Chapter 50


    The scenery, at least in Lyte''s eyes, was drastically changing. She honestly could no longer tell just


    where in the city she was. On one hand, it made her feel somewhat relieved that Cypress was no


    longer under the hex of economic and social copse, on the other, however, after so many years, not


    being able to recognize one street after another only made her realize that not only could she and


    Isaiah be lost, but that perhaps her moving to another city may have been ill-advised altogether.


    "Mom, the GPS is going haywire." Isaiah poked an irritated finger at the digital console inside his


    vehicle''s dashboard. "West 7th is around here somewhere, but this thing keeps telling us 100 yards.


    We''reing up on 100 yards and all I see is 5th Blvd."


    Lyte said nothing; she just held her breath in anticipation of something, anything. She watched in


    dread as the numbers on the street posts changed until "the" right one appeared right before her


    skittish eyes.


    "Right there," her shaky right index finger dreadfully pointed at 7th Blvd.


    "Finally," Isaiah huffed as he turned right on the road.


    Lyte saw the sign as they entered onto the Blvd that read Eastern Estates on a pristine all white


    board that was posted right at the corner. The woman gawked from one side of the street to the other


    where one floor cottages all resided. There were white people of varying ages either walking or jogging


    up and down the freshly paved sidewalks. Shavedwns and colorful flower beds made for a picture


    perfect, unrecognizablendscape, while expensive vehicles sat idly by in front of the homes.


    "Stop here." Lyte''s tongue fumbled.


    On a dime, Isaiah stopped the jeep right in front of a specific home. All around could be heard birds


    chirping and a couple of dogs barking in a nearby distance. Isaiah couldn''t help but to sit and watch his


    bbergasted mother soak in thevish atmosphere.


    "I can tell by the paleness in your face that this neighborhood looks a whole lot different than it did way


    back then." He smirked at his mom.


    Lyte couldn''t even answer at first, she just sat with her mouth wide open and her eyes bugged out


    like she was visiting another.


    Clearing her dry throat, she replied, "Back then, the only time we saw white people in this


    neighborhood was when the police drove by."


    Looking past her, Isaiah pointed and asked, "Is that where we first lived?"


    Lyte gradually turned her head and muttered ever so softly, "Yeah. Yeah it was. Of course it didn''t


    look like this back then either."


    "I can imagine."


    Lyte couldn''t move. She couldn''t even sweat. She was freezing cold from her head all the way


    down to the soles of her feet. She figured she would have been a mountain of emotion, but just sitting


    in her seat was all she could do.


    "Thest time we were here, you had a sinus infection." She stated with her eyes still directed at the


    home. "I had to walk all the way down to the corner store, in the freezing cold morning, just to get you


    some medicine."


    Isaiah leaned back in his seat as his eyes shifted back and forth, from the house and to his mother.


    Then, without any kind of thought whatsoever, Lyte pulled thetch on the door and proceeded to


    get out.


    "You''re going in there?" Isaiah blurted out in astonishment.


    But Lyte didn''t reply. She simply began walking towards the house like a led zombie. Isaiah got out


    on the other side and shut her door behind him before taking off in the rear.


    "Mom, are you okay?" He whispered into her ear.


    Lyte would not answer. She kept walking and walking until she met up with the porch where she


    stepped up the stairs and finally stopped short of the front door.


    All of the sudden, everyone and everything around her were no longer present. It was just her and the


    pearly white door with the golden knocker in the center. Lyte stood for at least two whole minutes


    before her eyes caught sight of the doorbell down to the right of her. Once more, her thought process


    was vacant. She just pressed the button and waited. Beyond the door she could hear footstepsing


    closer and closer. That was when she began to shake. The door swung open to reveal a young,


    bearded, white man in a pair of shorts and a white undershirt.


    "Can I help you?" He asked.


    "I...I''m here." Lyte struggled to say. "I mean...I''m sorry. My name is Lyte Glover. I know this is


    gonna sound strange, but, I used to live in this exact house way back in the seventies."


    Appearing amused, the man remarked, "Really?"


    "Yes, sir," she held her breath. "This here is my son, Isaiah." She pointed behind her. "We didn''te


    to bother you or intrude; I would just like to take a moment to see inside, if that''s alright with you."


    The man carefully studied both Lyte and Isaiah before he smiled and nodded. "Sure, c''mon in," he


    stood aside.


    With as much energy and bravery as she could umte, Lyte stepped inside the clean smelling


    home.


    "Oh, we havepany." A young, perky, white woman appeared from out of the kitchen.


    "This is my wife, Leia. And by the way, my name is Austin."


    "It''s good to meet you both." Lyte smiled from ear to ear.


    "This is Lyte and Isaiah." Austin presented. "They used to live here years ago."


    "Is that right?" Leia, with an oven mitt on her right hand asked. "We actually moved in here two years


    ago when they built the Estates."


    "Yeah, it''s pretty nice here." Austin added. "What was it like back then?"


    But Lyte was too enthralled with the chic living room that appeared two sizes bigger than what she


    once remembered.


