Midnight in Suburbia

NaNoWriMo Day 22: Chapter 22 - A Snowy Thanksgiving Evening

Chapter 22: A Snowy Thanksgiving Evening

The snow began to fall. It came down slowly, big fluffy flakes melting as they touched the ground. As the ground cooled the flakes began to stick and then slowly build up into drifts. Ethan sat in the car watching the snow, waiting for Alice to finish buckling in Amity and then get into the back seat. Once Alice was in and had her seat belt fastened, then he locked the doors.

"I think," he said as he waiting for the car to heat. "We should drop Mom and Aunt Emily off at Emily's place and then I'll take the turkey dinner to Daniella. What do you think Alice?"

"I agree with you, Ethan," she smiled. "But I think I would like to stay with Amity and Emily while you go to your mother's house."

"I don't agree!" Amity tried to open the door but found it locked. "I want to sleep in my own bed tonight, Ethan."

"Mother," Ethan sighed. "There is no electricity at your house and therefore, no heat."

"Why?" Amity glared at Ethan.

"Because of the fire, Mother."

"What fire?"

"Mother,..."

"Mrs. Shupe," said Alice. "I'd like for you to stay at Miss Emily's with me." Her brow wrinkled, "We need to discuss the wedding and I'd like your input as well as Miss Emily's."

"Wedding?" Amity's brow wrinkled, "Who's wedding."

"Ethan's and my wedding," Alice kept her voice calm not wanting to upset Amity any more then necessary and not wanting to say that Ethan had already told her about the wedding three time.

"You and Ethan are getting married," Amity smiled. "Well it's about time he got married. I've been asking for grandchildren for several years. I was beginning to think niether one of my children were listening to me." She glared at her son, "Ethan, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Mother..."

"Mrs. Shupe," Alice interrupted. "We were going to tell you as soon as we returned to Miss Emily's, but we wanted to wait until Daniella was there so we could tell everyone at the same time."

"Oh," said Amity. "Well, my dear... Uh," she frowned attempting to remember Alice's name.

"It's Alice, Mrs. Shupe."

"Alice, that's a beautiful name, but you must call me Amity." She laughed, "It's doesn't feel right for my son's wife to call me Mrs. Shupe; besides after you and Ethan are married you'll be Mrs. Shupe as well."

"Of course, Amity."

"Well," said Amity. "Then it's settle. Ethan, you take... uh," her brow winkled. "Alice, Emily, and me to Emily's and then go to wherever Daniella is staying."

"All right, Mother," Ethan frowned. "That sounds good to me."

Ethan parked the car in Emily's driveway, put the car into park, but did not turn off the engine. Instead, he set the emergency break before unlocking the doors and getting out. Going around to the passenger side, he opened the door for his mother and helped her out of the car. Then the put his arm around her waist and helped her walk to the porch. After a few minutes, Alice and Emily stepped onto the porch. Emily removed her keys from her purse, unlocked the door, and turned off the alarm. Inside, Ethan checked the thermostat before going into the living room and starting a fire in the fireplace.

Then he removed his cellphone from his slacks pocket and dialed Daniella's number. "Hi, Sis," he said. "I'll be on my way over there in a few minutes. Do you want me to bring anything besides the turkey dinner."

"How many people are there?"

"Four!" He walked into the kitchen, "Do you want all the leftovers in Aunt Emily's fridge?"

"How are you going to heat them up?"

"Oh, the fireplace still works."

"All right, I'll pack the leftovers and bring them with me. Do you want some more blankets? It's going to be a cold night."

"OK," he laughed. "I'll do that."

"Who's there besides Daniella?" Emily ask as she made some hot tea.

"Uncle Rodger, Ralf, and George."

"George Cartwright!" Emily frowned, "What's he doing there?"

"Waiting for his brother Frank to break into the house."

"Oh! I guess that's as good a reason as any." She poured the hot water into the tea cups. "Do you need any help carrying that stuff to the car?"

"No," he laughed. "I'll call you when I get there."

"All right, Ethan, but use Amity's house phone if it's still working."

"All right, Aunt Emily."

Ethan put the leftovers into a large paper bag and carried them to the car. Then he took off the emergency break, put the car into gear, and backed out of the driveway. Slowly he drove to the corner and turned right. After several minutes he turned left and drove to Amity's house parking his car in the driveway.

"Can I help you with that," called George coming out of the house.

"Sure, Cousin." Ethan waited for George to reach the car before he began to unload the food. "I gather you're going to be here all night," he handed George the sack of leftovers and picked up the Thanksgiving dinner he had bought Daniella at the restaurant.

