July 15, 2020
"Welcome back, Edward," Rebecca said.
Edward smiled at her and admired her beauty as he walked by. Today she let her hair fall down past her shoulders, contrary to the bun she normally had. There were plenty attractive women that Edward would see at the bars in Matthewsville but none quite compared to the stunning looks of Rebecca.
It was a shame that she was having an affair with Gabriel. Everyone Edward worked with knew it, but none would dare tell Gabriel's wife - not that anyone ever saw his wife. He couldn't have a very long conversation with her before his blood boiled with rage. He despised cheaters.
"Look who finally decided to show up," A voice behind Edward said. He turned around to see Robert and Pierce walking up to him. Edward has grown accustomed to them insulting and mocking him day after day. It was only harmless bullying, after all.
"Say, Eddy. I thought I saw you at the bar a few nights ago," Robert said.
"Yeah, yeah, I saw him too. Was he the fat guy crying on the floor, rolling around in his own vomit?" Pierce sneered.
"No, no, Pierce. I think he was that other fat guy that ripped them blue jeans of his. Yeah, yeah, I saw all the girls laughin' at him," Robert said.
Edward laughed with them. "Actually I think I saw you guys too."
Robert and Pierce's laugh turned to chuckles. "Oh, is that so, Eddy?" Robert asked.
"Uh huh, oh yeah. I saw two men - very drunk off a few beers might I add - smooching over by the counter. Oh, it was a sight to see alright. I think I saw one of the guys lick the other guy's beard," Edward quipped.
This time, Robert and Pierce's laughter had fully died down. "Yer real funny, Eddy, ya know that?" Pierce said.
Edward smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I think I ought to become a comedian, just like you fellas."
Robert snorted. "Oh but you already are Eddy. See, I been hearing from some coworkers that you passed out by the river because you thought you saw a ghost. That's comedic value right there, that is."
"Who was it, Eddy?" Pierce asked. "Was it your mum? Your papa?"
Edward clenched his fist. The two men may have been bigger than him but he wouldn't allow anyone to talk about his parents. He moved his left foot forward, preparing to strike.
"Pierce! Robert!" A voice yelled. Edward turned to see his supervisor, Oliver, quickly walking up. "I need you two to get these logs unloaded. We're already behind this morning and Gabriel is coming in for a visit today."
The two men stared blankly at Oliver.
"Get your ass moving," Oliver said.
Pierce and Robert looked to Edward. "We'll see you later, Eddy," Robert said. They both walked away, leaving Oliver and Edward alone.
"Welcome back, Porter." Oliver said, scanning through a clipboard of papers he was holding.
"Good to be back," Edward replied.
"Doubt that," Oliver said.
Oliver was a very serious man. He was probably one of the shortest guys at the sawmill but he was almost definitely the most intimidating. Like most of the men at the sawmill, he managed a lot of facial hair and was completely bald on his head. He was built like a man who spent most of his day at a gym. Down under all the masculinity, Oliver was a decent guy who treated those under him with respect. But, of course, he took his job very seriously and expected those under him to take it just as seriously.
Looking through his papers, Oliver looked up to Edward confused. "Are you sure you're suppose to come in today? It says that you don't come in until next week."
Edward looked down to where Oliver's finger was pointing where, sure enough, it said he wasn't suppose to be working until the following week. He didn't want to be sent back home, however. He had spent far too much time with his family.
"I thought I was suppose to come in today," Edward said. "I told Ms. Dawes that I would be able to return to work today."
Edward and Oliver turned to the office to see that Rebecca was no longer standing in front of it.
"I will have to talk to her about it because it doesn't appear that I'll have you on today."
"He'll be with me this week." A man's voice said behind Edward and Oliver.
Gabriel and Rebecca walked up to Edward and Oliver.
"Mr. Matthews, I didn't think you were coming for another hour," Oliver said nervously.
Gabriel smiled at him. "I skipped breakfast, eager to get on with my day," He turned to Edward. "Mr. Porter, here, will be working with me for the remainder of this week."
Edward and Oliver exchanged puzzled looks to each other.
"I'm not sure I understand, Mr. Matthews," Oliver said.
"Edward will be accompanying Mr. Matthews today. He needs assistance with some renovation work for several of his properties," Rebecca clarified.
Gabriel wrapped his arm around Edward. "I'll have him back to you next week, Mr. Flores."
Oliver smiled and slowly turned around to return to the sawmill. Edward turned to look at Gabriel and Rebecca, feeling a slight irritation encompass his body.
"Renovation work, sir?" Edward asked.
"That's right. I just need you to help me bring some stuff into my family's manor so I can start working to get it fixed up."
"Manor?"
Gabriel smiled at him. "Yes, the Matthews Manor."
Edward felt a little chill run up his spine. "Your old haunted family home?"
Gabriel and Rebecca both laughed, as if on queue. "That's right. Don't worry though, you'll only be there for a few days to help me move some things around. After that, you're free to return to cutting up lumber all day."
