Kapitel 948: Ch 948 - Every Grown Up’s Worst Nightmare
"Surprise!" cried Alex's parents in unison.
Alex stared at his parents in shock.
"Well," Gideon said expectantly, "aren't you glad to see us?"
Alex was always glad to see his parents. However, as of right now, they couldn't have possibly come at a worse time. He still hadn't figured out how to tell them that he and Debbie had broken up.
The breakup! Alex thought. How are they going to react to that? They weren't so thrilled about me and Debbie to begin with. Are they going to be happy? Sad? Relieved? Oh no. They're going to try to fix me up with some rich friend's daughter!
Lost for words, Alex just blinked.
"Oh," Flora squealed, "he's so excited that he can't speak! We raised such a sweet boy, Gideon."
"Excited" was not the right word. Terrified, befuddled, bewildered, those were all good words to describe how Alex felt about seeing his parents randomly turn up at the door. They were supposed to be on vacation. They were supposed to be enjoying their retirement years. So why were they here?
He hung his head for a second, then looked back up at his parents.
They were smiling, and they had their arms open as they went in for a hug. Alex was smothered by their loving parental embrace, and he clambered out of the hug as quickly as it began.
"Mom, Dad," Alex spluttered. "How… nice of you to drop by!" He looked between his parents, who both wore broad smiles and were buzzing with energy.
What the hell are they doing here? Alex thought, panicking. He looked over his shoulder. Oh no, the renovation. How am I going to explain it to them?
Alex would not quite describe his parents as snobs. They simply knew what they liked, and liked what they knew. They had also invested a lot of time, money, and effort into giving the house in the woods a lovely rustic edge which they felt perfectly described the Ambrose family.
"Don't come in!" Alex said, holding up his hands as his parents bent to pick up their bags. They had two huge, wheeled suitcases. No doubt they were expecting to stay for a while if they had just up and left Italy. Alex had a sinking feeling in his gut.
Flora took off her sunglasses and gave her son a concerned look.
"What's the matter, Alex?" she asked. "You seemed so upset on the phone. Oh no! Has something awful happened? Tell me that you're healthy. Have you been eating your vegetables? Are you getting enough sleep? What about your exercise? I know you do mixed martial arts, but Alex, there are more kinds of exercise than punching people in fancy ways."
"That's not what martial arts is about, Mom," Alex said, getting sidetracked. "Back to the point: you can't come in. Not until-"
"Oh Gideon," Flora said dramatically, turning toward her husband. "We're not allowed into our own home."
"What's the matter, son?" Gideon asked. "Did you have a wild party last night and forget to clean up? It's okay if you did, we aren't going to be mad!"
Alex was lost for words.
"We'll just call the cleaning company," Flora said, turning back to her son. "They can be here in less than an hour, and done in two. Everything will be fine. Let us in so we can drop off our bags, and we can spend the day in town while the place is cleaned up."
Flora and Gideon picked up their bags and started forward. Alex stepped aside.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, stunned. Flora and Gideon marched past him, setting down their bags and looking around the house. Flora's gaudy purple floral dress swished about her as she moved, catching on and knocking over an umbrella stand. Giden was wearing a plain pair of blue jeans, and a white button-up shirt.
"Aren't you excited to see us?" asked Gideon as he went in for another hug. Alex returned the hug but pulled away moments later.
"Dad," he said. "Seriously. What are you doing here?"
"When you called us, we knew something was wrong," Gideon explained. "So, we hopped on the first available first-class flight and came right here." He looked around, as if only just realizing that there was something different about the hallway. "Is there something different here?"
"Oh my gosh, Alex," said Flora, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "What did you do with the house?" She tucked her platinum blonde hair behind her ears, exposing earrings that glittered as she looked around.
"Oh, that's a funny story," Alex said, closing the door. "So it got destroyed-"
"I'll say," said Gideon as he cast a horrified gaze about the hallway. He took one look at the stairs and gasped. "Is that shag carpet?"
"Yes," Alex said. "Why are you-"
"What happened to the hardwood?" Flora asked, aghast. "My goodness. Alexander Ambrose! Why would you replace perfectly good hardwood with something as dull blue shag carpet?"
"It feels really good on bare feet!" Louis protested.
They all turned to look at him. A furious blush crept up his face.
"Those hardwood stairs you had before hurt," he explained
sheepishly. "If I needed to come down in the middle of the night-"
"Stop talking, Louis," Alex said, his voice strained.