"Yes," George smiled as the walked slowly to the house. "I want to be here when Frank comes over."

"Are you sure he's coming here tonight?"

"Positive, Ethan," he climbed the front steps and waited for his cousin. "He and Mom are up to no good."

"Isn't that normal?"

"Unfortunately," he lead the way into the house. "Yes, but as the two of them get older the worse they get. Especially, when it comes to Aunt Amity."

"You know, Cousin," said Ethan as the went into the living room. "We have a weird disfunctional family."

"That, Ethan," said Rodger as moved the silver from the coffee table to make room for the food. "Is an understatement."

"Are you going back to Aunt Emily's tonight," Ralf ask.

"I think I'd better," Ethan looked around the room. "If I don't I'm afraid Mom might get it into her head to come here."

"Since you're going back," said George unpacking the leftovers. "Would you mind taking this silverware with you?"

"Not at all," he watched as George put the silver in the paper sack. "Is that all that's left of Grandma Hattie's silver?"

"That's all we've found, so far," said Daniella. "I think Mom's been hiding it and forgetting where she put it."

"That makes sense," he frowned. "Daniella, I need to talk to Alice about Mom's symptoms, but then we need to have a discussion about where she's going to stay."

"I'm taking her back to Las Vegas with me." Replied Daniella, "Does Alice have any idea what's ailing Mom?"

"Alice didn't say for sure, but she thinks it's more then simply short-term memory loss." Ethan picked up the sack containing the silverware, "I think you need to make an appointment with a specialist when you two get back to Las Vegas."

"All right," she frowned. "I've got to talk to Mom's doctor next week. After that we'll return to Las Vegas."

"OK," he started out the door and then stopped. "I have to call Aunt Emily and tell her I'm on my way." He sit the sack on the coffee table, went to the phone, and dialed Emily's number.

"Hi, Aunt Emily, this is Ethan."

"Yes, I'm on my way and I'm bringing some of the silver that Mom thought was lost or stolen."

"No, I don't know where is was. You'll have to talk to Daniella about that. Do you want to take to her now?"

"OK, I'll tell her. See you'll in a few minutes."

"Yes," he laughed. "Aunt Emily, I'll drive carefully." He hung up the phone and turned to his sister. "Aunt Emily said to call her in the morning, she wants to know where Mom hid the silver."

"Sure," Daniella gave him a hug. Then picking up the paper sack he left the house.

Going to the front door, George pulled the screen door shut, slamming it to make sure that the door was closed securely. As he slammed the door, a small key fell off the top of the bookcase and hit the floor. Picking up the key, Daniella studied it carefully. Then she went over to the desk and unlocked the drawers.

"What are you looking for," ask Ralph.

"I'm not sure, but Mom usually doesn't hide keys on top of bookcases." Opening the bottom right hand drawer she looked in. "That's weird."

"What's weird," said George coming back into the living room.

"The stuff in this draw is all jumbled," Daniella began removing the items. "Mom usually puts everything neatly in a drawer before closing and locking it. She has this thing about neatness."

"You mean," said Rodger. "She has an obsession about it." He laughed, "She's the only person I know who keeps a neat junk drawer and sorts her clothes before putting them into the separate clothes hamper."

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Daniella removed a large box from the bottom of the drawer. She carried it to the love seat and placed it on a side table. Then she opened the box, "The rest of Grandma Hattie's antique silver."

"That's an odd place to put flatware," said George putting a log onto the fire. "You don't suppose she hid it purposely?"

"Of course, she did," Rodger picked up Amity's journal from the edge of the coffee table. "From some of the entries in this book I think Amity's been having a lot of difficulty with her short-term memory."

"That would explain a great deal," said Daniella closing the silverware box. "George, why don't you or Ralph warm some of that food up, while I go in the kitchen and see if I can find us something to drink besides warm soda."

"OK, but I think we need a skillet or something."

"I'll get something out of the kitchen," said Ralph as he followed Daniella out of the room.

In the kitchen, he opened the cabinets under the stove top. Then he removed an iron skillet and several iron pots and pans. Carrying them into the living room, he handed them to George and his father. He then went back into the kitchen, "Daniella, do you know where your mother keeps her bottled water?"

"Normally," Daniella laughed. "She keeps it in the steel cabinet in the dining room."

"And if it isn't there?"

"Then use your imagination," she said removing coffee and tea conistors from the pantry closet.