From the website aftertimeexpires.com
White bulbs covering the dwarf bushes match the incandescent icicle lights hanging from the gutters of the picturesque Colonial home. A spotlight shining on the wreath attached to the stained red mahogany front door is a sight in itself to be seen. Norman Rockwell could have used this understated yet extravagantly decorated house as inspiration for a painting if he were still alive.
Noah looks on from the side of the road in his 2016 Honda Accord. His grandfather, a proud veteran that served in the Pacific, was furious Noah bought a Japanese brand car. When discussing foreign affairs during holiday dinners, Noah's grandfather still uses slurs to describe people of Japanese descent. The family has long given up on chastising him for his language. WWII may have ended generations ago, but it never truly ends for the men that saw their brothers die beside them in action.
His grandfather's dialect is the furthest thing from Noah's mind at this very moment. There's a battle of his own awaiting him inside the home his hazel eyes are currently fixated on, maybe 35 steps away. In a few minutes, his girlfriend of four months, Roxanne, will introduce him to her parents. This is their home, their world, and Noah can't help but feel like an intruder. First he invaded Roxanne's vagina, and then her heart and in short order, he'll attempt to conquer her family. Three has always been Noah's unlucky number and he can't help but sense this isn't going to end well for him nor Roxanne.
Roxanne's ass drew Noah's attention and learning of her pending inheritance is what keeps Noah involved. At this point, being with Roxanne is strictly a financial decision. Thirty-nine and without a degree, this may be Noah's last chance at a good life. A neighbor wearing a gray quilted full-zip vest and a beanie walks by briskly on the sidewalk, led by his German shepherd.
Unfortunately for Noah, firm asses of other women keep drawing him in and three weeks ago a woman not named Roxanne not so politely informed him she's pregnant with his baby. Again, the number three continues to haunt the unfaithful man like a crazy ex.
Light flurries begin to fall from the dark sky above and Noah watches on, enviously, as a snowflake dissolves on the windshield of his heated Honda Accord. He'd give anything to be that snowflake, to melt away and disappear never to be seen or heard from again.
Vibrations come from Noah's iPhone 7 and it's a text from the woman looking at his car from inside one of the windows of the pleasant home, from the woman that professed her undying love for him one month prior. What are you waiting for it reads with three too many exclamation marks. There it is again - the number three.
Looking for my chapstick...coming in now he dutifully replies. Invitations were not given out, for all of Roxanne's family and close friends know the Saturday evening before Jesus' birthday is the date of her parents' annual Christmas party and has been for the past 40 years. Family, wealth, and tradition are the pillars on which this residence stands. Christmas might be what everyone here has gathered for, but as Noah closes the door of his Honda Accord, he knows the fireworks that are about to ensue will make it feel like the 4th of July. Tell the kids to move back because life as Roxanne knows it is about to go off.
Holding a gift wrapped bottle of Maker's Mark as per Roxanne's orders, the boyfriend with a bombshell of a secret paces steadily along the walkway towards the front door made of mahogany wood.
Stopping in his tracks for a split second, Noah views the postcard scene in front of him once more. Noah has always held a deep appreciation for Colonial-style homes, as he has an affinity for symmetry. Two windows on each side of the red mahogany front door, with five windows on the second floor, with one directly above to aforementioned door is how Noah would build every home if he were a carpenter. A medium pitched roof and paired chimneys top off what is perfectly centered below. This dwelling is the visual definition of balance, which stands in direct contrast to Noah's life. Wind howls as snow sticks to Noah's unkempt curly hair and North Face jacket.
Noah's younger brother is the only one he's confided in. His younger brother, married and more reasonable, pleaded for him not to attend the festivities; to make a bullshit excuse as to why he can't be there and to break things off with Roxanne Sunday afternoon. Each text sent Noah promptly deleted. Each text from the woman he impregnated remains unread.
Conquer the family; reveal his infidelities to Roxanne; confess his love for her; hold her trembling hand stoically. In that order is the plan he calls Shock and Awe. Uneducated, Noah thinks, nay, knows he's not astute enough to play the long game of manipulation needed to keep Roxanne, and that inheritance of hers, by his side. Shock and Awe it is and Noah's going push all of his chips in the middle of Roxanne's parents' dining room table. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Noah's indiscretions with women having firm asses has him desperate. His younger brother was right - Noah is an idiot.
Christmas carols and conversation can be heard from the front porch. Roxanne is no longer peering through the window; an annoying relative must have garnered her attention. Standing upright, with superb posture, Noah holds the bottle of Maker's Mark he bought on his way here tightly in his left hand. He makes a mental note to eye its location throughout the night. In case Shock and Awe goes awry, he wants to know where the Maker's Mark is so he can grab it before Roxanne or her parents kick him out.
Behind Noah the street lights illuminate the snow beginning to accumulate on the hood of the Honda Accord his grandfather hates so much. Noah takes a deep breath of the crisp December air outside, extends his right elbow, and knocks on the red mahogany front door three times.
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from Short Stories https://ift.tt/2zMFImk
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