Afflicted

"They were saying there was an issue with the delivery vehicles. They gave the impression the drivers had gone on strike but it seemed like there was something else going on." Mom shrugged and I nodded vaguely.

"You can shower first Lacey," I said as I pointed towards the last door leading out of the living area. There were three other doors which all led to bedrooms along the left side of the room while the rest of the space held a dining table and a curving couch.

"You're the best!" She planted a kiss on my cheek before running for the bathroom. I laughed as she went and my mom smiled at the two of us.

"You two are so funny. Did you come all this way at the crack of dawn just so you could have a shower?"

"No, we wanted to come and check out a mall that Lacey heard about. The shower is just a bonus," I admitted.

"Did Lincoln come back home in the end?" Mom asked, keeping her eyes on the pan.

"Yeah. And before you ask, he isn't mad at me after all."

Mom looked up at me happily. "Didn't I say-"

"Yeah I know. A lot of worrying for nothing. He never even knew it was me who called the police," I sighed. I had wasted a lot of time worrying about him over the years, thinking I'd done the wrong thing but not knowing what else I could have done either. I wished I'd just found a way to contact him sooner. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache.

"Well at least now you can move on from it. I hated the way it haunted you-"

"I wasn't haunted," I complained.

"You know what I mean. I'm just glad that it's finally been put to bed. How is he anyway? I bet he's changed a lot."

"Yeah, Reese actually invited him in to have pizza with us last night."

"And?" Mom asked curiously as she threw more ingredients into the pan.

"He's a Marine now. And Jason was crazy impressed with his rank so he must be doing well at it."

"Wow. I'm so pleased that he found something like that. He deserves to have something good in his life that's just his. After everything his father did..." She shook her head irritably before continuing. "I'd like to catch up with him while he's in town. I hope he stops by again."

"He was asking after you and Dad,

I'm sure he'll pop in if he can."

Neither of us suggested going over to call on him. Our family hadn't been welcome at his house since that day six years ago and his mother never so much as looked at us until recently. I'd run into his dad out on the street one day and he'd spat on the ground at my feet before turning his back on me and returning to his house. After he died, Mom had found Diane crying in the back yard one day and had gone over to console her. That's how we'd found out about Lincoln coming home. None of us had seen or spoken to her since but we wondered if she might become more friendly now that Nathaniel’s shadow wasn't cast over her anymore.

"That was heaven," Lacey said happily as she returned to the room. Her hair was wrapped in a towel but she'd gotten dressed again.

"Do I have time before breakfast is ready?" I asked as I started to move towards the bathroom.

"If you hurry," Mom said.

I made it into the bathroom just as I heard Mom and Lacey start making small talk about school. I turned the shower on and smiled at the sound of the running water as I quickly stripped off and stepped under the hot flow.

After showering for way longer than was necessary, I quickly dressed again and redid my makeup, squinting in the steamy mirror to apply it.

By the time I returned to the front room, my dad was up and the three of them were eating breakfast at the dining table. Dad had my dark hair but Reese had gotten his muscular build. He was a big man, and his physical job had kept him strong and fit enough to still beat me and Reese at most sports. I hurried to join them before my food went cold and enjoyed the taste of my mom's cooking for the first time in four days.

"So you girls are off to the mall then?" Dad asked with as much interest as he could fake for a shopping trip. His plate was piled twice as high as mine but he was at least twice as big so I didn't complain. He was sat at the head of the table so that he didn't knock anyone with his elbows while he devoured his meal.

"You can come if you like?" I joked. "Or just give me some extra money to make sure I get something good." I knew there wasn't much chance of that but it was always worth a try.

"I suppose I could stretch to a bit of a treat for my favourite girl. At least enough to make sure the two of you have a nice lunch."

"Really?" I asked hopefully as he reached for his wallet.

"What's my job worth if I can't spoil my kids every now and then?" He handed over a few rolled up notes and I grinned excitedly at Lacey. "That mall has a great restaurant on the ninety fourth floor," he suggested.