Homecoming

Breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, and toast; With a glass of milk on the side. Their morning ritual. Everyday. Six a.m. sharp. Just the two of them. He would say, 'Same bat time. Same bat channel', at the end of the meal. That would always bring a smile to the lips of the most important person in his life. Unfortunately, that was the only ritual that Richard could keep with his son. Not that he didn't want to keep others, it just that he couldn't. Truck driving isn't known for being the best job in the world for a single parent. You may always start at the same time. But when it came to quitting time, well that was another matter. Besides being a father, that was all Richard really knew how to do. At least they had their morning ritual: breakfast.

Life hadn't been easy for the two of them. This last year being the toughest of all. This being the year that Richard's wife finally slipped away. Not that she died, not physically anyway. That would probably been easier. No, Janet, his wife left them mentally. In a slow process that took years.

It all started after Janet gave birth to their son Neil, with wild mood swings. Richard never knew what he would come home to. Sometimes Janet would be overly happy. To the point of smothering him with affection. Then there were the other days. The dark days Richard would call them. Those were the days where Janet would be rolled up in ball crying, wishing that she were dead. At first the doctors diagnosed her with Post-Pardon Depression. "It'll pass," they would say. "All mothers go through this at one time or another."

But it didn't pass. If anything it got worse.

Janet started going off on raging verbal tirades that would last hours. Most of which didn't make sense: accusing Richard of stealing their life savings to having an affair to saying that he was trying to kill her. That's when things started to get physical. Almost anything would set her off. A look. A sound. Bam, she'd start swinging. It finally got too the point (after two years) that Richard had to think of the safety of their son.

So back to the doctors they went.

When they (the doctors) looked at Janet more intently they discovered that she was suffering from a form of Schizophrenia brought on by the chemical changes her body went through during her pregnancy. So, the doctors did what doctors do best: they prescribed drugs.

Janet hated taking them. She didn't think that anything was really wrong with her, she was just moody. She would say, ' Crazy people take drugs and I'm not crazy.' It was a slow process, but eventually she started taking them when she was supposed to. After a while things got back to normal. The perfect, happy family.

Richard was at work last May when he got a call. "Richard. Richard, its Dave. Come home now. There's been...there's been, I don't know how to say it. There's been...an accident."

His mind reeled as he raced home. The message was so vague that Richard didn't know what to expect. Did something happen to his wife, Janet? To Neil?

The day began so normal. Richard went to work; Janet took Neil to kindergarten. Just as every other day. It wasn't until they returned home from school that things went bad. Neil was watching cartoons; Janet was making his lunch when he heard a scream. Neil, thinking that his mommy had hurt herself ran to the kitchen. He stopped dead when he saw the look on her face. The old look. The sick look. The one when she would always have when she start to hit him. He turned to run but didn't get very far. Janet was on him within seconds. She grabbed a pillow off the couch and held it over his face. Neil couldn't breath. Every time he tried, all he got was fabric. If it wasn't for the neighbor hearing her screaming; thinking that she was being attacked and busting in at that moment, Janet would have killed their son.

The doctors told Richard after he arrived at the hospital that his wife had a break down. That they where going to have to commit her. That the prognosis didn't look promising.

That was a year ago.

"Remember Dad, Tom's birthday party is today, " Neil said with a mouth full of food." and you promised that you'd take me."

"Of course I remember. I already told my boss that I had too leave early. "Richard messed up his son's hair." So don't worry, I'll be there waiting for you when you get out of school. Okay?"

Neil gave him a disbelieving look.

"Okay?"

Neil nodded his head.

"All right then, let's finish up or we'll both be late."

As they got up from the table Neil gave him a hug. "I love you Dad."
Richard smiled and returned the hug." I love you too."


That goddamn boss of mine! I told him over a week ago that I had to leave early today! That bas-" I'm sorry son. I got--"

Neil was waiting patiently on the steps of the school when Richard arrived forty minutes late.

"Don't worry about it Dad, I understand."

