It was strange how normal it all felt. Driving along a road with the barest of traffic, working to clear it of debris, listening to his father and Edward exchange small talk, tapping Anna on the arm to point out something, laughing at a joke someone made, taking sober instructions from his father—it was all such a bizarre transition for Daniel that he nearly forgot where they were going, that they were primarily out to find his brother. And that his brother would have no idea Daniel was coming, or who he’d be bringing with him.
22
“There it is,” Daniel said, pointing to the “Willow Falls” sign on the side of the road. It was an old wooden sign and partially obscured by a fallen tree. Edward turned the Bronco onto a dirt road wide enough for a single vehicle. The ground to either side was rough with weeds and looked to be mostly sand and crushed shell, the kind of ground that reminded Daniel they weren’t far from the ocean. Edward piloted them down the lane, dodging a limb or two. Mailboxes highlighted the occasional driveway, but the neighborhood was even more heavily wooded than Daniel’s. The houses were set back far enough to be invisible from the road. To either side, though, Daniel could see the effects of the storm. Jagged spikes of timber stood up everywhere, the tops of the trees angling down like they were taking a bow. Fallen limbs formed an odd sort of underbrush. A smattering of trash could be seen along the banks, likely ripped from a garbage can or scattered by scavengers.
“That’s the second one,” Daniel’s father said, pointing.
Edward slowed and turned onto the gravel drive. The tires crunched along, the smell of salt in the air through the open windows. “We’re gonna need the saw,” Edward said, rubbing his beard. Daniel and Anna leaned into one another and peered ahead. Two large trees crisscrossed the driveway ahead, their limbs throwing up a hedge of green.
They stopped the car, and Daniel’s dad let Daniel make the first cuts. The trunks of the trees were held off the ground by their limbs, which made cutting all the way through them easy. Daniel had less fear of the tool this second time. He pushed the blade deep against the trunk, letting the spiked collar on the chainsaw hold fast, giving him something to pivot against. He let the chain do the work and stood back as the two halves parted. Another smooth cut through the tree, and two through the other one, and Daniel shut the chainsaw down. He handed it and the plastic goggles back to his father.
“Nice work, Son,” his dad said. He slapped him on the back. The newness of that trite and clichéd moment—learning a skill from his father and putting it on display—made Daniel feel slightly dizzy and more than a little resentful. He found himself smiling, against his will, and saw that Anna was smiling back at him.
The four of them dragged the two trees out of the road, the limbs sweeping the gravel behind them. Back in the Bronco, they trundled along, heading for a house partially visible at the end of the long and wood-lined alley.
“Good golly,” Edward said, as they exited into a clearing at the end of the drive.
“Holy shit,” Daniel’s father said.
Daniel leaned his head out the window to see. The Bronco came to a crunching stop, the brakes squealing. He followed his father’s pointing arm to see his mom’s Taurus parked in what must’ve once been a shady spot. The tree that had formerly created said shade was lying on top of the Taurus, the vehicle now flat from hood to trunk.
“Holy shit,” Daniel whispered.
He felt Anna leaning across him, her hand on his shoulder, straining to see. Daniel would’ve delayed the moment had he been thinking clearly. Instead, he opened the door and stepped out, allowing Anna to spill out behind him.
“Mom’s gonna flip,” he said. He walked out toward the car, then turned as a screen door slammed by the house.
“Daniel?”
His brother stomped down the wooden steps leading up to the single-story house. He broke into a trot, hurrying his way, his face a mix of surprise, relief, and joy.
“Oh my god,” he said, throwing his arms around a stunned Daniel, who just stood there. “My little brother,” he said, his hand on the back of Daniel’s head, his other hand slapping his back.
“You okay?” Daniel asked. His brother let him go, and Daniel saw a young-looking girl standing on the back deck of the house, a hand on her hip and another shielding her eyes.
“We were gonna set out in the morning on foot if nobody came by,” Hunter said. He turned to the Bronco and waved at Anna. Edward was walking around the car, his hand brushing along the hood. The passenger door clicked open—
“No fucking way,” Hunter said.
He took a step back toward the crushed Taurus, shaking his head.
“No way.”
“He’s only staying for a little—” Daniel started.
“Hello, Son,” their father said. He took a step toward Hunter, who took another step back. Daniel watched Anna’s eyes dart between the two of them, a frown on her face. Suddenly, Daniel felt the embarrassment of his family’s dysfunctional nature. He wanted everything to be okay, and fast, even if just for appearances.
“What are you doing here?” Hunter asked.
“Hunter, this is Anna.” Daniel waved her direction. “That’s her father, Edward. They were kind enough to bring us over.”
Hunter waved him off. His eyes hadn’t left their father, who at last remained still, a dozen paces from the two of them.
“Do you want to introduce us?” Daniel pointed toward the house.
“That’s Chen,” he said, his eyes not wavering. “Chen, this is my little brother Daniel and my asshole of a father that I’ve told you about.”
Chen waved tentatively.
“Is it just you two?” Edward asked. He walked toward the Taurus, scratching his beard.
Hunter nodded. As Daniel had suspected, his brother had lied about Chen’s parents being home.
“Maybe we can have a moment alone?” their father asked. He pointed down the driveway.
Hunter grunted. He looked around to Chen, who was hugging herself on the back porch and biting her lip. He looked back to his father and nodded. “After you,” he said, waving him down the driveway. He refused to budge until their father had already started shuffling away.
“Chen, why don’t you see if they need anything to drink?” Hunter called over his shoulder.
Daniel’s eyes hardly left his brother during the several exchanges. Somehow, Hunter seemed so much older than Daniel thought of him being. He seemed like their father’s peer, the kind of man that played host to other people and owned a house and had a wife and that sort of thing. As his father and older brother walked away, back down the narrow and heavily wooded driveway, Daniel felt Anna tugging him toward the house. He let out his held breath, managed to suck a deep new lungful, and reluctantly followed her.
••••
“Hunter talks about you a lot,” Chen said. She poured water from a gallon jug like the kind you buy at the grocery store for a buck. She handed Daniel the cup.Anna cradled hers, and Chen began filling another for Edward, who told her to pour half as much for him.
“What does he say?” Daniel laughed and heard the nerves in his voice. Everyone had become uncomfortably quiet after the scene outside.