Redemption

by Phil M. Williams

  “He hasn’t said much. My mom’s worried that he’ll get COVID. Thankfully, we don’t have any riots around here.”

  Frank smirked. “Because everyone has a gun.”

  The rumble of a flat-six Porsche engine followed the screech of tires in the driveway.

  April turned around, facing the back of the garage, but still standing next to Frank. “I think that’s Aunt Susie.”

  Frank checked his watch and chuckled. “Your grandmother told her that we were eating at noon.”

  Susie marched between the garage and the house to the backyard, carrying an envelope. She made a beeline for Michelle.

  “Hi, honey,” Ruth said, standing from the picnic table to greet her daughter.

  But Susie ignored Ruth, glowering at Michelle. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

  “About what?” Michelle asked, standing from the picnic table.

  “Inside.”

  Michelle and Susie entered the house through the back door.

  April turned to Frank. “What do you think that’s about?”

  “I don’t know. Let them work it out.” Frank removed another burger from the grill. “We’re about ready to eat. Why don’t you go get Travis and your brothers?”

  “Okay.” April walked back toward the picnic table at the opposite end of the deck.

  Ruth was setting the picnic table with American flag–themed paper plates and cups. April stepped off the deck and walked into the lush lawn. Travis played quarterback, and Dylan ran pass patterns against his twin brother, Lance. Travis launched a bomb over Lance’s head, dropping the football into Dylan’s hands for the touchdown.

  Dylan spiked the Nerf football. “You got burnt.”

  “Shut up,” Lance replied, with slumped shoulders. “I burned you last time.”

  Her twin brothers were fourteen and big for their age—nearly six-feet tall.

  “Burgers are ready,” April called out to Travis and her brothers.

  “We’re coming,” Travis said, holding up his hand.

  April turned around to walk back to the deck. A Nerf football sailed through the air and bounced off the side of her head, nearly knocking her off her feet. She steadied herself and turned to her brothers, with a look that could kill.

  “Sorry,” Dylan called out, raising his hand. “It got away from me.”

  Lance laughed into his fist.

  “You all right?” Travis called out, suppressing a grin.

  April touched the side of her head. No damage. “I’m fine.” She went back to Ruth and the picnic table. Muffled voices came from the house. April gestured to the house. “What’s going on with my mom and Aunt Susie?”

  Ruth removed cling wrap from the bowl of macaroni salad and looked up. “I don’t know.”

  April pivoted to go inside.

  “Don’t bother them, sweetheart.”

  April turned to Ruth. “I have to use the bathroom.”

  Ruth nodded.

  April went inside. Voices came from one of the bedrooms. She walked past the dining room to the hallway that led to the bedrooms and the bathroom. She crept down the hallway, the voices increasing in volume with each step. They were in Michelle’s childhood bedroom, with the door shut. April tiptoed near the bedroom and cupped her ear to the door.

  “I thought he was in for forty-five years,” Michelle said. “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I,” Susie replied. “I got this letter that says he was released yesterday.”

  “Is there anything that we can do?”

  “I doubt it. It’s done. Now Becky and I have to go through it all over again. I can’t believe this is happening. This is your fault. You let him into our lives.”

  Michelle’s voice was whiny. “It’s his fault. Not mine. I had no idea. You know that.”

  “Do I?”

  “I’m not a liar. When have I ever lied?”

  “You have a child who looks like Jason.”

  What the hell does that mean? April thought about the fact that she didn’t look like her father.

  Chapter 73: Too Many Questions

  “Susie was on the rag,” Travis said, slouched in the front passenger seat.

  April glanced from the road to Travis, frowning. “Don’t say that. It’s misogynistic.”

  “Whatever. She was being a total bitch. You seem mad too.” He paused. “I mean, you’re not a bitch or anything, but you seem a little mad too.”

  April turned onto Valley View Boulevard. “I heard Susie and my mom arguing.” They drove by the Dairy Queen and the Weis Market.

  Travis sat up straighter in his seat. “Really? What did they say?”

  “I didn’t hear the whole argument, but it sounded like some man was released from prison, and Susie’s super pissed about it.”

  “What did he do?”

  April glanced from the road to Travis and back again. “I don’t know. It must’ve been something bad though. He was supposed to be in prison for forty-five years, but he got out early for some reason.”

  “Maybe he’s one of Susie’s sketchy ex-boyfriends.”

  “I thought that too, but Susie said it was my mother’s fault that this guy was around them. She said something about her and Becky having to go through something again. I got the impression that this guy did something to Becky and Susie. Maybe he was my mother’s ex-boyfriend?”

  “Why don’t you ask your mom?”

  April gripped the steering wheel, stopped at a traffic light. “My mother said she wasn’t a liar, but then Susie said, ‘You have a child who looks like Jason.’”

  Travis drew his eyebrows together. “What does that mean?”

  “Do you think I look like my dad?”

  A horn came from behind them.

  April looked up at the green light and pressed on the accelerator. They drove past a Subway and a Burger King.

  Travis said, “You look like your mom. I don’t get it. Are you saying this Jason person could be your father?”

