Dweller - Jeff Strand [36]
Those were the rules. Those were the dumb things he had to avoid. There was nothing on that list he couldn’t handle. And if he broke the rules…well, then he deserved whatever ghoulish fate was in store for him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN GLIMPSES
1964
“We brought you a housewarming present!” said Mom, excitedly walking through the front door. She held a large present wrapped in shiny orange and green paper, big enough that she had to wrap her arms around it as if giving it a hug.
“What is it?” Toby asked as she set it on the otherwise bare dining room table. He always asked that when he got a present, which was silly because the whole point of having it wrapped was to hide the surprise until he opened it. It was similar to the way he said, “Hi, it’s me,” when he called his parents on the telephone. Who else would it be?
“You’ll have to open it and find out,” Mom said, as always.
While Mom and Dad watched, Toby tore off the wrapping paper. “A sewing machine?”
“That’s just the box.”
He ripped open the taped lid and looked inside. He pulled out another wrapped present, this one in shiny blue and purple paper.
“Obviously, your mother has a lot of time on her hands,” Dad said.
It took eight wrapped boxes to get down to the real present: a top-of-the-line coffeemaker that he absolutely loved. Although he’d bought Mrs. Faulkner’s house when she passed away, so Mom and Dad were right next door, and having his own coffeemaker now gave him one less reason to visit, so maybe it wasn’t such a great present.
While he was cleaning out his room, he’d found the undeveloped roll of film from when he’d taken pictures of Owen. He’d kept it hidden in his bottom drawer. The set of drawers went with him to his new house, and he left the roll of film where it was. He’d probably never take the pictures in to be developed, but he liked having it as a souvenir.
1965
“Toby. Toby. Toe-bee.”
Owen growled.
“No, that’s not even close. Just say Toe. Toe.”
Another growl.
“Maybe I could learn to growl in your language.”
1966
“That’s…that’s great news,” said Toby with much more enthusiasm than he felt.
“He won’t say anything, but your father is so excited he can hardly see straight.” Mom grinned. “He’s been hoping to get this job for going on six months now. It’s the opportunity we’ve been waiting for since before you were born.”
“Well, congratulations.”
“We’re going to miss you like crazy. You could come with us.”
“I think I’m kind of old to be moving across the country just to be close to my parents.”
Mom gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re never too old. It also works out great because your aunt Jean is out there, so we’ve got somebody to scope things out while we make the moving arrangements. It’ll be nice to see her more than once a year.”
“Yeah.”
“You look upset.”
“Well, I am, kind of.”
“It’s going to be hard, but it really is a great thing for your dad. And don’t worry, I’ll make him keep a bedroom open for you. And we both know he’ll complain about it, but I’m going to put up all of your posters and toys and everything.”
“You don’t have to go that far. Just put them up right before I get there and pretend you had the room that way.”
“Are you okay with this?”
“Yeah, sure, of course. It’s great news. Seriously.”
“We can’t wait.”
“Wow. Las Vegas. That’s…not close.”
“We’ll come back to visit. I promise.”
1967
“Hi.”
Toby stood there until the awkward silence became unbearable. “Hi,” he finally repeated.
“Sorry. I thought you were talking to somebody else.”
“No, just saying hi.”
“Do I know you?” the woman asked. She took a long drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly.
“No, not yet. I was just seeing if you wanted to dance.”
“With you?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Yes.”
“This is your first time talking to a woman, isn’t it?”
“No, not at all. I’m just, you know, nervous.”
“Well, I need a man who’s confident.”
“Oh. Okay. Sorry to have bothered you.”
“I wasn