Day 12: Lie

It was a Tuesday afternoon and I’m driving home from a long day teaching school.  I pull in the drive way, I’m tired.  I barely noticed the strange car in the driveway, thinking  to myself “it’s probably one of my son’s friends.” I walk up to the front door and it’s locked. I knock but no one comes to the door. Okay, I’ll just use my house key.  They probably could hear for all of the noise.  I have four kids 18, 15, 13, 11, but I don’t recognize any of their voices.  I use my house key to open the door.  When I enter in, all of these strange people are in my house. Four kids, two boys and two girls who look about the same age as my kids, but they were strangers. 

The kids all stopped and stared at me.  I was just as strange to them.  The eighteen year old spoke first.

“What are you doing here?” his voice trembled.

“This is my home, young man.” I tried not to lose my cool, but what kind of question is that?

“How did you get a key to our home?” the fifteen year girl asked me.

“It’s my house.” I announced to these strangers.  “This is my house.  Where is my family?”

“Your family?”

“This has to be a joke.” I reasoned. “They got me good. Okay you got me! You can come out now!” I walked around the house looking  for hiding places and hidden cameras.

“This is a mistake, sir.” The older kid grabbed my shoulder carefully. “You are obviously not well sir.  Let us call someone who can help you.  Is there anyone you know that we call for you?”

“Son, you need to get your hands off me.” I pulled away from him and stepped back and held both hands in the air like I was robbing him.

“Calm down, sir”

“Where’s my wife? Alecia?” I walked passed these strange kids and into my bedroom.

“He can’t go in there!” one of the little kids said to each other.

“Alecia? Where are you?” I walked into my bedroom, but it wasn’t my bedroom. A lady walked out of my bathroom holding a baseball bat in her hand.  She was a white lady, tall and blond. She was not my wife.

“Who are you?” she demanded.  “What are you doing in our home?”

“I live here.  This is my home.” I calmed my tone and she lowered her bat.  “what are you people doing in my house?  None of this making sense.”

“I’m sorry you are confused mister, but you have the wrong home.  This is not your house.” she tried to make sense of my confusion.

“But these are my keys, my home my my bedroom. My my…” I grabbed my head.  The room was spinning. I sat on the wooden bench in front of my bed.  The white lady walked over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder.  That’s when I woke up and went to work.