Justin stopped on the front porch of his family's house, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't let his mother see him like this. After a couple of minutes, he opened the door and walked inside.
"Justin, is that you?" he heard his mother call.
"Yeah," he hollered back as he followed the sound of her voice. He found her in the kitchen, fixing a salad.
"Oh, there you are, honey. Will you go let your sister know that dinner's ready?"
"Sure," he replied, saddened at the black eye that his mother had.
Jogging up the stairs, Justin soon reached his younger sister's room. Knocking, he entered. He found Molly laying on the bed, reading.
"Mollusk, time for dinner."
"Alright," she said as she bookmarked her place, then set the book on the dresser.
Sighing she asked, "Is he home?"
Justin immediatly knew who she was talking about and shook his head. "No."
When they arrived to the dining room, they saw the table already sat. Justin, Molly, and Jennifer took their seats around the small table.
After a few minutes, Justin asked, "Can we go ahead and eat, Mom?"
Jennifer scrunched her face up in thought. After a minute she nodded. She knew that she would be in for it, when Harley got home, for not waiting, but her children were hungry.
After saying a short prayer, they dug in. When they were finished eating, Justin said, "That was great, Mom."
"Thanks, sweetie. Do you and Molly mind doing the dishes?" Justin shook his head, and Jennifer smiled before leaving the kitchen.
A she made her way to the living room, she glanced at the clock. It was eight at night. She wondered where Harley was. He was never this late for dinner. Jennifer sighed as she sat down on the old worn couch. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd never return.
In the kitchen, Justin was washing the dishes while Molly dried. "I wonder why Harley's not home," ten-year-old Molly stated.
Justin just silently shrugged. "You think he forgot his way home?" Molly asked hopefully.
Justin gave her a small hug and smile. "Maybe."
"I hope so," she sighed.
'The bastard got what he deserved,' Justin thought to himself. His mother, his sister, and him would be safe now. That's all that mattered.