The drive back was silent from the backseat. I didn’t want to talk much and Felipe and Simon were caught up talking in the front seat. I sat looking at my phone, I had pinned the location on my maps app on the phone before we drove off. I’m not sure why I did that, but something told me to remember this. As if I could ever forget. I could still smell her sickly sweet scent.
Simon dropped me off at my house first. I think he could tell I was preoccupied. I walked inside the house and closed the door behind me. I immediately took off my clothes and took a hot shower. I turned it up as hot as I possibly could at that moment. I had to get the smell off of me. I could feel her skin on me. After the shower, I started the laundry, immediately dropping my dirty clothes in the washer.
“Hello?” I heard from the front door. I was still adding the laundry to the washer when I heard it. I waited by the washer, adding more clothes.
“I’m in here,” I said. I finished adding the detergent, bleach, and fabric softener. Starting the laundry after closing the lid, I heard the last few footsteps ending in front of me. I looked over.
“Couldn’t wait to take a shower?” Katherine asked. I smiled at her, she took her hand and ran it through my wet hair.
“I smelled horrible,” I said. We were married for 16 years but I still loved to see her smile.
“I know, I can smell it. What did you do, run into a dead body?” She asked. I shuddered, seeing the girl screaming. She was screaming in my head, she was begging for help from someone who wouldn’t come to her rescue.
“Tom, you look horrible. You have no color in your face. What’s up?” She asked.
“I, uh, sorry. Yeah, I got dehydrated today while I was out there. Not sure I’m any better yet. I feel like shit.”
“Well, those beers you had last night probably didn’t do you any good. Alcohol pulls the water from your body.”
“I know,” I said curtly. Katherine hesitated and looked at me curiously.
“Sorry,” I continued, “I’m just a little tired. I got a shower in and laundry started, I’d like to take a nap for a bit.”
“Yeah, okay.” She said. She was quiet now and pulling into her mind, growing cold with me as she does when I lose my temper. It didn’t happen often, thankfully.
I moved toward her to try to hug her but she put one arm around my shoulder and let go. I was in trouble. I’d have to deal with that later.
“You probably should stop scratching yourself. You’re going to give yourself a rash.” Katherine said. I looked at my arm, it was turning bright red. I was still scratching that spot.