"I'm Coming Home"

Chase pulls his BMW into the drive and sits a moment staring up at the house. For the exception of the trees being bigger than he'd remembered nothing had changed. He get's out leaving his jacket and luggage for later and walks around the side of the house to the kitchen door knowing that's where he'd find his mother. He watches her through the screen humming to herself as she presses the lid down on a container and walks to the frig her bare feet slapping on the linoleum. She looked exactly as she did the last time he saw her still the prettiest "Mom" in town. He pulls open the door quietly tipping in and sneaking up behind her.
"Michael! I want to know when you're going to rake those leaves I told you about this morning!" She calls over her shoulder rearranging the item in the frig to fit the container in her hand.
"Ahhh Ma!" He whines laughing as she spins around stares at him dumbstruck and wide eyed.
"Chase!" She shouts jumping into his arms and squeezing him tight.
"Oh my God Chase!" She squeals happily squeezing him again.
"Hey beautiful!" He says kissing her cheek before letting go.
"Let me take a look at you!"
She Grasp his hands holding his arms out at his sides nodding in approval.
"You look real good come here!" She says hugging him again.
"It's so good to see you!" She giggles reaching up and caressing his cheek.
"It's really good to see you too Mom!" He steps back looking around the kitchen other than a fresh coat of paint it was still the same. He turns back towards her sniffing the air grinning from ear to ear.
"You baked a peach cobbler." He grins his mouth watering at the thought. Sharon smiles knowing that look since he was a little boy.
"Sit down I'll cut you a slice"
She turns and reaches into the cabinet for a plate talking as she works.
"Your father and I took a drive the other day and we stopped at the Amish Market." She says placing the slice of pie and a fork in front of him.
"You want ice cream?" She winks and smiles making him smile too.
"No, the pies fine." He says putting a forkful of cobbler in his mouth.
"Ummm!" He groans rolling his eyes in culinary ecstasy. "No one makes a peach cobbler like you! I've searched all over New York!" Sharon laughs reaching over and tousling his hair like she did when he was little making him laugh then places a fork full of pie in his mouth savoring the taste.
"And I'm sure you tried!" She gets up walks to the cabinet and pulls down a glass.
"There was this one place in Harlem that came close, even Preston said so!"
"How is Preston." She says returning to the table and setting a glass of milk in front of him then sits her leg crossed under her elbow on the table leaning her chin against her palm
 "Preston's great he'll be by later you can say hello.
"Good, been a long time since I've seen him too. This house gets so quiet,sometimes I miss you boys running through the house. grazing your way through my pantry!" They laugh.
"Speaking of eating those peaches wouldn't last for long."
"Still! Come to find out your father was the real culprit!" Chase laughs pushing the empty plate from him.
"No kidding, and he let us take the fall for that all these years wait till I see him!" He laughs and reaches for the glass in front of him. Sharron picks up the empty plate walks to the sink and turns on the spigot.
 "I meant to drop those off at your sisters this afternoon before he finishes them all." She rinses off the dish and places it in the rack then turns and leans against the counter.
"She still living out at Grand Pop's cabin?" He places the glass on the table and sits back in the chair.
"Yeah, your Dad and I were worried at first. Her being out there all by herself but then we find out Clay with her most nights and we felt a little better" She chuckles.
"She and Clay still together?" He smiles knowing the question was rhetorical. Sharron sighs and shrugs
 "Those two are just meant to be together. He's been in her heart as long as I can remember. Your Dad and I reconciled ourselves to that a long time ago."
"So I guess they're still hiding from Jay?" He looks at her and shakes his head. "The man still thinks he can control everything and everyone." Sharron nods her head in agreement.
"You know what they say about old dogs"  
"Where's Dad? I thought he'd be home by now?" He glances up at the clock on the wall.
"He drove to Harrisburg this morning he should be back pretty soon. He's been hold up in his office for the past month working on some project then last night he said he had to dive in to Harrisburg to file some papers." She shrugs picking up the empty glass and carrying to the sink. Chase looks down at his shirt unable to look at her directly. He promised his Dad they would tell her together he hadn't expected him not to be here yet.He turns his head as an engine pulls into the driveway hoping it was his father or anyone before the conversation turned back to the eventual topic the reason for his homecoming. He turns his head at the sound of footsteps coming up the porch steps smiling broadly as his brother comes through the door.
"Mom, who's ca...Chase?" He stops mid sentence catching sight of his brother and grinning from ear to ear he throws his arms around him slapping him hard on the back.
