Sparks

Liam drove. He drove at moderate speed. It was a nice night so he decided to drive with the windows down. The wind blew his hair everywhere, but it felt free so he loved it. He still had many, many miles to go before he reached his new home town. At first he didn’t like the idea of his family moving without his say, but he realized that it wasn’t really up to him any longer. It didn’t matter. He had the fresh California air blowing through his hair.
He was used to the clogged up Los Angeles air ever since he moved to go to school at UCLA. Going through miles and miles of fresh air and green trees was certainly a change for him. He was driving to Eureka in Humboldt County. He had no idea this place even existed. He was used to Southern California. Apparently it’s where his mother grew up. Her father left her a house he had built before he passed away. He was from Louisiana and missed the south, so he built this house in true southern fashion. It was a white, two story house with a porch that went around the entire house and of course step that lead up to the porch. It had dark blue shutters around each of the windows and a fire place on each side of the house. When his mother sent him pictures of the house, Liam was blown away. The house is beautiful.
Liam was getting sleepy. He’d been driving for 6 hours straight and it was almost two in the morning. So, he stopped at the nearest motel, which didn’t seem savory, but it looked cheap and he needed to sleep. He parked and walked up to the main office. The clerk was an old man with grey stubble and stringy gray hair on his balding head.
“Hello” he screeched in a scratchy, deep tone. “Just for the night?”
“Y-Yes,” stuttered Liam. He was bothered by the old man’s disposition.
“One bed or two?”
“It’s just me, so one.”
The old man scratched his neck and Liam could practically see the dry skin fly from the man’s body. The overhead fan buzzed and sent a consistent woofing into the hair. The old man got a key from under his desk. It was an actual key and not a card. The keychain said 6.
“It’s fifteen for the night. I take cash or credit card. No checks.” His slow, scratchy tone sent a shiver through Liam’s body.
Liam got the cash from his wallet and paid the man. The man thanked him and Liam quickly left the office. His car was conveniently parked right in front of six, so he didn’t need to move. He walked up to the door and slowly entered the key and turned to open. When he walked in, he immediately smelled a musk that hit him in the face like an iron hammer. It wasn’t a pleasant smell to him, but he didn’t have to endure it for long.
The décor in the room was dated and in very dull colors like avocado and mustard and brown. There was a bed, an old TV on a small stand, a desk with drawers on the side and a chair with wheels on it. Beside the bed were two nightstands on each side. The lamps were attached to the wall on either side of the bed above the nightstands. Liam shut the door as he finished looking around the room and immediately let out a sigh. He walked straight to the back of the room and walked into the bathroom. The bathroom was entirely white with a single sink with a mirror above it, a tub with a shower head and a see through curtain and of course a toilet. He took a piss, washed his hands with the brand new bar of soap on the sink and walked back out to the bedroom. He took off his shirt and pants, pulled off the comforter and lay on top of the sheets. Before even one thought could wander into his head, he was asleep.
When he woke up the next morning, he looked at the nightstand clock and it read eight am. He quickly got up and put his t-shirt and pants on. He walked outside and when the brightness of the sun. He quickly got his bag from the trunk of the car and brought it into the room. He went through the whole routine of getting ready. He took a shower, brushed his teeth and did his hair. He was ready to see his family for the first time since Thanksgiving and a lot had happened since then.
It wasn’t much longer to Eureka, California. He was excited to get to know his new home. As much as he knew he was going to miss Southern California in the summer, he knew it would be exciting to live in a totally new place. When he finally entered the city of Eureka, he felt the energy of the entire town. He felt that it was very slow and relaxing. He felt that it would be the kind of city where everyone knew each other. And when he saw the ocean, any doubt he had in his head went away.
As he entered the town, he followed the directions his mother gave him. When he saw his new family home, he was speechless. It was even more beautiful than he thought it would be. It was like something from out of an old southern movie. His mother, who had an amazing green thumb, planted pink, purple, and white azaleas in front of the porch and there was a giant willow tree in the front yard. It was like a fantasy. He couldn’t believe he would actually be living inside of it.
He turned off the engine of his car and got out. He walked up the porch steps and there was even a porch swing. He gave a knock to the screen door. The sounds he heard around him were blissful. He heard birds chirping and kids down the street, laughing and playing. He heard lawn mowers and he even heard seagulls in the distance. Finally he heard footsteps from inside of the house coming towards the door. His mother opened the door and when she saw him, she put on a big smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was taller than her so she had to go onto her toes. She was thin and had dark brown hair and green eyes, much like all three of her children. She had olive skin from living in Southern California for so long.
“Ugh, I can’t believe you’re back. I wasn’t expecting you so early! Look at you, you’re so handsome!”
Liam blushed. “Mom…”
“You must be starving,” she said. “Come in and I’ll make you breakfast. Eli and Grace are still asleep.”
It was like he never left.