Going Home

by Jan Prins

  And so the days went by in the hope that there would be a breakthrough at some point.

  At the Bowie High School, Zach was in his class where teacher Gerrard again taught a course in social studies. He felt tired and empty. Everything that had happened in recent times had not left him in the cold clothes. He also went to bed too late, once you were trying to crack a computer, you went on too long and your mind became very tired.

  “Zach, are you still here?” The teacher asked “Stay with me, otherwise you will not get this year!” Zach looked at him angrily but also guiltily, that man could not help it either! What a situation it is! But he listened as well as possible to the lesson about labor inequality between man and woman.

  After the lesson, Gerrard asked Zach to stay for a while. “How is your boy doing now, after that last incident?” Zach tried to reassure his teacher, but he did not give up quickly ”” Fine, great! But I still think that in the last few weeks you are different than before. Are you sometimes bothered? Or do you have a problem? ”” No, no, nothing is wrong. Have just been busy with baseball. Because I have passed this High School I also have to think about my future. Last week I was offered a scholarship for the University for next year at Bowie State University. I am very happy with that and I have to think a lot about that “, Zach tried to reassure his teacher Gerrard.

  “Boy, great, congratulations. Thank you for having such an opportunity. Your parents will be happy! “. There was a shadow over Zach’s face as he dutifully replied that this was of course the case. “Well you look like that again, Zach! There is something with you. If you want to talk about it, you can always contact me, you know that, but you can also go to the confidant who we have at the school. He is committed to helping pupils who have problems in confidence, at least to try that. I seriously recommend that if there is something, that you go there. “

  With the promise that if there were anything he would do, Zach could finally leave the class. He immediately went on to baseball training and played even more fanatically than before. But an observant observer could see the tears running down his face; his baseball cap hid his grief somewhat, because he felt very alone.

  The next day was a Saturday and Zach had it all. When he came home the night before after training, he had gone to bed immediately with an excuse. Merry had looked surprised, but she was chatting with her friend Anna, so she did not ask anything. Now, the next day, after breakfast, he had gone straight to his baseball friends. They played a game and went into town afterwards and ate in the 7-Eleven. In the evening they went to the disco together and enjoyed dancing with some nice girls while the local disk jockey provided the music.

  Worked up and refurbished, he stepped into Teal Lane 13 around one o’clock that night. To his surprise, the light was still burning in the living room. Once in the room, he saw Merry and Ethan lying close to each other on the couch. Flashing, Merry opened her eyes and said, threateningly, “Where the hell are you from?” “Well, I went to the city with friends and then to the disco and …..” “How can you leave us alone without what to say. This is very faint of your Zach, I never thought of you. I am very angry about it and I do not want it to happen again!! “

  “Well, quietly a bit. I was just fed up and was sad. That’s why I wanted something else ….. ”” How do you think I feel and then that little stumper who does not understand anything at all. No, I understand that you feel that way and that you are tired of it, but there are others who feel that way. We stand together for it and I really mean TOGETHER!! “

  Zach looked at her guilty “You’re right, my apologies, it will not happen again” and he gave her a fool, but also with tears in her eyes, a kiss and saw that he was not the only one with tears…

  Bankruptcy

  It was a special day today: it was the date that their father had died. It was a long time ago, but that day they always stood still. Traditionally, the whole family went to his grave and laid a flower arrangement there and prayed with each other.

  Ethan did not understand it until Merry explained to him that somewhere else they had a small garden and that they had to go there to clean it. She gave him a small rake and a shovel, then he could help. He wanted to go immediately enthusiastically.

  Although mother Carolyn was not there, they felt morally obliged to follow this tradition, so they went on their way to buy a flower arrangement first, then cycled back to Cresthill Baptist Sematary with Ethan, where the grave was. .

  It was very far away, but after half an hour they were there anyway. They got off, lifted Ethan out of the bicycle seat and put the bikes away and locked. Hand in hand they were impressed by the surroundings of the cemetery. Dig endless rows with sometimes beautiful and moving texts on it. Silently and timidly they walked to where the grave of their father was. Despite the years that had passed, they saddened the flower arrangement on the grave. Merry put it nicely down to his name. They took each other by the hands again and Zach spoke a prayer softly and together they ended up with the Our Father. They stood there for a while in silence, realizing once again that they were missing him, especially now that their mother had so abandoned them.

  Before they left, they inspected the grave if everything was tidy. Ethan raked around in the ground, and Zach wiped some leaves from the tombstone. Suddenly he kept looking very attentively at a spot on the back of the stone. “What do you see?” Merry asked. “Come and see” he replied “it seems like a keyhole here”. “Yes, yes, you see them flying in my opinion!” But she went to look and she had to agree with her brother. “Do not understand, what can that mean?” Zach did not say anything but pulled out a bunch of keys from his pocket. “Are not they the keys of mother?” Merry see surprised?

  XX He did not answer but nodded and tried to see if a key would fit and yes that very special key, that little key, fitted, and a door jumped into the tombstone! They stared together in the created space, while the little Ethan was busy playing with some stones. Merry first met her positives and pulled out some papers, passports, a USB stick and a prepaid phone. Bewildered, they looked at it and the track was totally lost.

