Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Sonya

When Brittney was still a baby, we needed to move to a house that would be closer to Sam’s work. Even though he changed jobs often, most of his jobs were in the city and we agreed that we should buy a house closer to the city. We walked through a lot of homes, but we were having a hard time finding the right fit for us. I really wanted one that was well-kept but still in our price range. As the search continued with no results, Sam got more and more frustrated.

About that time, a friend of Sam’s told him about a house that was for sale in his neighborhood and said we should come look at it and be his neighbors. Sam, of course, was thrilled. He’s always been like a puppy dog that way – show him a little affection and he wags his tail and follows you everywhere – until you make him mad, of course. So Sam wanted to buy the house to please his friend from the very get-go, before he even saw the house. He didn’t say so, but I could tell. You don’t spend eight years with someone and not figure out how to read their emotions – especially if their emotions could blow up in your face at anytime. I think that made me a very motivated learner.

I wanted to like the house, too, for Sam’s sake, but from the moment I saw the house, it just felt evil. The feeling only got worse when I got inside. I know that sounds weird. I am not usually very paranormal. In fact, it wasn’t ghosts that scared me about the house. It just felt dark there. It felt like bad things had happened and I didn’t want to be there because of it. The house was good for us in every other way, but I would not agree to buy it. Sam raged about the housing market and about me, but on this thing I would not budge. I would not move myself and my children into that house.

I was almost frantic to find another house that would work for us. I started going with the realtor while Sam was at work and Tommy was at school. I didn’t know how long Sam would stop talking to me this time. He could really be punishing about purchases I made, to the point that I would have to take them back to get back into his good graces. A house was so permanent, though. I didn’t know if he would punish me for the rest of our married lives over this one purchase. The alternative was moving into that dark, forbidding house, though and I just could not bring myself to do it.

I finally did find a house I liked. It had a little yard with a willow tree in back and the sun shone through the windows and filled the whole kitchen with light. I know you’ll think I’m crazy again, but I could feel love in that home and I wanted to stay and soak it up. Mercifully, Sam liked it, too. Not that he was overly enthusiastic about it. No, he couldn’t let me completely forget that I had messed up his plans for the other house. But he agreed to buy it and he started talking to me again. I was so relieved. I just knew the darkness in that other house would have crept into my head and darkened my whole life. I rejoiced quietly that we had escaped it.

Looking at the haunted house looming up in front of us, I was afraid that the darkness in this house would not be so successfully avoided. Regardless of what Sam or anyone else thought, I could tell that this was a big key in getting out of the carnival. We would have to go through sooner or later.

Sam was studying the house, too. I could tell that he didn’t much like the idea of braving this attraction either, which surprised me. Sam usually held haunted houses that you find at carnivals in the greatest disdain. “They can’t touch you. You know it’s all fake. What is so scary?” he had said once in making a speech on why they were so stupid. He must not have been so sure that this one was fake or that they wouldn’t be able to touch us for that matter. At this carnival, you could just about count on the rides not being what you’d expect. Plus, there was definitely a feeling outside this house of dark things that we didn’t want to face. Looking at my family, I was pretty sure that I wasn’t the only one feeling it this time, either.

Sam turned to me, “What do you think, Sonya?” I started. I was not used to Sam asking my opinion. He had done so a few times already today and each time he did it, I expected it to be his last. So each new time surprised me again. Could it really last that he would continue to take into consideration what I wanted to do?

I was at a restaurant once, waiting for the kids to get done in the bathroom, and my attention was drawn to another family not sitting too far from us who were just placing their orders with the waitress. The waitress had just gotten to the little boy’s order. The mom said, “He’ll have the soup.”

“I don’t want the soup!” the boy complained. “I want a hamburger!”

“A hamburger?” the waitress replied. “And what would you like with your hamburger – salad or French fries?”

“He’ll have the soup,” the mom repeated “and he’ll have a baked potato with it.”

The waitress though, continued to look at the boy and wait for his answer to her question. The little boy looked back at the waitress in wonder and said, “French fries.”

“A hamburger and French fries it is,” said the waitress. “I’ll have those orders out for you in just a few minutes.” Then she left the table.

The mom shook her head in disgust, but the boy was still wide-eyed with wonder. “Mom!” he finally said, pulling at her sleeve, “She thinks I’m REAL!”

I had laughed softly to myself, but a part of me had felt like crying – crying for a good long time. I knew exactly how he felt.

I tried to pull myself back together so I could answer Sam’s question. “I think it’s getting late. We’ve been walking around the carnival a long time trying to find a way out and it’s probably time for dinner. Maybe we should eat and spend another night here. Then, maybe we can face the haunted house in the morning.”

Everyone seemed to visibly relax. Tommy even smiled, “I like Mom’s idea. This house will be much easier to face in the morning.”

“Alright, then!” Sam said. “We’ll do that. First thing in the morning, though, we’ve got to face it. Are we agreed?”

“Agreed,” we all chorused.

“Great,” Sam said. “Now let’s go find something to eat. Please tell me we’re not back to hot dogs.”

In the end we agreed that if we had to have something again, we’d like to have the pizza. Brittney and Tom were thrilled. I didn’t mind either, actually. I’ve never lost the preference I had as a kid for pizza. I still think it’s one of life’s most fun foods.

“Come on, Dad!” Tom said. “Don’t you like pizza even a little bit?”

I looked up at Tommy with grateful eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to his dad voluntarily. This carnival was full of little miracles.

“You know, I used to like pizza a lot,” Sam mused.

“What happened?” Brittney asked, all of her attention on her dad.

Sam smiled. “I don’t know,” he admitted. Brittney dissolved into laughter. I found myself laughing along.