/lit/ - Literature

Richard hammered the break with his foot and yanked the wheel, throwing his piece of shit Acura past the pick-up waiting at the stop light. The tires skidded, bald as they were, and he hydroplaned, gliding into the railing with a jolt and a terminal crunch. The wipers continued their idiot pattern, scraping at the dry windshield. A man’s voice, slow and banal, droned from the speaker.
“…And, by the end of this audiobook, you will have learned how to reconnect with your son or daughter. My goal is to strengthen not only your relationship with your child, but your relationship with yourself. Flip the cassette now, to continue with…”
The voice seemed loud to him in the hollow silence. Richard poked the eject button and the tape slid out. He stared through the windshield. It had stormed earlier, and the sky maintained its previous angry gray. Mist coiled around the tree trunks of the woods beyond the protective railing. He looked into the rearview mirror back at the rusted blue pick-up still sitting at the stop light. The reflection of the sullen sky obscured the drivers face, but he had an idea of who it might be.
He sighed and let his head fall against the seat. It was only at the last moment that he had seen the glowing tail lights of the pick-up. He hadn’t even seen the truck itself, just its red lights, floating in empty space like two baleful eyes speeding towards him. He had been lost in thought again. Too much time spent in his head. He was getting in trouble for it at work and now it had almost caused irreparable damage. Too irresponsible, his father would have said. Too unmindful, his mother would have said. He needed to get his damn head back on his shoulders, they both would have said. He could almost hear them both in his ears, as if they were sitting behind him right now.
The clock on his dashboard said 7:14. It was later than he had thought and a needle of panic poked the back of his mind. He hoped Benjamin was okay. Being home alone terrified the boy.
A sharp tap at the glass startled Richard and he rolled the window down. He recognized the grizzled cheeks and long gray hair immediately.