  “Let’s go” they said to each other “It just gets too much for me, I do not understand anything anymore”. So they went to the exit and ran into the reverend. “How are you guys?” He asked dutifully, but also interested. “It is a sad day today” Zach said tactically “But otherwise things go well”. “Fortunately. Then you are better off than that tinted woman who visits the grave of your father every week. She is always so sad and crying a lot. Is that family of you? “Bewildered, they looked at him. “No Reverend, probably a colleague of his,” Merry thought on the spot “But we have to go now otherwise we’ll be late at school, Thanks for your interest Reverend” And they did not know how fast they had to leave this dungeon. It does not have to be crazier!

  A day later on the way to the Benjamin Tasker Middle School she met her friend Anna and together they entered the exam class. The tension was gone, because they were both successful, but the last few weeks some points were put on the i. They received training in how to apply and how to write a good Curriculum Vitae (CV). There was also a lot of attention for presentation, how they could present themselves as well as possible if they were going to apply. There was even a short training how they could best prepare and dress. In this way they would be equipped as well as possible for the real world that awaited them.

  But they also had to do preparatory work for school as a concept for their CV. But that was just the point: Merry had no time for that and that was bothering her. She had never been like that and now at the end of her school time.

  Merry found it: The teacher was happy today in a good mood and did not say much about it, but the feeling of failure stayed with her.

  In the lunch break she and her friends gathered in the cafeteria of the school and took out Cola and snacks from the vending machines. They immediately made plans to go out to a disco because they were always hunting for a good hun
k they wanted to decorate. You are in the puberty or not!

  “Will we go to the disco in the Center for the Performing Arts Saturday? There comes a disk jockey from New York that seems to be the end. The papers are already full of them “, Anna suggested. Everyone reacted enthusiastically, but Merry swallowed, she could not join. “Too bad, but I can not. Have already made a babysitter appointment for that Saturday, maybe the next time “she said with great reluctance, again a lie!

  The other girls looked at her strangely. “Do not get any of it. You were always one of the first to join and you were not able to turn off the dance floor and now you can not? Have you already said that to your friend Johnny? ”” Johnny is not my boyfriend, he was a flirt “said Merry brightly! “Yes, yes they always say that in the beginning”. “Well anyway. And I also think it’s a shame, but I can not “said Merry” Well we think that’s a great pity, you just belong there! “The rest joked.

  The break was over by now and they were walking back to the classroom, but Merry felt guilty about her friends. Ah, if they did know, she thought to herself and was somewhat sick of that thought back in its place.

  Coming home with Ethan she had a surprise for him, she had rented a film for him so that if he was watching, she could work on creating a nice CV for school.

  That worked well and soon Ethen was immersed in a beautiful Disney movie and she was working on her computer when the house phone suddenly disturbed the peace. As soon as she had picked up the phone, an angry man’s voice began to ring through the receiver. With some difficulty she managed to make that voice quieter and asked the man he was calling for.

  “Well, I’ll make that very clear to you, Mrs Plump. Why did you spend an uncovered check in my hotel? “Merry did not know what she heard” I have not been in a hotel at all ”” Not even in New Mexico? ”” No, no, but sir, who do you think you speak? ”” Well, of course, with Mrs. Plump - White “. “Oh, now I understand, that is my mother,” Merry said in astonishment. “You speak with her daughter Merry, my mother Carolyn has been away for weeks and we do not know where she is”.

  That made a big impression on the angry man, he had to deal with that for a little while after which he humbly asked if that was really what she said. After hearing the confirmation he asked if it was okay if he could call again if her mother came home.

  “Of course you can! I really hope she is there, because we miss her too! “Said Merry with an emotional voice. “Sorry Merry, that I was so overwhelmed and confused, but I’m only trying to get my money back. Your mother spent a week in our small hotel, without paying. You will hopefully understand that this is a big noose for us “. “I understand sir, it is very annoying for you, but I really can not help you. good evening “and she put the receiver on the hook.

  Zach did not come home to dinner because he had extra baseball training, so they ate that evening some chips and chicken nuggets together. No more than an hour had passed since the phone rang again! This time it was Miss Megan from the school of the little Ethan. And of course she asked her mother, to whom Merry could say nothing else than that her mother had not yet returned from her business trip and it was not known when that would be. In addition, there was a further complication because a family member had become seriously ill and was dying. mom would, after her business trip, travel directly there to take care of the sick and stay until after the funeral, when that would be of course not yet known.

  Miss Megan sounded clearly disappointed, but could not but accept this answer and end the conversation.

  “That was Miss Megan, you must have the greetings,” Merry said as Ethan looked at her curiously. “It’s time to get you to bed, dude. Otherwise you will not be sleeping tomorrow “. And so the little one was brought up again and again followed the ritual of washing, brushing teeth, pajamas and of course reading aloud. After an hour the light was turned off and she could go downstairs to try again to make some of her resume.