  April swallowed hard. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “That can’t be right. That would mean your parents have been lying to you, like … your whole life.”

  “I know.”

  Travis shook his head. “Damn.”

  They drove past the cemetery and neared Travis’s neighborhood.

  “I have to talk to my mom.”

  Travis pointed to his street. “Can you drop me off at home?”

  April switched lanes and slowed the car. “You don’t want to come over?”

  “You should talk to your mom alone.”

  April pursed her lips and turned onto Sycamore Street. “I guess I’ll call you later then.”

  “Yeah, cool.”

  April drove into a small neighborhood of vinyl-sided split levels. She parked in Travis’s driveway. “You’re not going to that party, are you?”

  “Nah. I don’t think so.” He smirked. “I don’t wanna quarantine for two weeks.” Travis leaned over and kissed April, slipping his tongue into her mouth. When they separated, he said, “Good luck talking to your mom. I’m sure there’s a reason.”

  “I hope so.”

  Travis exited the Honda, waving to April, as he walked toward his parents’ front door.

  April drove home, which was only two miles from Travis’s house. She parked along the curb in front of a white colonial with black shutters and a basketball hoop in the driveway. She used to park in the driveway, until Dylan and Lance dented her hood with their basketball.

  April exited her car, walked up the driveway and walkway, and entered the front door. Dylan and Lance were playing video football in the living room.

  “You suck,” Lance said.

  Dylan threw his controller. “Whatever. You were lucky.”

  April stopped at the edge of the living room. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Don’t know,” Lance replied.

  April went upstairs to the master bedroom. She knocked on the door.

  No answer.

/>   April knocked harder.

  “Who is it?” Michelle called out.

  “It’s me,” April replied. “I need to talk to you.”

  There was a long pause. “Come in.”

  April entered her parents’ bedroom. The room was dominated by a king-size bed and framed by dressers and bedside tables. Her mother sat up in bed, her back against the headboard, the covers over her legs.

  April approached the bedside. “Are you okay?”

  Michelle’s eyes were puffy. “I’m fine. What do you need?” April’s mother was nearly fifty, but she could pass for thirty-five. She had deep laugh lines and crow’s feet, but she also had high cheekbones and a toned body.

  “Did something happen with you and Aunt Susie?”

  “We’re fine. Don’t worry.”

  April sat on the edge of the bed, her head turned to her mother. “I heard you two arguing.”

  Michelle knitted her brow. “You were eavesdropping?”

  “Who’s Jason?”

  Michelle’s face reddened. “He’s nobody.”

  April cocked her head. “I don’t think that’s true. What did he do to Susie and Becky?”

  “What did you hear?”

  April narrowed her eyes. “Does it matter? What’s this about?”

  Michelle shook her head. “This isn’t any of your concern. This is between your aunt Susie and me. I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  April took a deep breath. “Is dad really my biological father?”

  Michelle’s body went rigid. Her eyes bulged. “What? Why would you say something so awful?”

  “Is he?”

  “Of course he’s your biological father. Don’t ever let your father hear you talk like that. You’ll break his heart.”

  April chewed on her lower lip.

  Michelle reached out and took her daughter’s hand. “You must’ve heard something out of context, which is why you shouldn’t be eavesdropping.”

  April hung her head. “Susie accused you of lying and said, ‘You have a child who looks like Jason.’ She was talking about me, wasn’t she? I don’t look like Dad.”

  Michelle let out a heavy exhalation. “What I’m about to tell you has to stay between us. Okay?”

  April raised her gaze and nodded. “Okay.”

  Michelle hesitated for a moment. “I was married before your father.”

  April arched her eyebrows, her eyes wide open. “What? Nobody ever told me that.”

  “It’s not a chapter of my life that I’m particularly proud of.”

  “Why?”

  “Well …” Michelle swallowed hard. “He was convicted of molesting Becky, when she was six.”

  April was slack-jawed. “Oh my God. That’s awful.”

  Michelle nodded. “Now he’s out of prison, and Susie’s mad at me because, on some level, she blames me for bringing him around our family.” Michelle dipped her head. “If it wasn’t for me, that never would’ve happened to Becky.”

  “Oh, Mom. That’s not your fault.”

  Michelle raised her head. “Well, I still feel terrible about the whole thing, and there’s nothing I can do to fix it. I tried to help Becky, but I didn’t do a very good job, I guess.”

  “You’re not a psychologist.”

  Michelle shook her head again. “I don’t think they helped much either.”

  April’s mouth turned down. “Why did Aunt Susie say that I look like him?”

  “When all this happened, I separated from Jason, and I got together with your father very quickly. We were high school and college sweethearts. I got pregnant right away. You weren’t planned, but we were thrilled to have you. You were this blessing, and I needed a blessing after everything that had happened. When your aunt Susie gets mad at me, she likes to throw that in my face, just to be mean, but it’s not true.” Michelle leaned toward her daughter, holding her gaze, and still holding her hand. “I’m 100 percent certain that your father is your biological father. Jason has absolutely nothing to do with you, and he never will.”

  Chapter 74: The Party

  April climbed into bed with her phone. She thought about calling Travis, but they’d spoken earlier on the phone, after April had talked to her mother. She sent a text instead.

