she rushed out the door.
“ Love you too, Mom!” He yelled after her. He heard his dad’s voice in the hallway and though she just told him to stop eavesdropping, he couldn’t help himself. He tiptoed over to the door and again peeked around the corner.
John had her enveloped in a giant bear hug. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. "I hate fighting with you."
“ Me too, babe,” she replied into his chest. She lifted up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. John playfully lifted her off the ground, until her feet swung in open air. She laughed and swatted at him with her hands. “Let me down you big ox! I’ve got to go to work!”
John dropped her back to her feet and lovingly kissed her on the lips. “Love you, baby. I'll see you when you get home.”
“ Love you too!” she said, opening the front door. “Don’t let Jake stay up all night. And Jake! Stop eavesdropping!”
Jake ducked back into his room, feeling genuinely happy for the first time since Sergeant Awesome’s victory over the alien menace. For a brief moment, he barely even noticed the sweat clinging to him.
Walking over to the window he waved as Julia started the engine on her little blue Nissan. The drive belt squealed loudly. She backed out of the drive, waved back then pulled down the street out of sight.
"Hey, buddy,” John’s voice, sounded behind him, causing Jake to jump.
Though he stood right at six feet six inches tall and weighed in at three hundred twenty pounds, almost all of it muscle, he could move swift as a cat when he wanted to. He had short, dark brown hair, with a trimmed beard and mustache, his eyes were a deep dark brown.
"Hey, uh, Dad," Jake said, realizing he was about to be in big trouble.
"Jacob Michael Griffin,” John’s eyes narrowed in on the open window.
Oh crap, here it comes, Jake thought. "Yeah, Dad?"
"What is the rule about open windows in this house?" John crossed his arms over his chest, giving Jake his most terrifyingly serious stare.
"Uh," Jake stammered, nervously. His dad had never laid a hand on him, but the very sight of such a massive man looming above was more than enough to put the fear of God into him.
Keeping his voice low John said, “You never, ever leave a window or door open or unlocked in this house. Especially after the sun sets."
"I know, Dad. It's just, it got really hot and my fan isn't working . . . and besides the sun hasn’t set yet . . .” he trailed off. This clearly wasn't the time for excuses, so he quickly closed his mouth. "I'm sorry, Dad, it won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't,” John walked past him and easily shut the window with one hand. "Now get washed up. Dinner is on the table."
“ Yes, sir,” Jake said, stepping past him. Whew! Dodged that bullet!
Stepping into the bathroom Jake washed his hands then splashed some cold water over his face and neck. The coolness felt amazing against his skin, though it only lasted a few brief seconds. Toweling off he walked into the kitchen. John was already seated at the ugly green card table that now served as their kitchen table. Memories of the giant dining room they had countless family dinners on flashed through his mind. He couldn't help but lick his lips at the memory of plates heaped with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, with freshly baked biscuits. Disappointment filled his face when he saw the less than succulent meal waiting for him. With a heavy sigh, he sat down across from his dad and pulled the plastic cover off his microwave TV dinner.
"Yeah, I know,” John nodded as if he'd just read Jake's thoughts. "I miss it too, but the oven went out yesterday evening so this will have to do until I can get it fixed."
Great. Jake thought to himself. At least there’s not much left in his dump to break! For the rest of the meal they ate in complete silence, both with beads of sweat streaming down their faces and wet rings around their shirt collars.
Jake started to