A Crash Course in Family Matters

The car ride home was a quick one.

Jordan looked at the diver of the police car, or what she could see of him. His brown eyes resembled hers. But they were harsher, somehow.

That was all she had time to look at. The police car stopped on the side of the street outside the Riley residence. When the car shut off, Derek looked back and unlocked the door. “You really don’t remember anything, huh.” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Tell Mom and Dad and Grandma I’ll in shortly. Have to tell the guys I’m taking a long dinner.”

Jordan made her way out of the car and through the front door.

The smell of a freshly cooked dinner hit her the moment she came in the door. In the kitchen, Jordan could see an older woman with wavy brown hair spooning sauce-covered veggies onto a quintet of plates, maneuvering around her domain in bare feet and wearing an apron.

She turned to look at Jordan, embracing her with a smile. “Jordan! I haven’t seen you in ages!”

That hug felt achingly familiar.

A man’s voice echoed out from the dining room. “Karen! Stop hoggin’ our kid and let me see her!”

Jordan froze.

“Yes, dear!” She smiled. “Jordan, would you mind being a good girl and helping me set the table? I’ve just finished plating the food.”

Without a word, Jordan picked up two plates and made her way to the dining room. Her grandmother – Debra – was sitting at the head of the table wearing another floral sundress.

But at her right was a man with a graying mustache and trimmed beard. His declining hairline was being well hidden by a red baseball cap with ‘FELP’ in white, his tie a dark green while his collared shirt a lighter shade.

The man smiled. “There she is.”

Once Jordan put her two plates down, he stood, revealing his charcoal grey slacks and a familiar belt around his waist. He pulled Jordan into another hug, patting her hard enough on the back that it was nearly a slap.

It made Jordan almost snap to attention.

“Stewart,” chided Debra. “Ease off.”

“Yes, mom,” sighed Stewart as he let go. “It has been too long since we’ve had the whole family for dinner.”

Debra heard that from the next room. “Should I get a fifth plate ready?”

The front door swung open behind Jordan, who knew who’d finally come in. Derek’s hands landed on her shoulder again and he gave a too-wide grin. “Look who I found wandering the street.”

Everyone laughed. Everyone except Jordan. As Derek helped Karen with the rest of the plates, Jordan took a seat at the far end of the table across from Debra. The elderly matriarch kept her eye on Jordan, hands folded and just below the nose.

The family seemed happy to have everyone there. But Jordan kept drifting in and out of the conversation, only catching every few words or a sentence.

“…medication every morning and evening…”

She dug into her food. Admittedly, it was quite good.

“You think you’re going to stick around this time?”

The question cut through her mental fog. Derek had asked the question, but from the looks on Debra’s and Stewart’s faces he’d crossed a line.

Karen laughed it off. “Now Derek, that’s not a fair question to ask. She may not remember why she left.”

Stewart’s eyebrows danced around on his face. “All we can do is help give her a reason to stay.” He bit into a piece of chicken, and midchew pointed his fork at Jordan. “I want everyone to clear their calendars for tomorrow. We’re going bowling to celebrate Jordan’s return.”

That was something to celebrate. A lost child returning home. Maybe that would help her feel at ease.

Jordan slowly bobbled back and forth in her chair, unable to remain still while she tried to finish her meal. Was she tired? She didn’t feel tired. But then why did she feel so sluggish? Why did she feel like she should stay awake?

Eventually her teetering got the attention of the rest of the family. Karen leaned forward. “I think today’s been a bit much for her.”

Stewart nodded. “Jordan. Take a hot shower and get to bed. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up tomorrow.”

Jordan’s arms shook as she pushed herself away from the dinner table. Maybe they were right. Maybe the day had caught up with her faster than she thought.

Getting ready for bed was comforting. Jordan knew on instinct where the bath towels were. She could twist the knobs in the bathtub to get the perfect temperature, the perfect water pressure. It was enough to let her calm down from all the day’s troubles.

Her anxiety ebbed as she dried herself off and got dressed in a set of plaid pajamas. But it didn’t go away. Even when she slipped under the covers of her bed, one that was just firm enough, she couldn’t shake that something was off. But that would be a problem for her in the morning.

----

Jordan’s eyes shot open.

She immediately sat upright in bed. Her heart was racing and she was covered in a cold sweat. Had she been dreaming?

Something at Jordan’s window was flashing past the drawn curtains. In the far distance, she could hear police sirens.

Jordan pulled back the window curtain and peeked out. Across the street where her brother had parked earlier, there was a large SUV crashed into a streetlamp. The headlights of the SUV were flashing on and off, otherwise surrounded in darkness.

A man came running from the next house over, one about her father’s age. But this one was wearing a mint green bathrobe and sprinting across the way in sandals.

The flashing lights helped her see a bit more of him. He had slicked back black hair.

The man went to the driver’s side door and yanked it open with some effort. Then he pulled out a woman from the front seat, threw one of her arms around his neck, and slowly helped moved her away.

Those lights helped her see the girl. She was rail thin, with grey hair. But she looked like she was Jordan’s age – dyed hair? Her clothes looked like they’d been shredded by something, like she’d been attacked by an animal.

The sirens grew louder. The man redoubled his efforts, struggling to get back to his home.

He looked to have cleared the scene by the time a pair of police cars arrived. Two officers piled out of each car, and Jordan felt herself rapidly start to fade again.

Jordan backpedaled back and fell back into her bed, pulling the cover back over herself. But not before realizing something.

The police officers didn’t look right.