Page 78 of Surviving Lies

“And I am going to head home early to be with you,” Lanie continued.

“You don’t need to do that,” I said, but inside I was happy. “Let me go. I want to get out of here so Ty doesn’t find me.”

We hung up.

And I drove home.

To my parents’ house.

I didn’t know what to expect when I got there since my family had no idea I was headed home. Forty-five minutes later, I pulled into my driveway, which, per usual, was littered with bikes and scooters. My mom’s car was there, but not my dad’s. Since it was a weekend, it would be hard to know if they would be working or not.

My dad was a high-profile executive at a financial firm. He worked long hours that required him to work on the weekends most times. My mom did HR for her company. She’d been able to do more remote work in the past few years. One would think that would give her more time to be a “mom,” but it didn’t seem to. Once I went off to school, they needed to hire a babysitter for the after-school hours.

My parents relied heavily on me to help with my brothers. And the house. On top of doing my homework while I was still in high school.

I couldn’t wait to go away to college.

And every time I visited, the responsibilities and expectations remained the same. It was assumed that I was the “second mom” in the household. Honestly, Jonah and Sam came to me more than Mom when I was home. They knew I would take care of things quicker than she would.

It wasn’t that my parents didn’t care. They did. But their jobs were important to them, for several reasons. First, they both enjoyed their work. More importantly, though, they needed to keep their jobs to pay for all the kids they had. And now that I was in college, the expenses had grown. But they committed themselves to paying my way. So, I felt as though I should put my time in with the boys when I was here, to do my share. But I was more than happy to be out of the house as much as possible.

As I reached for the handle on the door, I remembered my promise to Lanie.

Me:

Made it home

I saw the heart appear over my message as I pushed the door open.

As I walked up the path, I moved the bikes and other riding toys out of the way, knowing I would need to put them all in the garage before I left later. Opening the front door, I prepared myself for the onslaught of loud, raucous noises coming from all parts of the house.

But it was quiet.

I made my way to the back of the house toward the kitchen. It was the heart of our home, with a huge island that could seat all seven of us for dinner. It connected to a big family room with comfy furniture and a big TV for movie nights when we were able to get all of us in the same room at the same time. Those nights were rare.

But again, empty.

I decided to check my mom’s office. And that was where I had luck. I heard her typing away on her keyboard. I tapped on the door gently. “Mom?”

I heard her desk chair swivel at the sound of my voice.

“Becca, is that you?” Her voice was full of surprise.

I opened the door as she was standing from her chair.

“Hi, Mom. Whereiseveryone?” The raise in my voice asked so many more questions than just that one.

“What are you doing here, honey? I thought you said you weren’t coming home this weekend?” My mom was up and wrapping me in a hug before I could answer her. Even though this house was chaotic, and I enjoyed my time out of it, I did miss the smell of my mom’s hugs. She smelled like home.

“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on it ...” My voice trailed off as I heard the front door slam and voices echoing in the halls.

It was Dad with the older two. I could hear Mason and Nate fighting over something as they progressed closer to the back of the house.

“He had them at the driving range,” my mom explained.

I nodded as we both moved to leave her office and meet them in the kitchen. But she stopped me by the door, her hand holding me back. “Are you OK, Becca? You seem off?”

Shaking my head, I pulled from her grip. “I’m fine, Mom. I think I was just missing home, ya know?” We continued toward the others. “Where are the twins?”

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