Please Come Back Home
Please Come Back Home
Chelsea scrambled out of her family's station wagon, her sunny-yellow dress blowing in the warm summer breeze. It was time for another Howard Family BBQ. The small girl ran around the back of the car, her white sandles crunching the gravel beneith.
Her father lifted out a small basket of boiled sweets and handed them to his daughter. "Go and share these with your cousins, sweety" He said, kissing her on the forehead. "Yes Daddy" she smiled and dashed down the driveway and to the side gate.
Chelsea walked out onto the green grass, her blue eyes twinkling in the sun. All her reletives were scattered around her Grandfather's backyard. Well, almost all of them. She quickly noticed he wasn't there. Her favorite Uncle never was. She was to young to understand. What 6-year old would?
Her happy smile dropped as she walked over to her Grandfather who was flipping beef burgers on his old, rusty BBQ. She tugged on his shirt and he turned around, "Hello Chelsea, doll" he smiled, setting down his untensle and picking up his Granddaughter, "How are you?"
"Hi Poppy" she said, "I'm good, where's Uncle Jepha?" Her Grandfather's smile dropped to. That was always her first question. Where's Uncle Jepha?
"Unlce Jepha isn't here, sweety" He said. Guilt sprung when he saw the dissapointment in her eyes. "He never comes!" She said softly, "Can I get down now, Poppy?" He nodded and put the small girl down. She picked up her basket of Boiled Sweets and took one out. Her small hand set it down on the small table next to the BBQ. "Here you go, Poppy"
"Thanks, Chelsea Doll" he said, turning back to the food, feeling slighty sadder then before.
Chelsea walked slowly over to her cousins who were sitting in a group under their Poppy's plum tree. "Hey Chelsea!" Haley said, waving. "Hi Haley" she smiled back, sitting down and putting the basket of boiled sweets in the middle of the circle. Her other two cousins, Toby & Sam, grabbed a handful of sweets each and said thanks before running away into the house.
"Hey Chris!" Haley said to the 15 year old boy that appeared behind them. "Hey Hales" He smiled, sitting down next to the two 6 year olds. "Chris, where's Uncle Jepha?" Chelsea blurted out to her big broher. Chris sighed, flicking his black hair from his eyes, "He's not here, Chels"
Chelsea's eyes welled with tears and she looked down at her small feet, hiding them. Chris stood up and walked over to one of the picnic tables, "I'll be right back"
Haley put an arm around her cousin, "It's ok Chelsea. Next time, yeah?" Chelsea sniffed and looked at her, "Yeah"
Chris appeared next to them with a blue CD cover in his hand. "I have an idea" he smiled, holding up the CD, "But you can't tell anyone, kay?" The two girls nodded and they followed the older boy into the house.
"Sit down" he said, crouching down next to the DVD player. The two girls climed onto the comfy blue couch and watched Chris turn the TV on. An image of a dead, green shark appeared on screen, static coming through the speakers.
Chris grabbed the remote and sta down imbetween the two girls. He pressed play and the DVD started.
"Look, Uncle Jepha!" Chelsea squealed at the sight of her Uncle sitting next to a waterfall, a cup of tea in his hands as always.
"Hi I'm Jepha Howard"
***
"You and fucken' camera and fucken' girl in the background and your fucken' boom, you fucken' asshole!"
Chris's Mum unfortunatly walked past at the exact wrong time. She waked in, her hands on her hips. "Chris Jackson Howard! How dare you let the girls watch this rubbish!"
"Mum, they wanted to see Jepha!" He retorted, pressing pause on the remote.
"I don't care, Come here now!" Chris pulled himself up off the couch and followed his Mother into the kitchen. Chelsea & Haley sat there listening to Chris being yelled at, both worried they had gotten him into trouble.
"First the weird haircut and the lip piercing, now you're showing your sister and cousin profanity?"
"They wanted to see Jepha, I told you! You do know Chelsea was in tears when she found out Jepha wasn't here again!"
"Don't you dare speak like that to me!"
"Why not? You speak to me like that!"
There was the sound of skin on skin and "Fuck you, whore!" Chris appeared in the hallway with a large red mark on his cheek and a look of fury.
"Chris wha-" Chelsea was cut off by the back door slamming. Chelsea felt her heart rip in half. First Jeph & now her Brother, her bestfriend. She jumped off the couch and dashed out the door after him. "Chris!" she yelled, chasing her brother through the side path. He couldn't hear her. He had put his iPod headphones on and had the volume up to 11.
The next 60 seconds of Chelsea's life would haunt her forever. Chris walked out onto the road, stupid boy not looking both ways. A speeding car collided with him. It all happened so quickly.
"Chris!" Chelsea screamed, running out to her brother. The driver didn't bother getting out of their car, they drove off just as fast as they had before, engin roaring in the muggy evening.
Chelsea got close enough to her brother's face to see the damage and screamed again, tears running down her face. Her father came running out and scooped up his daughter. She kept screaming, crying for her brother. She was passed onto her Aunty and was taken inside.
She was put on the couch and told to stay put before being left alone in the dark living room. The only light coming from the paused image of her Uncles face. She sniffed and turned her head, looking for the remote. She picked it up and pressed play.
In the frenzy of Chris's accident, no one noticed sweet, innocent little Chelsea watching her Uncle on the TV, feeling so much more happy then before.
***
About 6 hours later, they had left Chelsea asleep on the couch with Berth's DVD menu playing on loop.
The front door opened and closed quietly. Footsteps echoed through the empty house and into the living room. The first thing that caught Jepha's eyes was the DVD menu. He smiled and flicked the TV off.
