I take a quick look at the GPS notes, barely taking my eyes of the road.
"No, I'm pretty sure we're going the right way. I planned this route myself."
"We usually cut through the city to get home. It i's way faster," Sam mumbled, trying to keep his voice from cracking too much.
"That my be true, but I think my way will be faster. Besides, we will manage to skip most of the tolls. I don't want to spend more money than I need to. It's the weekend. How bad could the traffic be? We'll still make the noon appointment at your place."
Sam audibly sighed and turned his head back to the window.
From what I gathered, Sam and his family had a house on the north side of New York. Maybe not really part of the city, just a really close suburb near the Connecticut border. Or maybe not. My map functions weren't really tracking their neighborhood too easily. Anyway, I found a route that avoided the worst of the tolls and stay on major arteries. Traffic on a holiday weekend couldn't be too bad.
Two hours later, we had to have lunch, just outside of the neighborhood. BK again. How Sam could eat a burger with cheese sticks is beyond me. I can tell he's laughing at me, or at least wants to. Considering this is the first time I had ever been in the area, I think I am doing just fine. So, we are a few minutes late. What could be the problem.
"It's after twelve-thirty. We are going to be very late." Sam snidely remarks as we leave the restaurant. For some reason, he voice stays deep. Lucky me.
"Well, we wouldn't have been so late if you didn't have to eat."
"I'm a growing boy. I get hungry. I have to eat."
Yeah, he's probably grown three inches since we met Thursday. Okay, maybe a quarter to a half inch. But still, this kid is getting too big for his britches. One minute he's moping, the next normal. For a teenager at least.
"We wouldn't have been even that late if you had just taken the direct route like I told you." Sam had to get in the last word.
We drive the next few minutes, but I think I am lost. This streets are getting busier, ad the houses are getting bigger.
"Are you sure we are headed in the right direction? I think we are getting lost."
"Nope. We just passed my old school. Our house is just a few streets over."
The Martha Schmitt-Lincoln Middle School was on the left. Kind of small and narrow, with just a hint of a playground in front, maybe more in the back. I'm glad I got to go to school where everything was big and wide, with lots of room to run around. No kid could enjoy playing on a lot that small.
I take a right onto another residential street. Here were the big yards more common around Lexington and my old home. Really big. How could something like this be so close to the city?
"There's Vinn's house. He's a friend of mine. My house is just down the street a few houses. You can see soon," Sam pipes up, hints of happiness in his voice being so close to home.
He must be sad, too. First time he's been home since they died. At least he will be around familiar places, for a while. Maybe.
"It's just the next house. It's kind of big."
"That one. That can't be yours." I couldn't believe my eyes.
Big isn't the right word. The place is a mansion! Three stories, old Tudor. A driveway over fifty feet long. A yard you could put a tennis court on. What was going on here?
No comments:
Post a Comment