Free Emancipating Alice by Ada Winder Page A

his own one-story, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home and how much he wanted one like the beautiful four-bed, three-bath split-level his parents owned, one that he could put a beautiful, large family in: a wife and at least five kids—although he realized he’d need a slightly bigger house than theirs for that.
    Jack hopped out of the car and headed for the front door and Drew quickly followed him, watching sun rays dance on his son’s golden head. It pained him and warmed him simultaneously how much the seven-year-old looked like his mother.
    Jack ran up to the door and started knocking, then reached up for the doorbell.
    “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Jack heard his mother’s muffled voice say. She sounded quite normal, and he was relieved that she seemed to still have it all together. But she had always been a strong woman, for as long as he could remember. Drew waited with his hands resting on Jack’s shoulders for her to open the door. When she finally did, he let go, enclosing his mother in a bear hug. Jack threw his arms around her too although he could only reach her thighs.
    “Hi, mom,” Drew said, enjoying the familiar feel of his mother.
    “Hi, grandma,” Jack piped up.
    When Drew pulled away, he noticed his mother’s hazel eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her brownish-red hair, streaked with grey, was pulled loosely away from her face in a messy bun, and one age-spotted hand clutched the top part of her dress tight.
    “Hi, boys,” she said in a weak voice, attempting to smile.
    Drew was not sure if it was his imagination or if she really looked older than the last time he had seen her, which was just some months ago. But of course he wouldn’t be surprised considering the heavy stress suddenly laid upon her.
    His father was dead.
    Drew held Jack closer to him, but Jack broke away and squeezed past the two of them into the house. His mother smiled at him, wiped an escaped tear from her face then turned to follow their young leader. Drew stepped in and closed the door behind them. For a second he expected to see his father in the kitchen or in the living room, or hurrying down the stairs to say hi to them, but then he remembered: his father was dead. He looked around the rooms instead. Besides the missing pictures, everything looked pretty much the same as the last time he had been there. But the house now had an emptiness to it, a void that made the whole place seem and look quite different.
    “How are you doing mom?” Drew asked softly.
    There was a beat before she smiled.
    “I’m fine, Drew. Really. Now are you ready to help me?”
    “Sure. Can Jack help too?”
    “No, but he can watch some television in the meantime.”
    She headed to the family room and turned on the television. She flipped through the channels, then started looking through the stack of animated films she kept near the television stand for when Jack or Elaine’s daughters came over. Jack saw what she was doing and groaned.
    “I’ll find something to watch grandma, just let me have the remote!” he said.
    Alice looked at Drew, as if asking if that would be okay.
    Drew looked sternly at his son.
    “Jack, let your grandmother find something for you to watch…”
    “But she only has girly movies!”
    Drew held back a grin; Lacey would be proud.
    Instead, he said:
    “Hey how about Chicken Little? She’s got that one and that’s not a girly movie right?” Drew was glad he had ordered some newer movies and had them mailed to his mom. Elaine’s girls never got tired of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and the other so-called timeless classics in his mother’s collection, but he knew the same things would not go over well with his son.
    “Well, I guess that’s okay,” Jack agreed.
    Drew went ahead and set it up while Jack settled on the couch. His son had enjoyed Chicken Little in the theater and Drew was sure he would enjoy it again.
    As soon as they were out of earshot of Jack, Drew asked his mother,