The sad look in his son's eyes tore Richard up in side. He hated disappointing him. He had too much of that already.

"We better hurry if we're going to make the party."

" What!" Neil shouted. A smile going from ear to ear." I thought since you were late that we couldn't go."

"Are you kidding? You think that I'd let you miss your best buddies party? Not on your life."

Richard held out his hand for Neil and they took of running for the car. They made good time with the afternoon traffic. They got there just as a bunch of other kids did. Tom's mother greeted them at the door, the curls of her hair sticking out from underneath a cone hat with the number eight on the front.

"Hi, I'm Tina, Tom's mom."

Neil said a quick hello and ran off inside as Richard shook hands with Tina.

"Sorry about that. He's usually not so rude."

"Oh, don't worry about it. He's just excited."

"That he is. Neil hasn't stopped talking about it since he was invited."

"I know the feeling. All I hear after school is how Neil's coming too the party." She pauses a second then says," Well the party lasts until seven, but you're more than welcome to stay if you like."

Richard looks over Tina's shoulder; screaming kids running all over the house. "Ah, that's okay. You goy a hand full as it is."

Tina laughs," I don't blame you. I leave myself if I could."

On the way home Richard stopped at McDonalds for a quick bite. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he got there. He took the food to go and rushed home. Richard couldn't figure out why he still kept the two story Brownstone. It reminded him so much of Janet. So much so that he could almost smell her as he entered the foyer. It was like she was just here.'What was that fragrance she used to wear?' Richard couldn't remember. He was dealing with so much stress lately he figured that his mind was just playing tricks on him since he was thinking about her.

Richard tossed the bag of food on the coffee table. It took him a minute to find the remote for the T.V. The Evening News was just coming on as he turned to head for the kitchen.

"...Tonight's top story, the daring escape attempt at Mount Greenwood Mental Hospital, We have reporter Michelle Fields on the scene, Michelle?

"Thanks Rob. Officials report that three patients attacked a consular, and attempted used her I.D. to gain access out of the facility when they were confronted by security. Leaving two of the guards dead in their get away. Hospital officials are with holding their names until the families can be notified.

"One of the patients was shot and killed by police a short while later as they were trying to carjack a woman. There's a full scale man hunt for the other..."

Richard got about half to the kitchen before he realized what was being said on the television. "Holy shit, that's where..." He had just missed the photos of the other two escapees. He started to head back to the couch when he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. A resounding clack, clack on the tiled floor.

Richard turned and found himself staring at his wife. She was dressed exactly the way the last time she was in this house: t-shirt, jeans. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail. All looking very normal.

Richard's voice caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say.

Janet broke the ice after a few seconds of silence." Well? Aren't you glad too see me?"

He forced a smile on his face." Of course."

Richard kept his hands down by his sides, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible.

"I'm glad to hear that." They stood facing each other, her hands behind her back. Janet continued," I missed you so much. Oh so, so much." Tears started to well up in her eyes."It's been so long, I thought that maybe you had forgotten about me."

"No, I never would forget about you. Why would you think that?"

"Oh no reason, just that...just that...just that you NEVER CAME TO FUCKING VISIT ME! HUH? How about that for starters?"

Richard could see that she was loosing it.

Janet continued her rant,"You just put me in there and forget all about me! All about poor crazy Janet!"

"I did no such thing," Richard said as calmly as he could." The doctors..."

"The doctors! The doctors!" She screamed mockingly."Well fuck the doctors! They were just an excuse weren't they? You never cared about me, did you? No, you never did! All I was too you was a fuck! Just a fuck! Then the baby came." Then calmly," By the way Richard, where is little Neil. I would love to see our son? Mommy has something for her big boy."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"No you wouldn't. You'd have to clear it with the doctors first."

The look in Janet's eyes told Richard all he needed to know. He thanked God that Neil was at the party. Afraid for his son's safety.

"Now I'm going to ask you again, where's our son?"

"He's not here." The hands behind Janet's back were really starting to make Richard worry.

