He had hopes that she liked him, at least. Well, some of his female friends had said she was interested in him, so there was that. But whatever happened he would have at least taken the chance with her, and gotten to take that chance. His stomach fluttered, nervous as hell and he wasn’t even at the party yet, but it was a good kind of feeling. He was excited and looking forward to what was ahead over the next four days. He had been looking forward to it for weeks now.
That was why, despite having walked as fast as he could, and yes being almost an hour late, Casey was struck by the empty driveway as he made his way down his road and walked up to his house. Sitting outside the house were his bags but his father’s truck and the rest of his family were nowhere to be seen. For a moment the eighteen-year-old stood confused before reaching for his phone and dialling his father’s mobile.
After a few rings the phone was picked up and Casey could hear the familiar sounds of driving with the windows open.
“Hey slowcoach!” Casey’s father upbeatly greeted him as he answered the call
“Hey dad, where are you?” Casey asked confusedly as he looked from his bags to the empty driveway again
“On the way to the lake as planned” Casey’s father replied chippily, “We waited for you, but figured you weren’t coming when you took so long.” He added with what Casey could only describe as amusement.
“What?? But dad, I’m here!” Casey almost cried out before glancing at his watch at how late he was. “Why didn’t you wait for me? I was on my way!”
“We did wait for you. And you knew what time we were leaving, Case. I’ve told you before about being on time. You’ll have to get a ride with one of your friends or catch the buses.” His father replied with definite amusement, clearly finding the whole situation one big joke. Casey would have too if it had been one of his brothers who had been the butt of this joke rather than him.
Staring wide-eyed the eighteen year old gaped at his father down the phone. They had left him? Sure he was super late and he had known what time they were leaving, and that his dad had plans that meant they had to be on time, but still! His father had actually driven off to the lake without him, taking his brothers who no doubt found this whole thing funny and like they had once more gotten another one over him.
“But dad…” Casey began only to have his father cut him off
“No but’s Casey, I told you I wouldn’t wait” His father replied good-humouredly, sounding upbeat as he added, “So now you’ll have to find your own way here if you want to come. But you’ll miss the boat ride anyhow. Guess you’ll learn to be on time next time. I’ll save you some beers though.”
With a small, amused laugh Casey’s father hung up leaving Casey to stand in the driveway sputtering as he stared at his phone in his hand. His father had left him there! And he sounded as amused by it as Casey’s brothers no doubt were! Oh his father hadn’t sounded vindictive at all, only playful and like this was all one big joke. That was his father’s way — even when he took things too far he thought it was all just a joke. But right then Casey could not believe it.
Sure he was late. Really late. And fair enough he had heard his father joke about leaving him if he didn’t get there on time. And sure he had other ways to get to the lake — he hoped! — but this was supposed to be a family weekend as well as a party weekend. And he alone out of his brothers had been left behind! And they were all laughing about it! Casey had been super stoked about the whole weekend and now here he was stuck at home while his father and brothers thought it one big joke!
Feeling in shock Casey stood staring up the empty road for a few minutes, almost as if he would see his father drive back and tell him to get in, that the joke had been hilarious but he was there after all. But the road remained empty. This was taking a joke too far!
Finally, after shaking himself out of his stupor, Casey turned toward the front door and headed into the relative coolness of the house as he almost numbly typed in his friends’ phone numbers and tried to figure a way out of this mess.
He would so need to figure a way back at his father, and brothers!, for this.
… Little did the strapping eighteen-year-old know just how perfectly he was going to get back at all three of them. And thanks to his father at that.