Flora turned to Alex and pulled down her sunglasses. She looked at
him with disappointment and shook her head. Alex felt like a little boy with
the way she looked at him.
"Alexander," she said, walking toward him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him an understanding look. "I know you're a grown man now, with all the needs and desires of a grown man-"
"MOM!"
"-but," she continued, with a stern look, "we decorated this house to reflect us as a family unit."
Alex pulled away from his mother and led them to the living room, where they all sat down. All the while, Flora continued to trash the renovation. Ken Stokes has put so much work into. She even hated the slate gray sofa and its circuit-style swirls! Alex went into the kitchen and brewed some tea for the three of them, while Louis went out for a walk in the woods so Alex could
have some time with his parents.
Alex sat on the matching armchair, sipping his tea from a cup, as his parents told him all about their vacation in Venice. They had been traveling all over Europe, seeing castles and vineyards, and soaking in historical sites.
"Justin has just been loving it," said Gideon. He leaned back on the sofa and made an uncomfortable face. "What is this thing stuffed with? Rocks?"
Alex buried his face in his hands, wishing he had never called them in the first place. Yvonne was right, they wouldn't be any help.
"Thank you for coming," he said. "It's been great to see you. How long are you planning to stay?"
"Oh, not too long, dear," said Flora. "We don't want to be a burden. Just a few days so we can spend time with our little Alex. Just a few days, then we'll be off to Switzerland for some skiing. You should join us. And bring Debbie!"
She reached over and pinched his cheek. Alex brushed her away and found himself smiling.
As his initial shock wore off, he had to admit that it was amazing to see his parents again. They had originally invited him to travel around Europe, but he had chosen not to go. All his parents knew was that he was sick with a stomach virus. The truth was, there was a lot going on around the time they left. He had also had things tying him to Baltimore, so he couldn't just leave.
As Flora started talking about a castle they visited in France, Alex's mind drifted to Debbie. She had been one of the things tying him to Baltimore. Something was wrong.
That, and he didn't feel comfortable around Justin. Wherever they went, Justin wanted to be the center of attention, always trying to seduce the
nearest woman.
"How is Justin, anyway?" he asked, tracing the patterns on his armchair with a finger. "I haven't heard from him in a while."
"We have been in Europe," said Gideon, giving him a knowing look. "We also went tech-free. No phones. No computers. Just us, and an old-fashioned film camera."
"Sounds lovely," Alex said, reaching for his tea. "So he's been alright?"
Gideon looked into his tea mug and grimaced. He looked up at Alex with a concerned expression.
"He's been himself, most days," Gideon said. "Emphasis on 'most.' The days when he's not, well, best not to talk about them."
Worry opened up in Alex. He had never quite gotten along with Justin. Although he cared deeply for his younger brother, there was something off about him.
"I see," said Alex. He took a long drink from his mug, almost draining it, then he set the mug back on the table and looked at his parents. "Mom, Dad, there's something I need to tell you."
Both of them leaned forward, putting their mugs down. Their faces creased with worry. Flora got up off the sofa and sat on the arm of Alex's chair, drawing him into yet another warm hug. The smell of her floral perfume stung his nose.
"Alex," she said, "whatever it is, you can tell us."
"We're here for you, son," said Gideon. "You need something, you name it, we provide."
Alex was silent for a long moment, trying to work out how to articulate what he was feeling. He didn't think that they would understand.
Everyone involved was in a delicate position.
"I think Grandpa Lincoln is up to something," he said. "I know, it sounds insane, but I found his handkerchief in the woods right where Christopher went missing. I think he left it there as a kind of token."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief. He had kept it to remind himself that it was real, that he had an enemy. He unfurled it and presented it to them. It was still a little dusty from its time in the woods and crumpled from his pocket. Gideon and Flora regarded it with curiosity. A moment later, Gideon took it from Alex and tossed it onto the coffee table.
"You're overthinking again, son," Gideon said. "It's just a handkerchief."
"But what was it doing in the forest?" Alex asked, standing.
"Maybe he dropped it?" Gideon suggested.
"But why would he need to be in the forest in the first place?" Alex demanded, his face growing hot with anger. Flora got to her feet and rested a hand on his arm.
"Alex," she said in a soft voice. "We didn't come here to discuss your grandfather. We came here to make sure you're okay, and to spend some time with our little boy."
Alex's shoulders slumped. Calling his parents had been the biggest mistake he had ever made.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein