Indulge me once again

Here is another short story. This is a tangential sequel to my earlier story Habit. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think, or if you see an grammatical errors. I'll use all of you as my proof-readers.

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The two-toned pickup bounced and rattled down the gravel drive.  The sun was just a sliver of molten gold on the horizon, casting its glow on the edges of the approaching storm clouds.  Ted parked his truck and got out.  As he headed towards the old farmhouse he looked through the kitchen window at his wife cooking supper.  He didn't know why she still bothered cooking every night.  It was just the two of them at home now.  As he walked through the door the smell of the frying chicken greeted him, followed shortly by Sally's voice.
    "You're late."
He grinned.
    "Make sure you take those filthy boots off."  She called, "I just cleaned the floors."
Ted hollered back, "Sorry I'm late Sally.  I stopped to give a kid a ride into town."
    "I wish you wouldn't do that.  It worries me."
    "Ah, he was OK Sal, just a little lost."
    "All the same you don't need to go pickin' up people like that.  The world ain't what it used to be."
    "You're right about that."
    "Hurry and get changed this chicken is just about ready."

Ted headed upstairs, thinking about just how much the world had changed in his lifetime.  He remembered growing up farming the 200 acres surrounding the house.  Land that had been in his family for four generations.  It had mostly been sold off when his old man had died.  All that was left was the house Ted and Sally lived in and the acre plot it sat on.  Ted had found a job in the steel mill in the next town over.  He liked working maintenance just fine, he guessed, but it wasn't the same as getting to spend every day outside, even if the work was easier.  He changed out of his dark blue coveralls and got washed up.  He walked back down and sat in his usual seat at the small table in the kitchen.  As he began filling his plate Sally said,
    "I went by and saw Sam today."
    "Yeah?  How was everything?"
    "Just fine."
    "I was planning on riding out that way tomorrow."
    "That would be nice."

There was silence for a while as they both focused on their eating.  Ted thought back to when their only son was young.  How much he used to love "exploring" the land around the house.  Ted wished he had taken more time to go with him.  He guessed one good thing about Sam leaving was that he and Sally had been spending a lot more time together.  Ted relished that time.  Just then Sally broke in on his thoughts.
    "You're never this quiet at supper.  Is it that bad?", she said with a grin.
    "You know it's not.  I've just got a lot on my mind."
    "Well just try not to look so unhappy."
Ted grins, but Sally can see it's a little forced.

Silence falls in the kitchen as they turn back to supper.  The silence was coming more often here lately.  It always did this time of year.  Ted thought back to all those years when there was never a quiet moment in the house, unless it was when Sam was asleep.  At that time he would have given anything for a moments peace.  Now, the house seemed empty without the racket.  Almost as if on cue the summer squall let go its downpour on the old tin roof.  The silence was suddenly filled with a dull roar, but it was a comforting noise to both of them.

The meal finished, Sally begins to clean up the dishes.  Ted starts to help, but Sally tells him,
    "Get out of here and go relax.  I know you've been on your feet all day."
    "You just want me out of the kitchen so I won't be in your way.", Ted fires back, a true grin on his face now. 
He took his coffee, sat in his chair and turned on the TV.  As usual nothing was on.  Mostly, he just liked the noise.  It was a soundtrack to the thoughts flickering through his mind as he channel surfed his memories.  Most of them featuring Sam when he was still here at home.  Ted sat there, his coffee forgotten and cold, vaguely hearing Sally say she was going up to bed.  His head drooped.  The memories continued in his dreams.

Sally walking down the aisle towards him.
Standing beside the bed and hearing his son's first cry.
Smiling through the tears as Sam went to his first day of school.
Sam, walking out the front door...

With a start Ted jerked awake, momentarily lost.  As he shook off the fog of the dream he realized where he was.  Today was more tiring than he thought, he hadn't fallen asleep in his chair in a long time.  He picked up his untouched coffee, took it to the kitchen and poured it down the drain.  Then he made his way upstairs, hoping his memories wouldn't keep him awake.  At least tomorrow was Saturday.

Ted awoke after a fitful night's sleep and tried to get dressed without waking Sally.  She loved sleeping in on Saturdays.  Ted stepped carefully around the mud puddles in the front yard as he made his way to his truck.  It looked like the storms from last night had blown through and today was going to be gorgeous. 

Ted pulled up at Sam's place and saw Sam, right where he had been last time.  Ted shut off his truck and sat there for a minute staring out the windshield.  As if making up his mind he got out and walked slowly up to the gate.  As he stepped through the gate and onto the cool grass, he felt all the old emotion coming back.  Ted walked up to his son and looked down at the granite stone.

Samuel Theodore Tennent
1981-2001
Loving Son

Visit by Andrew Gatlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.