Family Value

i just wrote this short story, it is unedited, for your enjoyment. so you can see how things come out of my head.

Family Value

Value, a word most people have not idea what it really means, a word thrown around as if it were itself just another ideal. It has, this word a value and meaning unto itself that exceeds the Webster definition. Its is a thing alive, a thing, this word value, that carries with it the entire weight of what we as a race have come to define ourselves by. 3 year?s ago I learned just how much I took this seemingly simple word for granted. How much I misjudged my own value.

We were heading out to a family reunion, I, my wife and 3 kids. We?d packed everything the night before for the long ride to Ohio from Lansing mi. we got up and had our breakfast, the kids loaded the van as I looked over the morning paper. Julie, she kept poking me in the side to hurry up, but I had to see my horoscopes for the day.

I sat there looking at it, there was no way it could be real, this had to be some kind of miss print or joke, when Julie came to poke me again I jumped out of my skin almost, the paper falling to floor.

?Brian,? said Julie, ?what the hell was that all about??

Her question was lost on my ears the first time she said it, I heard it after she yelled my name to get me to snap out of it. Picking up the paper I showed her what it said, I asked her if she knew anything about it, if one of her co-works had printed it as some kind of joke.

She looked at it for a moment and tossed it to the ground, took my hand and pulled me out the door saying,

?I?ve told you a thousand times Brian, not to read those things, they?re nothing and mean nothing. Let it go, besides why would anyone at my paper change that one horoscope just to mess with you??

I locked the door and everyone pilled into the van and we headed out. The first hour of the drive was a little quiet but good. We made great time, I remember Julie pointing out this other van, it was white with purple coolers tied to the top of it. The windows were blacked out, and she joked that it was for the dead. Everyone laughed but me; I just looked at her, and decided to pull off for gas.

The ramp was to Lansing road; it was maybe 10 min from the Ohio boarder. As many times as I?ve driven this way I don?t remember ever seeing this ramp or road, I remember not really paying any attention to it. we used the bathrooms, got gas, drinks and snacks and headed back to the freeway.

The ramp said To Toledo 58 miles, 58 miles later and we found ourselves driving through Detroit, it was way later than it should have been and, the reunion would have been mostly over by now. Julie was really upset, she said I fucked up the trip on purpose and in a huff said to just head home.

We woke up and it was? Saturday? But? I put it out of my head and headed down stairs to join Julie and our 2 kids as we got ready to go to family reunion down in Ohio. As the kids loaded everything into the van I picked up the paper as I locked the front door. Julie had to run back in for her breakfast of coffee and cigarettes, so I opened the paper to the horoscopes and read mine for the day.

I didn?t notice Julie hitting me in the arm saying we?d be late, because of what was written. For some reason I felt like I?d done this, that was silly, days don?t play out over and over again? I was distracted by the kids fighting. I turn round and address them.

?Donny, don?t do that, you know your sister is younger than you. If you want to be a real man you don?t hit a woman, no matter what she say?s or does to you.?

?Brian? called Julie really lightly, ?whose Donny?, that?s Timothy??

Her words trailed off as I looked at her and she had the strangest look on her face, as if she remembered something, then lost it. she cleared her mind in that typical way that she always does by making a joke and saying to make it so. I could tell that the demotion from editor to copy person at the paper really had her upset.

About an hour into the drive Julie pointed out this purple van with white coolers strapped to its top and joke it was for the dead, that they were following us. And sure enough 10 min later it was in front of us again? only? there was a kid looking out the back window?

?Donny..?? I said out loud, to which Julie being roused out of her road daze asked me what I said. ?that kid in the back of the van? I?ve seen him before? Julie looks up and asked me ?what kid??

Not only was he gone but so was the van, racing off ahead of us. The need gas bell dinged and we pulled off at the Lansing road exit.

?Julie do you remember this road ever being here before or us ever using it??

She looked at me like I was stupid, saying, ?Brian it has to have always been here, roads don?t just pop up out of no where. And I am sure we?ve pulled off here before, see I remember that gas station its got a bathroom in the back, that?s unlocked and for boys and girls alike.?

And true to what she said it was. So after filling up, getting drinks and snacks we headed back out onto the freeway. 48 miles to Toledo the sign said. Half an hour later the sun was going down for some reason and we were driving north through Detroit. Julie was really upset and wanted to know how I had managed to get so utterly turned around with out ever heading north? we could not figure it out and ended up just heading back home to Ann Arbor. We got into a big fight that night and I ended up sleeping on the couch.

The alarm on my cell phone went off and I woke slowly. I know we?d had a nasty fight the night before, and that Julie had it seems been up all night drinking. She?d lost her job as a paper delivery person. How could her boss do that to her I?d heard her say in the middle of the night way to drunk to know she was talking out loud.

After we got cleaned up she helped out daughter load the van. I watched them as I stood there wishing I?d had enough money to buy razors, as I looked at the morning paper. I knew some how I?d done this before, that I?d stood here watching her help the kid?s?kid load the van. Pausing I begin to open the paper, almost knowing how it will read,

?Don?t go to the reunion if you love your family, today is the day you will lose one if you go.? And sure enough, that?s what it said. Before I could say anything about it, Julie ripped the paper out of my hands and slapped me for even looking at it.

?How can you do that to me, look at this after what happened to me? God Brian some times I think you?re lost in some little world of you own. Fuck! ? Either get in the van or we leave with out you.?

The last part was hissed at me, And I forgot about the doom laden warning. As we drove out I kept seeing things that seems to be familiar, a red van with white and purple coolers, another with purple and red coolers, both with the windows blacked out, Julie saying she wished she was in one of them, at least the dead knew where they were going.

