Page 1 of Family Affair

Chapter 1

Coming home was a mistake.

The realization came to Cade too late. He was already rolling into town, fighting traffic, blinded by the setting sun that hit him from the side window. The hair on the back of his neck stood up from all his senses being triggered as he navigated the web of streets that were both long forgotten and familiar. By the time he reached Alex’s house, a sick feeling of doom settled in the pit of his stomach.

He exited his truck and stood in his brother’s driveway, absorbing the scenery.

It was hot. Sticky. Noisy from the myriad of katydids and frogs harmonizing in that special way that made Southern summer nights tangibly alive. Evening sunlight streamed through the branches of a great mossy oak tree. It was poignant and beautiful. It felt like home, and he was repelled by it.

Swatting at a mosquito latched onto his neck, Cade walked to the door and banged on it.

In an anticlimactic development, no one answered.

He tried the door and found it unlocked.

“Huh.” Odd. It wasn’t like Alex to throw caution to the wind.

He came inside and locked the door behind him.

“Anybody home?” he hollered and listened to the ensuing silence.

A faint sound of a jump reached him from upstairs, followed by a patter of feet running, getting closer.

“Uncle Cade! Uncle Cade! Cary, Uncle Cade’s here!”

Little Ricky erupted onto the landing and bounded down the stairs, barreling into him with all the excessive energy and zero inhibition of a kindergartner.

“Hey, Rick! Fancy seeing you here.” Taken aback, Cade had to clear his throat to get a greeting out that was jovial and friendly. He hadn’t expected Alex’s children to be here. Why had he not expected his children?

He lifted Ricky’s bony squirming body into his arms. His heart squeezed warmly at holding the boy against his chest, feeling his sweet child’s breath on his face. “Look at you, almost as tall as I am.”

Caroline appeared in the door and halted, visibly overcome by indecision. How she’d grown!

He squinted at Caroline, in part playing, in part to conceal that his throat suddenly closed up from emotions that sprung out of nowhere. “And who is this young lady? I can’t say I recognize her.”

Ricky giggled into his ear. “That’s Cary!”

“You mean, your sister Cary?”

“Yeah, Cary! Who else?”

“I don’t know. It can’t be Cary. The Cary I know wears princess dresses and has her hair in pigtails.”

Put at ease by his playful tone, Caroline dashed across the room and hugged him tightly. “Uncle Cade!Nobodywears pigtails in fifth grade.”

He hugged her back.

In moments like this, he almost wished he had children of his own.

But then again, what did he know about fatherhood? His own experiences as a son taught him that a father was someone you were better off avoiding, at all costs and for a good reason. With an outlook like this, he didn’t dare imagine himself taking on a fatherly role.

“Is your dad home?”

“In his bedroom. He’s sleeping.” Ricky giggled again.

Cade checked his watch although he was pretty sure about the time.

“It’s seven o’clock. Is he sick?”