    "Oh, I''m sorry." Lyte caught herself. "Well, to tell you the truth, it was a dump way back then." She


    giggled. "This whole city was that way. You guys are lucky to have been born when you were."


    With a pair of cement feet Lyte stepped through the living room, not wanting to prance too hard


    upon the pure white carpet on the floor. Austin, Leia and Isaiah all stood and watched as the woman


    carried on in a trance-like state across the house as though not one of them were even there.


    "You''ll have to forgive my mother." Lyte could hear her son speak. "It''s been years since she''sst


    been in Cypress."


    Lyte first went into the newly remodeled kitchen that had been lengthened to twice its original size.


    She passed by the two boiling pots on the stove on her way to the backdoor. She looked through the


    ss to find that the old shed that once rested in the middle of the backyard was no longer in sight.


    From there she happened to nce down at the floor to see the basement doortch gone as well.


    Once she had had enough of the kitchen she made her way back into the living room only to venture


    down the hallway and to the one and only bedroom. The door was wide open, but she didn''t bother to


    go inside. She just stood and looked at the perfectly made king sized bed and sma TV mounted on


    the wall in front of it.


    Still, Lyte could hear absolutely nothing. For all she knew everyone could have ran out on her and


    she would have never known it. She wanted to turn around, but something was preventing her from


    doing so. Lyte fought against the force until she was able to twist her head to the left to spot one


    more room on the tour. She stood and stared down the hallway at one closed door. Lyte was


    determined not to stand around and allow fear and hesitation to cause her to wait. It had been 42


    years, there was nothing more to wait for.


    The woman turned her immobile body around and slowly marched down the hallway until she finally


    came face to face with the bathroom door. Her right hand was trembling as it reached out for the knob.


    With her shaking hand she twisted and turned the knob until it unlocked and opened. At once, a rush of


    fragrant heat sted Lyte right in the face. It was so vicious that it nearly caused her to stumble


    over. Yes, the bathroom was still the smallest, mostpact room inside the house.


    The toilet and tub, while brand new, were still positioned in the same ces they had been years


    earlier. All around were men''s and women''s personal hygiene products, as well as a small picture of


    Austin and Leia posing in front of Niagara Falls posted on the wall.


    But all Lyte could seem to focus upon was the floor. By then, her entire body was shaking so hard


    that her right foot started to tap on the linoleum. A few beads of sweat began to form upon her


    forehead, and her teeth were beginning to hurt. Lyte just couldn''t take her eyes off of the floor. She


    tried and tried, but the longer she stared, the more the images started to appear. From one end to the


    other blood, a baby, a detective and a thing was all around her. She recalled what Isaiah had


    mentioned about something big and loud. In her quivering eyes she could see it on the floor reaching


    out for her.


    "Mom, are you okay in there?" Isaiah said out loud.


    Lyte shut her eyes and inhaled the fresh linen scent from the de plug-in that was fumigating the


    room.


    "Yeah...here Ie!" She cleared her voice.


    Lyte tightened her lips and balled up her fists before shutting her eyes for five seconds and re-


    opening them to find the tormenting image all but gone.


    "Goodbye, Isaac." She whispered so pitifully as she turned and walked out of the bathroom, shutting


    the door behind her.


    The instant Lyte reached the living room she found all three persons still standing in the ces


    they had been since she first left.


    "This is gonna sound real weird, but, I, uh, I was just wondering if you two had ever experienced


    anything...unusual, since living here." Lyte sort of snickered.


    Both Austin and Leia gave each other odd, and amused nces before Leia looked back at Lyte


    and replied, "No, nothing that would cause an rm, I guess."


    Nodding her head in approval, Lyte said, "Good. I''m d to know that." She then exhaled with a


    smile, "Well, I''d like to thank you both for allowing me to intrude on you."


    "It''s no intrusion at all." Austin smiled back. "We''re always d to havepany over."


    "We''ll be leaving now." Lyte remarked as she took Isaiah''s hand into her own and started towards


    the front door.


    "I miss 1977. Don''t you?" Someone''s voice all of the sudden spoke.


    Lyte stopped short of the door and spun around. "I''m sorry, what did you say?"


    Both Austin and Leia once more gawked at each other strangely before Austin responded, "Uh...we


    didn''t say anything."


    Lyte just nervously grinned before opening the door and walking out. The two strolled hand in hand


    to the jeep where Isaiah opened the door for his mother and helped her inside. As Isaiah got in on his


    side Lyte couldn''t help but to keep her eyes steadily trained on her former home.


    "Well, was it all that you imagined?" Isaiah questioned as he cut on the jeep and pulled away from the


    curb.


    Just as Lyte was about to answer, she suddenly felt something warm drizzle down out of her right


    nostril. With the tip of her finger she dabbed at her nose and examined her finger to discover traces of


    blood.


    Lyte turned to the street ahead of her and continued to grin, "No...I quit imaging things a long time


    ago."


    Leaving


    I left my parents. I left my son. I left my city and my country. I left Isaac. I left everyone behind...even


    myself.


    Now, I''m leaving again, to never return. I have nothing more to say beyond this...please, God, don''t


    ever let me return.


    Ever again...C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.