Soul Mates by Thomas Melo Read Free Book Online Page B

point to  guilty .  
    “I did. I’m really sorry,” Tyler admitted.
    Ray dropped his fork with an audible CLANK in his dish, mostly for show. He and Cindy knew this already, but they were relieved that their son admitted to it and took the honest and moral high-ground rather than stoop to subterfuge with the two people who provide d– above and beyon d– everything a child would ever need. They were testing his honesty as parents tend to do from time to time. Like looking back over your shoulder after passing a shady looking individual in the street who is doing nothing more than minding his or her own business: just making sure, thank you! Better safe than sorry!
    How did Ty’s parents know? Simple. Remember the neighborhood charmer, Herman the Hobo? Well earlier that day (the day Ray and Cindy confronted Tyler at dinner) when Ray got home from work, he was met by Herman the Hobo, who had been halfway down the Swanson’s block before turning back to meet Ray once he saw that his car was heading towards his home. When Ray parked his modest car in the driveway and got out, a second before greeting Herman the Hobo, Herman had the nerve to complain that the cans the Swansons had left out for him to take and return for his nickel-a-piece had jagged edges on which he had cut himself. Ray was obviously annoyed that he was being scolded by someone he and his wife were donating a little money to. True, it was a synergetic relationshi p– he saved them a trip to the store and all of tha t– however returning the cans and bottles at the market was not something that the Swansons would have really minded doing. They would do it before they shopped, and then apply the credit they received from returning the bottles and cans towards their grocery bill. Convenient as a Lazy-Susan. 
    The other reasons Ray and Cindy had their son dead-to-rights was because Ray had found the plastic grocery bag that Tyler wrapped the squirrel carcass in, nestled between a couple of garbage bags in the garbage can out by the chimney. Ray didn’t make a habit of trolling through his trash cans, no sir, but when he walked past and began to smell that strong unmistakable smell of decomposing carrion, wafting from it, his curiosity was piqued.  
    “Well, hold a minute, Ty, there’s more to it than just getting right to an apolog y– ” Ray started.
    “But your father and I are glad that you didn’t lie to us,” Cindy added as she glanced over at her husband for some sign of agreement on his countenance. Instead, Ray had a mild look of derision on his face because he felt that even when they established a unified front, Cindy had to put small fractures in that alliance by making Ray come across as the tougher of the two. What would that lead to except Tyler coming to the “push-over” parent (Cindy) for her blessing after the disciplinarian (Ray) had already said “no?” Going even further, what does  that  lead to? You guessed it, more arguments which possibly leads to a divorce, which leads to the division of holidays, amongst other things. How splendidly linear! Give yourself a hard-candy for following. 
    “Do you know how else we knew you’ve been using your gun without our permission?” Ray asked. Tyler looked at him and just shook his head. It wasn’t an outright lie, technically, but he knew where his dad was going in his line of questioning. 
    “I found a dead squirrel in the trash, in a plastic bag, sandwiched between other bags of garbage like it was stashed there so it wouldn’t be found. I wouldn’t have known that it was there, but when I put out the trash, the goddamn garbage can stunk to high Heaven. ”  There was a moment of silence at the dinner table while everyone thought two moves ahead about what came next, as well as a brief look of contempt at Ray from his wife for the blasphemy. To Ray’s surprise, Cindy spoke up first.
    “Did you kill that squirrel with your bb gun?” Cindy asked. 
    “Think really