(Another Sunday Drabble)Stopping By
(June 1985)
Alma Jr. was feeling real lazy. It was Sunday and she didn’t want to do anything. No cooking, no cleaning, no taking care of the crying baby. She thought of taking a nap, like the baby finally was, but she decided it would be better to go see her Daddy. She was worried about him.
Junior called out to Kurt “I’m goin out for a while.” She got in the car and drove over to the trailer.
She knocked on the door. “Hey Daddy” she yelled. There was no answer. She knocked again. “Daddy, where are ya?” His truck was there. She tried the door. It was open. She went inside.
“Daddy, ya alright?” But Alma Jr. saw right away that he wasn’t there. She looked around. The trailer was just as empty as usual. It wasn’t as tidy as usual. There were two open cans of beer by the sink. Alma went over there. “How funny” she said out loud. Both of the cans were half full.
Junior looked around some more. She knew she should go, but she had never been there when he wasn’t home before. The closet door was open. She went over to it. She saw her old blue sweater folded neatly on the shelf. “So that’s where that old thing is” she said.
She looked at the door of the closet. Two shirts, the mountain postcard, the stains. She remembered the day with Cassie, trying to tell her that Daddy wouldn’t be getting married again.
Suddenly Alma Jr. jumped. There was a noise.
“Junior, that ya? What ya doin?” Daddy was standing at the trailer door.
“Oh Daddy, I just came by to see ya, the door was open.”
She walked over to him. His hair was all messed up and his clothes were all wrinkled. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved or slept for days.
“Daddy, ya okay?”
He nodded and smiled a little. “Talk to ya later” Alma Jr. said as she squeezed past him and hurried to her car.