Chapter One

         The man stepped off the train, thankful for the fact that he could finally escape the horrible screeching infant child that he was forced to share his train compartment with. He looked around the dreary train platform, not looking for anything in particular, just getting used to once again being in his hometown. He sighed and walked into the building accompanying the train platform, taking a seat on one of the cold metal benches that were meant for people waiting for their train. A couple minutes later, a pudgy young man walked into the building, wearing a blue shirt with what looked like a mustard stain on his collar. His eyes looked around the room and landed on the man.

        “Hey, CK!” he shouted. “Over here.” CK glanced at him, gathered his stuff and headed over to the main entrance, where the pudgy man was waiting.

        “Hey, Tommy, where’s Pops?” CK asked, without much inflection in his voice. Tommy proceeded to grab one of the bags out of CK’s hand.

        “Oh, he’s not feeling so hot, so he called and asked if I could come pick you up,” Tommy said as they both walked towards Tommy’s car, a dusty old green Volkswagen parked in the middle of the lot.

        “Well, thanks,” CK said, dropping his bags in the trunk of the car. He walked over to the passenger seat, and waited for Tommy to unlock his door. Tommy fished around in his pocket for his keys. He got in the car and promptly unlocked CK’s door.

        “So how you been? Soon as your dad called, I realized I couldn’t pass up the chance to see my cousin, especially after you became a fancy college man,” Tommy said jokingly, putting his key in the ignition and starting the car on the second try. He pulled out of the tiny parking lot and took a left.

        “Oh, I’ve been good,” CK stated, not putting any effort towards common courtesy, neither answering in detail nor returning the question. Tommy was in a talkative mood, but he quickly stopped trying to start conversation when he glanced at CK and saw him staring out the window, gazing at the gorgeous blue sky and the picturesque clouds. The corn rippled from the wind, like the ocean, an unknown entity to the small midwestern town. Tommy took a left on Elmwood and pulled up to a pretty whitewashed house of two stories. Tommy hopped out the car first, then CK, who seemed reluctant to confront his childhood home. He glanced at the squat brick garage and the unkempt garden, and grabbed his bags out of the trunk. Tommy didn’t offer to carry one this time, and just walked up to the reddish front door of the house and stepped in. CK was right behind him, but right before crossing the threshold, he paused for one second and took a deep breath.