Chelsea stirred in her sleep as a blanket was layed over her shivering body and a soft kiss was placed on her cheek. "Goodnight Chelsea, Doll"
Her father lifted out a small basket of boiled sweets and handed them to his daughter. "Go and share these with your cousins, sweety" He said, kissing her on the forehead. "Yes Daddy" she smiled and dashed down the driveway and to the side gate.
Chelsea walked out onto the green grass, her blue eyes twinkling in the sun. All her reletives were scattered around her Grandfather's backyard. Well, almost all of them. She quickly noticed he wasn't there. Her favorite Uncle never was. She was to young to understand. What 6-year old would?
Her happy smile dropped as she walked over to her Grandfather who was flipping beef burgers on his old, rusty BBQ. She tugged on his shirt and he turned around, "Hello Chelsea, doll" he smiled, setting down his untensle and picking up his Granddaughter, "How are you?"
"Hi Poppy" she said, "I'm good, where's Uncle Jepha?" Her Grandfather's smile dropped to. That was always her first question. Where's Uncle Jepha?
"Unlce Jepha isn't here, sweety" He said. Guilt sprung when he saw the dissapointment in her eyes. "He never comes!" She said softly, "Can I get down now, Poppy?" He nodded and put the small girl down. She picked up her basket of Boiled Sweets and took one out. Her small hand set it down on the small table next to the BBQ. "Here you go, Poppy"
"Thanks, Chelsea Doll" he said, turning back to the food, feeling slighty sadder then before.
Chelsea walked slowly over to her cousins who were sitting in a group under their Poppy's plum tree. "Hey Chelsea!" Haley said, waving. "Hi Haley" she smiled back, sitting down and putting the basket of boiled sweets in the middle of the circle. Her other two cousins, Toby & Sam, grabbed a handful of sweets each and said thanks before running away into the house.
"Hey Chris!" Haley said to the 15 year old boy that appeared behind them. "Hey Hales" He smiled, sitting down next to the two 6 year olds. "Chris, where's Uncle Jepha?" Chelsea blurted out to her big broher. Chris sighed, flicking his black hair from his eyes, "He's not here, Chels"
Chelsea's eyes welled with tears and she looked down at her small feet, hiding them. Chris stood up and walked over to one of the picnic tables, "I'll be right back"
Haley put an arm around her cousin, "It's ok Chelsea. Next time, yeah?" Chelsea sniffed and looked at her, "Yeah"
Chris appeared next to them with a blue CD cover in his hand. "I have an idea" he smiled, holding up the CD, "But you can't tell anyone, kay?" The two girls nodded and they followed the older boy into the house.
"Sit down" he said, crouching down next to the DVD player. The two girls climed onto the comfy blue couch and watched Chris turn the TV on. An image of a dead, green shark appeared on screen, static coming through the speakers.
Chris grabbed the remote and sta down imbetween the two girls. He pressed play and the DVD started.
"Look, Uncle Jepha!" Chelsea squealed at the sight of her Uncle sitting next to a waterfall, a cup of tea in his hands as always.
"Hi I'm Jepha Howard"
***
"You and fucken' camera and fucken' girl in the background and your fucken' boom, you fucken' asshole!"
Chris's Mum unfortunatly walked past at the exact wrong time. She waked in, her hands on her hips. "Chris Jackson Howard! How dare you let the girls watch this rubbish!"
"Mum, they wanted to see Jepha!" He retorted, pressing pause on the remote.
"I don't care, Come here now!" Chris pulled himself up off the couch and followed his Mother into the kitchen. Chelsea & Haley sat there listening to Chris being yelled at, both worried they had gotten him into trouble.
"First the weird haircut and the lip piercing, now you're showing your sister and cousin profanity?"
"They wanted to see Jepha, I told you! You do know Chelsea was in tears when she found out Jepha wasn't here again!"
"Don't you dare speak like that to me!"
"Why not? You speak to me like that!"
There was the sound of skin on skin and "Fuck you, whore!" Chris appeared in the hallway with a large red mark on his cheek and a look of fury.
"Chris wha-" Chelsea was cut off by the back door slamming. Chelsea felt her heart rip in half. First Jeph & now her Brother, her bestfriend. She jumped off the couch and dashed out the door after him. "Chris!" she yelled, chasing her brother through the side path. He couldn't hear her. He had put his iPod headphones on and had the volume up to 11.
The next 60 seconds of Chelsea's life would haunt her forever. Chris walked out onto the road, stupid boy not looking both ways. A speeding car collided with him. It all happened so quickly.
"Chris!" Chelsea screamed, running out to her brother. The driver didn't bother getting out of their car, they drove off just as fast as they had before, engin roaring in the muggy evening.
Chelsea got close enough to her brother's face to see the damage and screamed again, tears running down her face. Her father came running out and scooped up his daughter. She kept screaming, crying for her brother. She was passed onto her Aunty and was taken inside.
She was put on the couch and told to stay put before being left alone in the dark living room. The only light coming from the paused image of her Uncles face. She sniffed and turned her head, looking for the remote. She picked it up and pressed play.
In the frenzy of Chris's accident, no one noticed sweet, innocent little Chelsea watching her Uncle on the TV, feeling so much more happy then before.
***
About 6 hours later, they had left Chelsea asleep on the couch with Berth's DVD menu playing on loop.
The front door opened and closed quietly. Footsteps echoed through the empty house and into the living room. The first thing that caught Jepha's eyes was the DVD menu. He smiled and flicked the TV off.
Chelsea stirred in her sleep as a blanket was layed over her shivering body and a soft kiss was placed on her cheek. "Goodnight Chelsea, Doll"