“Maybe I have,” Nathan whispered. “Sir, drive,” Nathan said. “Just drive.” But as the car pulled away, Nathan kept looking back, looking at the house he came to sell. The house that held the biggest secret of his life. His wife wasn’t dead. He had a son, and nothing would ever be the same again. Nathan didn’t sleep that night.
He sat in his big apartment with its expensive furniture and huge windows overlooking the city. Usually, he loved this view. All those lights twinkling below made him feel powerful and successful. But tonight, he didn’t even look at the view. He sat on his leather couch in the dark, staring at nothing, thinking about everything.
Evelyn was alive. He had a son named Lucas. His whole life was a lie. When the sun came up, Nathan was still sitting there. He hadn’t moved. His expensive suit was wrinkled now. His perfect hair was messy. His phone bust. A text message from
his assistant, Rebecca. Good morning, Mr. Cole. Don’t forget meeting at 9:00 a.m. about the Maple Street property sale. The buyers are very excited. Nathan stared at the message. The Maple Street property, his old house, the house where Evelyn and Lucas were living. He was supposed to sell it, sign the papers, take the money, but how could he do that now? His fingers shook as he typed back, “Cance the meeting, tell them the property is no longer for sale.” He pressed send before he could change his mind. Three dots appeared immediately.
Rebecca was typing, “Are you sure? They’re offering $200,000. That’s a great price for that old neighborhood. Nathan typed back, “I’m sure. Cancel everything related to that property.” He turned off his phone and threw it on the couch. Then he stood up, walked to his bedroom, and changed into simpler clothes.
Jeans, a plain shirt, normal shoes instead of his fancy ones. He looked at himself in the mirror. Without the expensive suit, he looked more like the old Nathan. The Nathan from 8 years ago before he became rich and successful and empty inside. What are you doing? He asked his reflection. But he knew the answer. He was going back to that house.
He was going to get answers. Real answers this time. By 8:30 in the morning, Nathan was parked outside the house on Maple Street again. Mr. Peterson had offered to drive him, but Nathan said no. He drove himself this time in his regular car, not the fancy one. He didn’t want to look rich and important today. He just wanted to look human.
He sat in the car watching the house. At 8:45, the front door opened. Evelyn came out holding Lucas’s hand. Lucas had a backpack on, a blue one with a rocket ship on it. They walked down the broken sidewalk together. Nathan’s heart squeezed tight in his chest. Lucas was skipping a little as he walked, talking excitedly about something. Evelyn was smiling down at him, nodding, brushing his messy hair out of his eyes with her free hand.
They looked happy, like a real family, like they didn’t need anyone else. They turned the corner and disappeared from view. Nathan waited 5 minutes, then 10, making sure they were really gone. Then he got out of his car and walked to the house. The front door was locked, of course, but Nathan still had his key.
The old key from 8 years ago. His hand shook as he put the key in the lock. Click. It still worked. Nathan pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside. The house smelled different than he remembered. It smelled like cooking and soap and something sweet like cookies. It smelled like people actually lived here, like a home.
Nathan stood in the doorway just looking around. The living room had changed so much. The old dusty furniture he remembered was gone. Now there was a simple brown couch with colorful pillows. A wooden coffee table with some crayons and coloring books on it. Pictures on the walls. Pictures Lucas had drawn. A house. A tree.
A smiling sun. A stick figure woman holding hands with a stick figure boy. No stick figure man. Nathan’s throat felt tight. He walked further into the house, his feet quiet on the old wooden floor. In the kitchen, there were dishes drying by the sink. Two bowls, two spoons, two cups, one big, one small. Everything was clean, but old and worn out. The refrigerator hummed loudly. Nathan opened it.
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