  April: Thank you for listening to me earlier. I love you. Good night.

  April set her phone on her bedside table and turned off the lamp. She tossed and turned, replaying the conversation she’d had with her mother. It had ended amicably, with her mother answering all her questions, but something still nagged April. I think she’s hiding something.

  Her phone buzzed with a text. April grabbed her phone from the bedside table, expecting a reply from Travis. She glanced at the time on her phone—12:07 a.m.—then checked the text.

  Becky: Hey PP. Your bf all over some skank

  PP was an abbreviation for April’s nickname that Becky had bestowed on her many years ago. A picture was attached to the text, showing Travis with his arm around Kyra, his hand gripping her hip, and his other hand gripping a red Solo cup. Kyra was seventeen, a recent high school graduate, and known as the school slut. April’s entire body tensed. She sent a text to Travis.

  April: CALL ME NOW!!!

  April stared at her phone, her stomach turning, waiting for Travis to call back. After exactly five minutes, she called Travis. Her call went straight to voice mail. She slammed her phone on the bedside table. It might’ve broken, if it wasn’t in a protective case.

  She turned on her lamp and climbed out of bed. She threw on a pair of jeans, a bra, and a T-shirt. April grabbed her keys and her purse, slipped on her sneakers, and left her room. The hallway was dark, the house dead quiet. She tiptoed downstairs, out the front door, and across the lawn to her car. Her sneakers got wet from the dew on the grass.

  April drove across town to Sylvan Heights, otherwise known as Sylvan Snobs. Travis’s best friend, Connor, lived in Sylvan Heights, with the rest of the rich kids and the Loganville elite.

  April drove into the neighborhood, driving faster than normal. McMansions sat on half-acre lots with four-car garages and hilly lawns. April followed the winding road past the sleepy houses. A deer bounded into the street, illuminated by her headlights. April slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt, narrowly missing the animal. The doe bolted across the road. followed by three of her buddies. April sat in her car, catching her breath for a minute.

  She resumed her trip, following the curvy road to the back of the neighborhood. Connor’s parents’ house was the last house on the dead-end street. The Tudor-styled home backed up to state game lands. Connor’s mother was a professor, and his father was a novelist. They often traveled, leaving their nineteen-year-old to his own devices.

  Two dozen cars were parked in the driveway and along the curb in front of the house, including Becky’s yellow Corvette. Music came from the house but not loud enough to disturb the neighbors. April parked her car along the curb. She put on her surgical mask and slipped her little bottle of hand sanitizer in her pocket.

  Then she walked up to the house. A couple, who she recognized but didn’t know, argued in the driveway. April walked by them, taking a wide berth. She eyed the front doorknob, thinking about all the hands that had touched it. She took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside, without knocking.

  A techno beat came from the basement. The pitched foyer had exposed beams and wood floors in a herringbone pattern. April squirted hand sanitizer in her hands and rubbed them together. She walked beyond the foyer, into the dimly lit living room, scanning the area for Travis. Couples made out on the couches, but she didn’t see Travis. She was the only person wearing a mask. She did see a few people she knew, but she didn’t want to interrupt.

  April turned and followed the techno beat to the basement. The thump of bass and the hooting and cheering of boys increased, as she descended the steps. The basement was decorated like a ski lodge, with dark wood, dark leather furniture, and exposed
beams overhead. A wet bar, displaying a wide array of alcohol, sat at the far end of the basement. The boys stood in front of the sectional couch in a circle, cheering and whistling. April approached the crowd. She stood on the leather couch to see over the crowd.

  Becky gyrated to the techno beat, standing on impossibly high heels, and not wearing a stitch of clothing. She was thin and blond, with fake breasts. The boys threw money at her. April wondered if that was what boys wanted. Becky bent over and the crowd went wild. April gawked, unable to look away, like it was a bad accident. Becky slowly stood, biting her lower lip, and giving a good show. As she stood upright, she locked eyes with April.

  April dipped her head, not wanting to see anymore. She turned, climbed over the back of the couch, and ran up the stairs, back to the living room. April walked into the kitchen, catching her breath. A group of boys huddled around a keg, chugging beer from red Solo cups. A group of girls sat at the counter, chatting and nursing their drinks. She recognized three of the girls from high school.

  April approached them. “Hey. Have you seen Travis Redner?”

  A raven-haired girl with clusters of bracelets and a low-cut shirt smirked at April. “What?”

  April pulled down her mask, hoping she was a safe-enough distance away from them. “Have you seen Travis Redner?”

  “I think he’s upstairs.”

  “Thanks.” April pulled up her mask. When April turned to go upstairs, the group of girls burst into laughter.

  She climbed the stairs to the second-floor hallway and bedrooms. She crept down the hallway. Doors on either side of her were shut. Giggles came from one room. Moans and a squeaky mattress came from another. A bathroom door was open and unoccupied. At the end of the hall, the door to the master bedroom was shut. She raised her hand to knock.

  A door opened behind her.

  April turned to see Kyra, exiting one of the guest bedrooms. Kyra turned her head back to the room and said, “I’ll be right back.”