As the night passed by and a new day overpowered the darkness, pushing it down into the subconscious of the fragile earth, birds rejoiced with their chirping songs and the morning dew laid delicately on each blade of shining, freshly trimmed grass. Cain's alarm forced him to shift in bed with an aching groan, before he hit the snooze button on his phone and turned onto his back, staring at the decadent ceiling patterns. Twenty minutes passed before he begrudgingly sat upright and released the comfortable warmth of his thick blanket and embraced the sudden chill of his bedroom, peering over to the sunlight peeking through the blinds as though God were at his window.
His mother was already away at work, leaving him home alone yet again shortly before his father was inbound to pick him up around 9:00 a.m. She was a nurse, an occupation that had proven its usefulness in the family more often than not. Whenever she was around, she'd go out of her way to provide educated insight on things such as dermatology, basic cuts and bruises, seeing doctors and knowing what to ask them, and plenty of other medically significant things. She compensated for her shortcomings by going above and beyond the call of duty both as a mother and a nurse practitioner in all of her personal and professional relationships.
Cain's parents didn't have any disdain for each other. Despite their separation, their collective focus was on making the best of a bad situation and supporting their only son with love, affection, and genuine care. Quite frankly, it's the main reason why Cain wasn't a train wreck emotionally, despite the life changing situation he wound up in. He felt adjustment anxiety and had some symptoms of mild depression, but his general peace of mind was maintained by such nurturing yet polar opposite living environments. While his mother made him do most of the chores at her house, his father was more lenient, as though giving Cain a weekly break from his busier life every other week. He even had an allowance provided by his father, which he'd save for his own immature purchases, such as snacks, airsoft guns, and pocket knives.
Cain went to the bathroom to get himself ready, after texting his father that he was awake. While combing his hair and brushing his teeth, he was keen on watching himself in the mirror, staring at his reflection from a front profile and staring contentedly into his own eyes. He was one who often sought an image of himself whenever he could do so, and studied himself more than others in pictures, since he hadn't a solid self image of himself that he could rely on for more than a few moments at a time. He pictured himself as he looked in his reflection, not really keen on any other angles to put together a full 3rd person profile in his mind. He wasn't necessarily self conscious, however. He was a humbly handsome, good looking lad who didn't stand out in looks or personality in social settings. Not necessarily average, yet also not a pretty boy or immediately distinguishable when compared to the other kids in school. He was a big, quiet kid, who wore camo cargo pants and a black tee shirt more often than not, along with black steel toe boots unless his casual shoes were more appropriate.
All cleaned up and packed for the week, he would wait outside on the front steps after arming the alarm and locking the door behind him. While he was one who enjoyed the dark, eerie nights, he also found solace in beautiful, sunny mornings such as this. It was proof of God's grace, his display of mercy and good nature personified with a slightly cloudy sky and bright, vibrant sunlight that warmed Cain from his skin all the way down to his core.
As he watched the end of the street, some cars would occasionally drive by, making him wonder if the next one would be his father's iconic blue 2007 Toyota Camry. It was a reliable car, one that he wanted for himself one day, or at least something similar. He had a year to kill before he could go for his driving permit, something that he was quite excited to earn. He had heard about how easy driving school was, and if he could learn to drive a real car, his life would be that much more freeing; he could go wherever he wanted, see friends more often, and spend his money on whatever he could legally purchase.
His best friend, Alec, was a car fanatic, even more excited to earn his permit for the exact same reasons. They've been friends since they were four and five years old, Cain being a year older, first meeting at their youth soccer games playing on the same team. Cain would make it a ritual, after the end of each game or practice, to steal Alec's soccer ball and run away with it, nearly driving him to tears before rekindling their mutual friendship just before they'd leave to go home. The main reason they eventually got so close was because Alec's parents moved into his grandparent's house on the same street as Cain's father, where they'd play and pretend well into current times. Too many sleepovers to count and hours of playing video games fortified a bond unlike most other childhood friendships could compare to. They were practically brothers.
After ten minutes had passed by, Cain eventually caught sight of his father's car, which proceeded to pull into the driveway as he stood up and went to put his bags in the back seat. He'd enter the front passenger seat as his father smiled and began backing up after Cain buckled in.
"Morning, Carlos!"
"Hey, faja."
The two had given each other nicknames to call one another, for the more casual discussions. Faja was a reference to an Austin Powers movie that Goldmember had referred to Austin's father as, while Carlos was just an adopted name for his father to refer to him as something beyond his formal name.
"How was your week with mom?"
"It was alright, I guess. Had to mow the entire lawn by myself, but I paced it out over a couple of days."
"Nice, nice. Keeping busy as usual, which is great! How's she doing?"
"She's fine. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"She hasn't been too hard on you, I hope?"
"Nah. She's been making me do most of the chores, but she hasn't been too overwhelming otherwise. She's been busy with work, as usual, but I don't mind holding down the fort by myself."
"Well hey," said his father, "she needs to pay her bills just like the rest of us. She's around often enough, I'd say. Besides, living independently can make one appreciate time management."
"I guess so."
They would continue their casual talk while listening to The Beatles 1 (Remastered) CD album, as the all too familiar sights and sounds of the small town passed them by. Before long, they'd pull into the driveway of the house that Cain was raised in, ever since they moved from Minnesota about eleven years ago. It was also on a secluded street, a Cul De Sac, where Cain had spent many years playing with the neighbors via toys, playing pretend, bike riding, utilizing every available backyard, and even venturing into the swamp beyond the treeline across the street, despite their parents warning them not to, lest they wanted to be grounded.
The two story, blue and white suburban house was an iconic staple of the Husher family; with red doors and a lawn that was small yet practical, with a fenced in backyard and a few trees that Cain had climbed up at least five times each since living here. It was well maintained all thanks to Cain's father, who took pride in being able to do so on his own, even if Cain helped mow or weed every now and again. Being raised on a farm, Cain's father was well suited to doing even more strenuous yard and house work, so it was no issue for him to do so in comparison.
The foundation was the second house from the end of the street on the right hand side, where the turnaround was an iconic feature, as Cain and his friends used it at the central meeting spot after all the kids were awake and ready to play outside. For Cain, it was a place of jovial respite, and he was more than ready to see who was awake on this beautiful Saturday morning. After bringing his things inside, he'd put them on one of the sofas in the living room and bolted outside to get the weekend started on a high note. After a week being away, he was excited to see if Alec was home, along with anyone else to go out and explore the mysterious swamp.
Cain's father would begin making breakfast, his iconic chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes, while Cain dashed past behind him with pep in his step.
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