I had to get off the freeway. I pulled off close to the boarder of Ohio at Lansing road. There was a rough looking gas station there. We got our gas and Julie got a 40 of beer. Our little girl, trying to stay as small as she could in the back seat, asked why her brothers were gone.

I and Julie both looked back at her and could not believe what she had just said. We must have stared at her for a long time with out mouths open because when Julie finally said she didn?t have any brothers, and that it was goddamned mean to even say that, knowing the last child we tried to have almost killed her. Julie turned her anger on me and started yelling at me to get us to damned reunion so she could get good and drunk, that maybe she would fuck my brother this year. As I turned on to the ramp heading to Ohio I noticed the sign, Toledo, 38 miles.

We drove in silence until we found ourselves driving north into Detroit. I could not understand how it happened, Julie went mad with rage saying I did it on purpose, that I fucking hated her. For a moment I almost did? but all I could do was drive us home apologizing to her the entire way.

I woke up, and found the coffee, it was cold, Julie had started it the night before and turned it off in the middle of the night. I didn?t care. All I wanted to do was get to the reunion and tell everyone that me and Julie would not be together much longer if she could not stop using. To ask the family to help for once.

She had come in just as I was getting ready to go to her room and wake her. She?d been out partying all night again. Why she kept going to that guy at the paper to get high and cheat on me I?ll never know. She laughed at me as she through the paper at me. It was damp from the sprinklers but open to the horoscopes. She came over stinking of semen and urine. She pointed to my scope and headed to the shower laughing.

I could not believe what I was reading, ?Don?t go to the reunion if you love your family, and today is the day you will lose one if you go Brian.?

?Do you think this is some kind of joke Julie?? all I get is laughter from the shower; she comes out putting new cloths on, this look of death in her eyes.

?What?s wrong Brian, scarred you?ll loose me sooner than you planned on? Are you scarred your little fuck toy will go away if me and you brother are in the same place??

I ignore what she said and motion to the car and she goes quiet. A look of utter sorrow and lose on her face. The ride down is silent save for her trying to control her addiction by pointing out odd cars on the road. It?s the van we end up behind for almost an hour that really seems to./.. I don?t even know how to describe it. it looked normal enough white with a odd rang of colored coolers strapped to the top and back of it.

Julie stared calling out names, Donny, Timothy, Tammy? she?d cry a little and look at me and say she was sorry. As Lansing road came closer I knew I had to pull off and get her something to help her get through the day. At around 4:30pm she was able to score some pot from a trucker and we headed out again. The sign to Toledo read 28 miles.

About 40 min later we were heading north through Detroit, Julie said he needed to puke and I pulled to the side so she could. She got out and ran up the ramp. I don?t know why I just sat there watching her run off, laughing insanely. In the end all I could do was close the door and head home.

It was cold when I woke up, the power had been shut off. Loosing my job last month was hard for me to take. I almost didn?t get out of bed. I lay there till I heard the paper boy go by. I said fuck it and got up and snuck out and grabbed the neighbor?s paper. I tossed into my car, got dressed, grabbed the last of my money and headed out. My brother had called the night before and used the last of my minutes to let me know about the family reunion that was taking place today in Toledo.

While I waiting in line to get my coffee from the fast food place I looked at my horoscope, it said ?today will be the beginning of the last day of the rest of your life.?
I laughed a little and threw the paper out as I drove by the trash can.

It was a long quiet drive, at 10 miles to Toledo I went to turn off at Lansing road, but a black van covered in black coolers cut me off and forced me to stay on the freeway. I said fuck and hopped I could get gas after the reunion.

I had no idea it would take so long to find the park it was being held at. By the time I got there, its was getting dark and there was no one there. I was too tired and apathetic to care much really so I parked and headed towards the largest gazebo. It began to rain as I walked up, I had not noticed clouds all day but sure as fuck it was raining?

I ran up and into the gazebo and to my amazement there was someone there.

?hello Brian, glad you could make it.?

I looked at this guy but could not seem to place his face or voice?? do I know you?? I asked.

?Would you like a smoke Brian? I have your brand,? he holds up a pack of cloves the black ones from India. ?I know how much you like these? he says shaking one out for me.

I reach out and take it, he offers me a light and I accept. The rain starts coming down so hard I can no longer see my car. Turning back to the stranger I asked him if a family reunion took place here today.

?Yes Brian it did, and everyone missed you. They were so upset you and your family could not come?.

Family I think to myself, who is this guy, I?d never been married before. And as if he?d read my mind he began to speak.

?of course you did Brian, but you ignored every warning we gave you, don?t you know the value of a divine message? Have you always been so stubborn??

I step back a bit and start to get a little scared as he lights a smoke with out a lighter or matches, just by snapping his fingers, his eyes glowing for a moment with the sick green color of gangrene, the pupils disappearing all together when this happens. His hand is on my shoulder now, and he points out towards the parking lot.

I look and the rain parts like a curtain and that van that cut me off is there. Only now it?s lit from the inside and I can see people in it. I can hear them calling out to me, and everything begins to replay in my mind, all the way back to the first warning. ?Don?t go out today stay home, don?t go to the reunion, Satan is waiting for you. If you value yours and your families lives don?t go, he?s going to take your family away from you. ?

I look back at the stranger, and he begins to laugh has he shoves a knife into my gut and I am pulled back towards the van by hands dripping flesh.

That was three years ago, I learned the meaning of the word value, that?s for sure ?
All I can do now is drive that damned van as we collect the damned and the dead, my family butchering those we collect as part of our toil in hell.