"No shit. I'm not that crazy that I can't see that Neil's not here. Now where is he?"

"Why do you need to know so bad?" He had to keep her talking. The cops will sooner or later come here to see if she showed up.

"Because, mommy has something for him."

"What's tha..."

"What's with all the fucking questions? Just tell me where he is."

The phone began to ring. They both turned to look at it.

"Times almost up."

"What's that suppose to mea..." Richard never got to finish his sentence. A heavy blow too the side of his head knocked him to the floor. He landed hard. His head cracking a second time off the wood. Everything went black with little spots of white blinking and swirling across his vision. I guess you really do see stars when hit in the head, Richard thought.

It hurt to open his eyes, but Richard did it any way.

As his world came back into focus he was just in time to see Janet's next swing coming. The rough and grooved front edge of the hammer slamming into his shoulder.
Richard's scream echoed off the walls of the room. He grabbed the spot with his right hand as he rolled over on his right side. Richard could feel the indented marks in his skin through his shirt. His arm felt limp when he tried to move it. Tears flowed around his tightly shut eyelids. The pain was unbearable. Or so he thought.

A loud crack sounded as Janet's next blow struck Richard in his wounded upper arm. Shattering the bone on impact.

Richard withered and screamed in agony along the floorboards. The arm made sickening squishy sounds as it flopped around at his side. He grabbed at it; the insides felt like a wet sponge in his hand where the bone had separated.

"Who needs the doctor now, huh Richard?"

Richard fought through the pain and slowly dragged himself across the floor away from Janet. As Richard struggled to his feet Janet lashed out again; this time striking his knee with the hard unforgiving metal of the meat tenderizer. He fell flat on his face. He wanted to vomit from the pain, but instead pushed the bile that was rising back down his throat.

He had to figure a way out of this; get to the phone and call...Wait. The phone, it was ringing again. Or was it always ringing. Richard couldn't remember. And didn't care. He just knew he had to get to that phone.

"Ah Richard. Richard. Richard. Things would of went so much easier for you if would just told me WHERE THE FUCK NEIL WAS!" Janet ground the heal of her shoe into Richard's out stretched hand.

He screamed. Screamed as he felt his fingers crunch under the weight of her foot. Janet slammed down her foot one more time for good measure and stalked off.

"Aaaaahhhhhh! You fucking bitch! I hate you! You fucking bitch!" Richard cried.

"There's those true feelings." The phone began to ring again."What's with this fucking phone?" Janet turned and headed towards the kitchen."Don't go anywhere crybaby I'll be right back. So help me, if I hear the voice of another woman asking for you I swear to god I'm coming back in here and cracking your head open like a fucking egg."

Richard laid there and sobbed. Snot, spit and tears collected between his face and the floor. Janet's voice (Sounding so very normal.) came from the kitchen as she answered the phone. He couldn't hear what was being said but could tell from the way it sounded that she was happy. She came back into the living room a few moments later.

"You know who that was Richard, hmm? That was my little baby, Neil."

A low moan escaped from Richard.

"He was calling to ask if he could stay at Tommy's party a little longer but when he heard that I was home from the hospital he couldn't wait for me to pick him up."
"No! No! No! Leave him alone! Don't go near my boy!"

"Now Richard he's my little boy too. And little boys need their mommy." Janet turned and started to leave."Oh, I almost forgot." Janet turned back to Richard and slammed the meat tenderizer down on the back of Richards skull; cracking his head wide open. Blood poured from the wound. Circling around Richard's now inert body."Ah, now that's better."

Janet walked up stairs to the master bedroom and stripped off her soiled and bloody clothes; walked naked across the hall to the bathroom and took a shower. Once clean and dry she picked out a new outfit from her old clothes that Richard could never part with; looked at herself in the mirror; smiled and smoothed out a wrinkle, then made her way back down stairs.

"Don't wait up honey," she said as she passed Richard's lifeless body."Neil and I have lot of catching up to do.This has been such a wonderful homecoming."

Janet closed and locked the door.