeps to himself, and I don't try to pry."

     "Does he have any friends?" Edward asked. "Like, friends at day care?"

     "Only a little girl named Rinna," I said. "who also has a birth defect. One of her feet is a bit smaller than the other one. They stand up for eachother at day care."

     "You mean, the other kids pick on them?" Edward asked. "Both of them?"

     I nodded.

     "Lucy--"

     "Things are going fine," I said, cutting him off. "You don't have to worry. Okay?"

     "Okay," he said hesitantly.

     "So, what have you been up to?" I asked him. He turned his head away and wouldn't look at me as he spoke.

     "I'm sorry," he said. "I looked for Envy for five yeard and never found him. I missed five years of my son's life for nothing. I lost track of Envy after the first year, but I was afraid of coming back. I was scared that I would lead Envy right to you, but now I'm convinced that Envy just went back into hiding."

     He turned back to me. "I didn't explain it that well, I know, but it confuses me a bit, too. I just....wanted to see my family."

     "Well," I said. "welcome home, Edward." He looked at me a minute, and then smiled. I smiled back.

     Then, the phone started ringing.

     "Sorry," I said. "Hold on a minute." I got up and went to the phone, and wasn't surprised at who called.

     "Lucy," Mrs. Manthy said through the phone. "I'm sorry to bother you. Asher has to be sent home for the day."

     "What did he do now?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes.

     "I'll explain when you get here," she said.

     "Alright, I'll come get him," I said. "Thank you, I'm sorry." I hung up the phone and rested my forehead against the wall.

     "What's up?" Edward asked. Dexter padded over to me, sitting down next to me.

     "Asher got in trouble at day care," I said. "I have to go get him again. Wanna come?"

     "S-Sure," Edward said, standing up and pushing in his chair.

     "We'll be back soon, Dex," I said to Dexter, who started whining. "Be good, stay away from the trash." He wagged his tail and licked my hand.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

"Why aren't you taking the car?" Edward asked as we started walking down the dirt road.

     "Because it's close enough that we don't need it," I replied. We walked in silence for a few moments until Edward asked, "Does Asher get in trouble a lot?"

     "Usually when Rinna's not there," I replied. "or when he tries to stick up for himself using violence."

     "He's your kid, alright," Edward said, sighing and shaking his head. I smiled. "Yep, he's my kid."

     We eventually arrived at Mrs. Manthy's house, and kids were playing in the backyard. I caught sight of Asher, who was sitting on the porch by himself. Mrs. Manthy was just coming around to the front.

     Asher saw me, then, and got up quickly from the stair he was sitting on. He began running towards me at full speed. I kneeled down and he barrelled into me, hooking his arms around my neck. I hugged him back.

     "I'm sorry, mommy," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

     "It's okay," I whispered back. "It's okay, Asher."

     "Lucy, why don't you come with me and we'll talk about what Asher did," Mrs. Manthy said as I stood up, Asher taking hold of my pant leg again.

     "Okay," I said. I looked down at Asher. "Asher, go back and sit on the porch, mommy'll be right back, okay, doc?"

     He didn't say anything. He let go, hesitantly, of my pant leg and walked back to the porch, his shoulders slumping a bit.

     "Ed," I said. "why don't you go sit with him? Introduce yourself."

     "What...should I say to him?" Edward asked, looking over at Asher. "I can't just say, 'Hey there, kiddo, I'm your father,' now, can I?"

     "Just tell him your name and start from there," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose again.

     "You're Lucy's husband?" Mrs. Manthy asked Edward. He nodded. She extended her hand to him and said, "Everyone just calls me Mrs. Manthy. Nice to mee you."

     "Just call me Edward," he told her, shaking her hand. He then took a deep breath and walked over to Asher. I followed Mrs. Manthy to a tree in the backyard, so she could watch over the kids playing and tell me what Asher did.

Author's Note

:3

Reviews

[dachildofevil]

ALSKDAS
Edward!!!
Asher, what have you gotten yourself into now?
how will Edward and Lucy fix their relationship?? its kinda sad :(

[Anonymous]

HE'S BAAAAAACK! DUN-DUN-DUN! ED-KUN IS A FATHER AGAIN!
Asher... What did you do, you litle scallop? DID Y'ALL POP OFF WINRY'S HEAD? Oops... Wrong book. :3 CONTINUE!