His boss let go of Edward's shoulder and turned to Rebecca. "I'll have you join us at the manor tomorrow."
She smiled at him. If Edward has not been standing there, he was certain that they would have kissed with how fixated she was on Gabriel. He moved his eyes away from them, as to avoid working himself up.
"Alright Edward, hop on in to my car. I've got some things in town I've got to pick up before we head to the house."
Watching Rebecca walk into the office, Edward wondered why his wife couldn't look like her. Why did he have to be stuck with Sarah for the remainder of his days. He heard Gabriel's breathing right next to him and turned to the car, embarrassed.
"A fine piece of ass that one is, don't you think?" Gabriel asked.
Edward didn't reply. He walked to the car, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. Gabriel followed and laughed.
"It's alright, Edward. You can look. Everyone else does."
Both men entered the car, Edward sitting quietly in the passenger seat. I'm a loyal man. I'm a married man.
Gabriel started the car and turned to him. "Well I hope you're not planning on being silent the rest of the trip. I have so many questions."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They finished picking up several boxes from the post office in Matthewsville and would be off to go to the Matthews Manor. It was about half an hour drive away from the town, leaving Edward at the mercy of Gabriel wanting to make conversation. He hated when people wanted to get into his personal life.
"Well, we're up and at 'em now, Edward," Gabriel said.
Edward gave him half a smile before turning his head out his window. He watched the buildings pass by as they picked up speed. It was a decent size town and had many beautiful wonders around it but it still couldn't match the bustling size of cities. Edward was glad to be rid of them. The constant sound of traffic, the various people that would pass by his house, and the polluted skies were just a dent at the reason he was glad to be gone.
In his peripheral vision, Edward could see Gabriel looking over at him. "I promise you, Edward, this trip will go by much faster if you don't stay silent and look out the window its entire duration."
Extroverts...
They annoyed Edward. Their constant need to talk and make conversation annoyed him greatly. They never knew when to stop talking, when to leave a person alone. They would just keep talking and talking.
"Sorry, sir. I'm not too great at making conversation," Edward said.
Gabriel chuckled. "I heard you were a teacher before. How did you make conversation with your students?"63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJlvYzxQoL
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoL0SfB3XO0
Edward looked over to Gabriel. "Didn't have to. I would lecture what they needed to know, answer any questions they had, and get prepared for my next class."
"You must have been a hit with the kids."
"Well, they were teenagers," Edward added.
"I see," Gabriel said. "And what subject did you teach back in your days as a teacher?"
"Chemistry."
Gabriel turned to look at Edward, looking as if he wanted to burst out laughing. "You? A chemist?" He chuckled a bit. "Forgive me, Edward. Of all the things I would have guessed, I didn't think you would have been a chemist."
Edward chuckled with him. "I suppose looks can be deceiving."
"That they can be," Gabriel agreed. "Me for example. Would you believe that I use to be a pilot?"
Looking him up and down, Edward nodded his head. "I can believe it, you do have to look for it."
"Thank you, Edward. I was just bullshitting you," Gabriel said. "No, actually, I learned some carpentry skills and started designing furniture."
Edward smiled at him, unsure as to how to carry on the conversation. He secretly wished that Gabriel would let it die down. He didn't want to spend the rest of his week with his very talkative boss.
"Anyways, whatever happened to your job as a teacher, if you don't mind me asking?" Gabriel asked.
Edward sighed.
"I, well umm..." Edward tried to think of an excuse but found himself leaning towards the truth instead. He sighed once more. "I got fired."
Gabriel looked to him, not speaking a word - just listening.
He didn't want to continue but Edward felt his boss would never stop asking if he didn't tell him in the moment. "I got in an accident about two years ago. I was, umm, I was driving under the influence and flew through an intersection and hit the back of some lady's car."
Again, Gabriel did not speak. Instead, he expected a story. He probably loved stories, intruding into people's lives.
"Needless to say, I got a DUI, lost my job as a teacher, and had to give up drinking for several months in exchange for not spending several months in jail." He paused, feeling the need to catch his breath. "Well, I managed to go a few months without drinking before I relapsed all together. The police threw me in jail for two weeks and monitored me for a few more months after that. The school wouldn't hire me back and so I had to work for a lumberyard temporarily to pay off our rent. Few months ago, I saw the house I live at was on sale, ridiculously cheap might I add, and so we moved here from Couer D'Alene. And now I work for you."
Gabriel focused his eyes towards the road. "And how has your alcoholism got?"
Edward clenched his fist. He hated that word - it was such a nasty word. No, he didn't have alcoholism. It just helped him get through all the bullshit. "My what?" He said, biting his tongue to keep from sounding angry.
"Sorry," Gabriel said. "What has become of your relationship with alcohol? I only ask because you made it seem as if you relapsed into it."
Edward closed his eyes, not wanting to answer the question. Extroverts.
"It has never been better," Edward lied. "I have an occasional drink, go to the bar once in a while, but honestly, it's never been better." In truth, it had probably been the worst it had ever been. As much as he had hated big cities, Edward had to admit, there was much more to do in them. Now, all he had to do was drink and drink some more.