  It was not much later that Zach came in after his training and Merry told him quickly about that strange phone call from New Mexico. “Zach, Zach come here quickly, I have something to tell you” and that’s where the story came. Merry saw that he looked more and more amazed and saw him grabbing his head. “New Mexico? New Mexico? What is she doing there? “He babbled. “Are you sure?” “Well, not me, but that hotel owner! She was really chasing her, because he had a big noose through her! “. Merry saw her brother fly up and walk furiously through the room. “We have to go straight away, he said, we have to figure this out. She will and must explain that to us, I will no longer take it!”

  “And you think you will find her and that hotel owner does not? Calm well dude, think first of all. It makes no sense at all to search in the blind. We first need to find out more. “She had to use a lot of persuasion before he got a bit calmer and came back to her.

  “But Zach, do you know what the worst is? That is that we can no longer use the checks. I think because I have withdrawn the money that was due to her checkout and that her check was not covered. Apparently there is insufficient money in the bank to use these checks any longer. If we do, I will still be arrested for bank fraud and then we will be even further from home! “

  Zach looked at her with a desperate and puzzled look, he did not say anything, he was speechless until he said “Then we are really bankrupt now!”.

  Work

  Merry looked at her brother “What should we do now, Zach. I do not know anymore”. Zach looked at her and did not know anything else than to say, “This just kicks the legs under you! Unbelievable! And all that because mom needed it! How could she have thought that we would save it as children? What naive! Well, there we are with the consequences of her actions, the loser! “

  “Relax well Zach, with scolding you do not lose anything. Would not we be able to go to work, or one of us? ”” But I have been at school all day, Merry, and next year I can go to the University with that scholarship, I can not let that chance happen? This gives me a chance for a great sports career and the chance to earn a lot “. “Yes, yes, I know Zach, well then I just have to find a job, there is nothing else. I would not go on studying anyway because I am not such a study globe as you, so it will just work. Then I should do that immediately and not after the holiday “.

  “But you had other plans? You had talked about it with Mom, did not you? “

  Merry turned her eyes to heaven “Whether I had that! I first wanted to spend a year in Australia, they call it backpacing. Explore the whole country and live on what you earn on the road with jobs. After that I would study foreign languages during Au Pair work in for example France, then I could learn French. But I also thought of Holland, which seems to be a nice little country. It is the only country in the world that has both a King and a Queen and the people all walk on clogs and there are all mills. They are also very rich because they save as crazy. That seemed nice to me! But, yes, it is no different, I am just going to work then we have no more money worries “

  “Merry, I would love it if you would, you give me a big chance and later I will definitely pay it back, I promise. It is a great self-sacrifice that you do, it is actually too much of you asked, you are only sixteen years old and then already take on such responsibility, it should not. But I am very grateful if you would do it !! “Merry and Zach looked each other deep in the eyes and their bond, which was already strong, became even more intense.

  Merry did not want to admit it to herself, and she would never say it, but if she went to work it also had a downside: she no longer had to do the housework and not fit Ethan anymore. She was so tired of sitting in the house and adjusting, she really wanted to. And if she worked then she was, then she saw at least other things than a small child and a house.

  “But do not you have to go to school? When does your holiday start? ”” Luckily, Zach is happy about a week, that’s good”.

  “We only have to find a solution for those who get Ethan out of school,” Merry said thoughtfu
lly. We have to think about that, because that lady is not for the cat!

  “That’s a truth like a cow” Zach said “will check on the internet if there is no after-school care or something like that”. “Good idea, do it later”. And so it was decided!

  “Let me go and see Zach right away. The sooner this has been solved the better “. Zach nodded in agreement when Merry pulled in her leather jacket and headed for the barn to take out her bike. Not much later, Zach saw her cycling along the side window in a flash and going up the street towards the city through the garden fence. Well, well, he knows about mitts, he said to himself and looked after her.

  Merry remembered that there were regular signs on which store staff were asked, so she wanted to look at it first. But - you will always see it - wherever she looked in the city center: no signs this time. But she did not give up so quickly and also cycled to the suburbs to look there, but not there either.

  Merry became a little angry, because this was too crazy that she did not see anything. Not knowing what to do she cycled back to the center. She looked for work again at all kinds of shops and restaurants, even walked inside to ask for it. Suddenly she saw her friends sitting in a snack bar from the corner of her eye, she was shocked: if they would see that she was looking for a job! She pretended not to see them and walked quickly. On a square she saw the window of an employment agency in which all kinds of functions were offered. But, of course, they did not have the years of experience that they asked for. She did not go inside for a little one to inform them.

  There were all kinds of signs on which staff were asked, but they did not look good. She walked to a young man, who, according to his nameplate, was called Jim, to ask him about it. He kindly welcomed her, offered her a seat and asked if she wanted a Coke. Well after all that cycling she felt like it and soon she asked Jim if he could help her with a job. Jim asked about her school education and if she had some experience with computers and what she could do there. He wrote the results on a form and asked Merry to fill in the rest, such as her personal details.