As the truck behind him rolled away, Alex's stomach tightened. Was he really ready for this? A house. His own. At eighteen. He tried to ignore the wave of doubt creeping in, the voice whispering that he was in over his head. Alex's short brown hair blew in the calm breeze, his hazel eyes locked onto his new home. It was a small house, a pitched roof with a few windows and a small patio on the front. A small patch of grass as a front yard.
"My first house… Mom says I'm already doing better than my high school friends… given I already have a house straight out of graduation…" Alex takes a few slow steps up to the door, feeling the wooden frame. As Alex ran his fingers over the door frame, they caught on a rough spot. He looked closer and saw a small carving etched into the wood: a tiny heart, faint but unmistakable.Â
"That's sweet… must've been from the previous owners…" Alex thought, but it felt like it was left just for him. Taking a deep breath and grabbing out his keys, sticking them into the keyhole of the door. An unlocking sound echoed as Alex slowly opened the door.
"This is mine now… I own this…" The living room was small enough for a couch, dining table, and a tv stand. A small window off to the side and a wood paneled wall at the back. The house was quiet. Too quiet. It felt hollow, like it was missing something, or maybe someone. Alex brushed the thought away as quickly as it came, but the silence lingered, almost heavy in the air.
"Is this really mine…? Really?" Alex took a few steps down the hallway where a kitchen sat full of unpacked goods. The cabinets were a grained orange wood with a calming dark countertop. A small sink in front of the window. Overhead counters held glass fronts. A small fridge, stove, and dishwasher.
"This is actually my home… I actually bought this" Alex smiles brightly. Alex stretches and cracks his knuckles.
"I'll start unpacking later… for now, imma go lay down…" Alex walks down the hall to the first bedroom, the largest of the two-bedroom homes.
A soft glow from the sunset poured into the room, but the bed wasn't put together. Alex groans and sighs.
"Guess I'll learn how to put together a bed tonight" Alex chuckles.
Alex hammers two pieces of metal framing together. The sound of metal echoes through the empty home.
"Seems about right…" Alex continued to hammer as thoughts filled his mind. The house he wanted so badly to leave, The late nights studying, the fights with his Mom.
"I finally escaped… but… now what?"
Alex lays softly on the mattress. The only thing unpacked in the house other than some smaller furniture. Alex looks at the ceiling, flashbacks to fun moments with his friends, and now, he has a Job interview for a construction company tomorrow.
"Guess I better get cleaned up and ready for bed…" Alex slowly sat up and reached into a suitcase, his clothes folded up inside.
"Might as well put my clothes away and hang them in the closet while I'm here…" Alex takes out several pairs of jeans, folding them on his mattress and hanging them up in the small closet. Whistling to himself. Suddenly, The doorbell rings, making Alex freeze in his tracks. His heart raced, the sudden sound cutting through the peaceful silence.
"Someone's here… this late?" Alex lays his clothes back down on his bed and slowly walks down the hallway, preparing for the worst. Looking out his front window and not seeing anything, quickly turned and slowly spun the doorknob. Taking a deep breath and swinging the door open quickly. Slowly opened his eyes and nothing was there.
"What the-?" He looks around and stops upon seeing a blanket covered basket in front of the door.
"A food basket? This late?... I wonder if it's fruit or snacks?" Alex lifts the basket and lifts the blanket. His heart stopped for a moment upon seeing a sleeping baby in the basket. It had clean skin, tiny hands, and short blonde hair. Alex locks eyes with the tiny baby boy, an instant connection forming, something that tugged at him deeper than logic or reason.