"Chase!"
"Wow! You got big!" He steps back smiling at as he examines him head to toe.
"You too man! But in a good way!" He teases slapping him on the back then ducking away and laughing.
"Yeah I can still take you!" He says reaching out and pulling his brother's arm pinning it behind his back then letting go making them both laugh.
"So how are you doing?" Chase asks then smirks at the sly grin on his brothers face signaling he wasn't doing much of anything.
"I'm okay! That your car outside?" He says hitching his thumb towards the window.
"Yeah, I drove here from New York." He smiles proudly.
"Sweet!" Michael walks to the window and looks out admiring the car then turns to his mother.
"Mom, do we have any cobbler left?" Sharron looks at him and swats him with the dish towel.
"Hi Mom how was your day? Fine how was yours? Good! Is there any cobbler left?" She chastises making him him laugh at himself.
"Hi Mom! How was your day?" He mocks playfully making her laugh,
"Yeah in the frig help yourself just leave your father a piece." She walks to the sink filling the urn for the coffee pot.
"Your Dad should be home any second I was going to make some coffee you boys want some?" She say turning off the water and waiting a second. Michael shakes his head no.
"I'm going to shower and change going over to "Rowdy's" for a little while" He says slicing off a hunk of cobbler and putting it on a plate.
"I'll take some." Chase walks to the island and stand next his brother waiting for his mother to turn back toward the sink to fill the pot before breaking off a piece of the cobbler and popping it in his mouth. Sharon smiles to herself and shakes her head.
"I saw that get a plate! Oh, and your father just pulled in the driveway!" Michael turns to his brother looks at him his expression quizzical.
"How does she do that?" They both laugh turning their heads as their father comes through the door.
"Hey Dad!" Chase says coming around the island to hug his father.
"Oh great! You made it!" He says hugging him back then reaching for his wife.
"Hey honey" He leans down kissing and hugging her.
"Hey" She says kissing him quickly looking from her husband to her son confused.
"You knew he was coming?" Hank gives her a sheepish grin then looks to his son the later answering before he can speak.
"I wanted it to be a surprise"
"Well I was surprised alright! I'm just hoping it's not for just a couple of days." Chase grins looks to his father who nods in agreement.
"No, Mom it's for more than a couple of days, I'm back to stay." Sharron's eyes open wide her hands flying to her mouth. She runs to him hugging him tight.
"That is the best news I've had in like forever!"
"Wait there's more." He says pulling away from her.
"You know Grand Pop's old mill" Michael's eyes open wide.
"You're the one that bought the mill? Holy shhh" He trails off getting a quelling look from his mother.
"Crap!"
"Preston, Wellington and I. Dad went to Harrisburg this morning and filed the final papers and Flee did the artwork for us although she thought it was for some project I was working on, but I'm sure she figured it out by now since they hung the sign this morning." Sharon's mouth drops open her eyes wide with shock.
"I heard that somebody bought the mill I had no idea... how did you?" She turns toward Hank's grinning face.
"Was this what you been working on for the past month?" She looks at her husband her expression a mixture of pride, fear and hope.
"I asked him not to tell anybody not even you. We wanted to make sure that Stockton didn't get wind of it before we could make sure it would happen. We'll be fully operational within a week and there's nothing Stockton or anyone else can do to stop us!" He says with pride he and his father pat each other on back joined by Michael who jumps up and down cheering. Chase rattles on about what he would be doing with the mill. Sharron watches them a smile plastered on her face only half listening all with a mixture of pride and horror as her mind runs wild. When Jay found out about this there would be holy hell, but she was also proud of her son and what'd he'd managed to accomplish. Maybe it was time the Van Dorns stopped living in the shadows and took their rightful place in this town again. Yet a voice gnawed at her. Being in the light meant exposing their lives to the bright light of inspection and perhaps exposing things that were better off buried in the darkness of the past.
"What do you think Mom? You ready for this new chapter in the Van Dorn family history?" He turns to her all of them grinning like they'd all swallowed the proverbial canary. She smiles earnestly deciding to shove her worries and doubts to the back of her mind and enjoy her sons moment.
"I'm really happy and proud of you baby" She says kissing and hugging him tight. Hank catches the eye of his wife over his son's shoulder and see the dull light of worry there. He worried too but whether or not it was time for that secret to come out only time could tell. He did know however, it was time for them to stop living in fear of it.




  "Harbinger Falls" Copyright 2014