"Excellent," Gabriel said happily. "I'm glad to hear it. You know, some people get that first taste of alcohol and can just never stop. They nearly drink themselves to death. I'm happy for you Edward, good on you."
As much as he had wished that was the end of their conversation, it wasn't. Gabriel wasn't an insistent bastard. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Edward Porter.
"How is your wife?" Edward asked, trying to focus the attention from his life to Gabriel's. Maybe bringing up his wife would bring up the guilt that he so deserved.
"Probably fucking some guy at the bar in a hotel right now, who knows," Gabriel said blatantly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
"Don't worry about it," Gabriel said with a smile. "I don't shy away from it. My wife is a cheating slut and well, frankly, so am I."
"Rebecca, I presume?" Edward asked.
"That obvious, huh? A hot piece of ass like that, who wouldn't?" Gabriel jested. "Yes, I'm having an affair with Rebecca but that's alright. My wife and I are about to be divorced, she won't get a dime from me, and everything will be grand again."
I'm surrounded my cheaters. I'm a loyal man. I'm a married man.
"Do you have kids?"
Gabriel nodded his head, this time his expression saddening. "A daughter. Her name is Claire." He paused momentarily, only looking to the road before looking back to Edward. "I would do anything for that little girl, Edward. Anything. My only regret with this divorce is that I worry my daughter may blame herself. Truth be told, my wife and I should have divorced before our little girl was even born but I still thought I could work it out with her. But she was the best thing that ever happened to me, the light in the dark if you will. Do you have children, Edward?"
Edward nodded his head, his face pointed towards his lap. "I have a son and..." He felt his heart ache, for the first time in a long time. "My wife's daughter."
"Might I ask which came first?" Gabriel asked.
"The son."
Gabriel looked to him, sharing his sorrow. "I'm sorry, Edward. I'm glad you were able to work it out with your wife, however. That little girl needs someone to look up to. She would be lost without a father," Gabriel said. "Assuming the father isn't still around?"
The sound of metal rang in his ears followed by the sound of a serene river.
"No, he's not around," Edward replied.
"It's for the best. When the time comes, she may wish to find her father. That'll be her decision but she'll always remember the love you gave to her, even if she doesn't realize it at the time."
Edward smiled at him. He didn't love Lillian, he despised the child. It was the constant reminder of the betrayal his wife committed. He would never forget the other man's name, Ethan.
They drove on for a little while longer, silence filling the car for the time being. Edward knew that it was only a matter of time before Gabriel would want to strike up conversation again.
"We're almost there so I find it appropriate to bring up something to you," Gabriel said.
"And what would that be?" Edward asked.
Gabriel, seemingly holding the wheel tighter and pressing the accelerator harder looked to Edward. "I want to know what happened with your family on Independence Day."
The image of a man without a face popped up in Edward's head, almost like it had been branded there. He only saw it momentarily, it had pitch black clothes on, long arms and legs, a cocked head, and no hair or facial features. It was simply a pasty white head with nothing on it.
"My sister in law nearly drowned and so I had to pull her out of the river. Then my wife called for help and someone who knew CPR saved her life," Edward said, avoiding the later details.
"So I heard," Gabriel said. "And then I also heard that your sister in law had a panic attack, along side you. Then you fainted and had to be brought to a hospital."
"I did," Edward said.
"I guess I'm just curious. What happened? What did you see?"
He wasn't sure why Gabriel would assume he saw something and, yet, he did.
Edward shrugged his shoulders and turned his head away from Gabriel's gaze. "I think I just exhausted myself from all the adrenaline that was going through my body. I'm not sure what my sister in law was going off about, though. She left for her home the next morning."
"I see. Well Edward, I can understand if you don't want to talk about it but I must warn you, my father didn't like to talk about what he was seeing either, until it was too late and everyone though he was insane."
Edward's mind flashed back to the little wooden bird figure that watched him. In its own form, it was more terrifying than whatever the creature across the river was. He didn't know what he saw or if it was real. It was probably just his mind playing tricks and the sooner he could forget about it, the better.
Gabriel slowed the vehicle and took a right turn onto another driveway. It looked beautiful but hardly seemed well kept, with holes in the ground and tree trunks fallen over on the side. The driveway appeared to be abandoned.
"We're here," Gabriel said.
Edward looked forward to see a massive three story stone and brick building standing in front of him. Marble pillars stood up high on the first level, supporting the large balcony that stood above them. Vines stretched out across the walls, an untrimmed hedge wrapped itself around the path that wrapped itself around the building, and debris covered that same path. It was magnificent, yet eerie. If there was ever a house that looked to be haunted, Edward would never need to look any further.
"Try not to get too scared, Edward. It's only a house, after all," Gabriel laughed as he parked in front of the building.
Edward faintly smiled at him and looked back to the manor. He could feel its presence, it aura. It beckoned to him, like a familiar friend.
End of Part 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBqXv3J4RD
