Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Road Back

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 02:

Jasper wandered the roads aimlessly for the next three days, stopping only to shower and sleep at roadside motels. His moods ranged from self-pity to anger. He was angry at Alice for not having the consideration to personally break up with him and disappointed at himself for having been Alice’s lapdog.

When Jasper first met Alice during his junior year of college, he was stunned that such a sophisticated girl could like him. She was cultured, fashionable, and well-spoken-not like any of the girls in Forks. Jasper worked part-time at the tutoring center, and she came to him for help in her history class. They hit it off, and the rest was history. He thought all had been going well until this morning. He had no idea what went wrong in their relationship. He did everything she asked for. When they first met, he was a history major at Gonzaga University in Spokane. His initial intent had been to become a history teacher, but Alice convinced him that teaching was not a lucrative career. She suggested he major in political science and go to law school instead. Figuring she was correct, Jasper did precisely that. After graduation, he attended law school in Texas. Her father hired him as a paid intern during the summers, so he didn’t have to go home to Washington. After passing the bar, Mr. Brandon hired him immediately. Everything worked out perfectly for him until the other morning.

Jasper pulled into a gas station. While he was pumping gas, the attendant cleaned his windows. “You sure you don’t want me to do that? This is a full-service station.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I got it.”

“Sure, sure. That’s a mean ride you’ve got there. We don’t see cars like that around here much. Where are you headed to?”

Jasper shrugged his shoulders. “No idea.” He glanced up at the attendant, possibly the owner. He was an older man, his hair a shock of white, with rough, calloused hands from years of laboring. He kind of reminded him of his father. His dad owned a gas station with a repair shop attached to it, similar to this. Jasper and his friends worked there part-time during high school through college summers. “Where am I anyway?”

“You’re in Elma, Washington. About an hour and a half southwest of Seattle. I assume a slick guy like you is headed there.”

“Seattle? Uh, so am I close to the 101.”

“The 101 won’t take you to Seattle. You have to take 5 North to get there.”

“But am I close to the 101?”

“You’re on it.” The man pointed to the sign, which clearly read 101. “Are you sure you’re okay, son?”

“I… I am. I’m going h… home,” Jasper stuttered in realization.

“And where is home for you? Your fancy ride has Texas plates on it. You’re a long way from there.”

“I was fired.” Jasper had no idea why he had divulged the truth. Something about the man persuaded him to reply honestly.

“Well, damn, it happens to the best of us, but I like to think when one door closes, another opens. So maybe it was for the best. Now, where’s home?”

“Forks.”

“Well, now, you’re definitely on the road back. Maybe it will be good for you to go home where your roots are. Forks isn’t too far from here-only a couple of hours north. I’m sure you’ll settle in as quick as a wink.” The attendant looked towards the small repair shop attached to the gas station. “I need to finish a brake job. Good luck, son.” He strolled away, leaving Jasper with some words to think on.

Maybe this was an opportunity? Nah, looking around, Elma reminded him of Forks. There were no opportunities to be had in Forks. Still, it was a place where he could hunker down and reassess his life. After all, it has been said that ‘there’s no place like home’ multiple times throughout history.

Three hours later, Jasper found himself knocking on the front door to his parents’ house in Forks, Washington. He could hear the TV blaring in the living room. It was six pm, an hour before dinner time. His father would be closing up his shop right about now. His mom, who ran a bakery in Forks, would have closed four hours earlier. The bakery was open from six until two on the weekdays only. It had been like this for as long as he could remember.

The front door opened and a beautiful, middle-aged woman with wavy blonde hair tied in a ponytail greeted him with a radiating smile. “Jasper!” Charlotte Whitlock flew into his arms for a hug. His mother couldn’t help but check her only son over to ensure he was alright. She got up onto her tippy toes and cupped his face, giving him a good inspection. “Oh, we’ve been so worried about you. We weren’t sure when you were getting here.” She pulled him into the house. “Your room is all ready for you.”

“But Mom, how did you know I was coming? I didn’t call you or anything.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it was the moving van filled with boxes that clued us in,” his father offered from the sofa. Peter Whitlock was an inch or two shorter than Jasper and had a stockier build. His blond hair was graying at the temples, and his bright blue eyes sparkled in mischief. He got up onto his feet, walked towards Jasper, and hugged him. “Welcome home, city slicker. Thanks for the new TV. It’ll be great for watching games.”

Sure enough, his father had set Jasper’s new TV up in the living room. He had decided to take the 85-inch TV in the penthouse since he had purchased it. Alice never watched TV anyway. Jasper, then, noticed his father had his arm in a sling. “Dad, what happened?”

“I tore my rotator cuff and broke my arm in a little fender bender.”

“It wasn’t a minor fender bender, Peter. The Crowley kid lost control of his truck and slammed right into yours.”

“It wasn’t Tyler, was it?” Jasper asked about his classmate.

“Nah. It was his kid brother Tucker. He slid on black ice just as I was leaving work. Fortunately, Charlie was just coming out of the coffee shop and witnessed the whole thing. He was spitting mad. I think he hit Tucker with every violation in the book.”

“You forgot the fact that Tucker was speeding through the center of town at three times the legal limit and ran a red light just before he hit you,” his mother added.

“Geez! There’s no real reason to speed through Forks. Why was he speeding?” Anyone who grew up in Forks knew not to speed. Road conditions were hazardous due to the constant rain.

“Oh, he was showing off his brand-new truck to his girlfriend. It ain’t so new anymore, I can tell you that much.”

“Do you have an attorney?”

“An attorney? This ain’t the big city, son. This is Forks. Besides, the Chief of Police witnessed the entire accident, and the Crowley boy admitted fault. So it’s an open and shut case.” But his father didn’t consider the loss of income, loss of use of a vehicle, vehicle replacement costs, injury, pain, and suffering. Jasper vowed to look into the case and speak to the insurance company. He was pretty sure his father hadn’t taken the whole thing seriously enough.

“But you’re clearly out of commission. So, who is running the shop?”

“It’s being handled.” His father shrugged and then put his good arm around Jasper. “Tell me, son, why are you suddenly home? Did that fancy girlfriend of yours kick you out of your penthouse? Did you get canned?”

Jasper opened and then closed his mouth at his father’s astuteness. Peter Whitlock had always been a sharp man. He may have only had a high school education, but he always made Jasper feel as if he was three feet tall. He was as bright as a whip and could debate with the best of him. Jasper always felt that if he pitted Alton Brandon up against Peter Whitlock, Mr. Brandon would be the losing party. He wouldn’t know what hit him.

“She… Well, I’m going to get settled in,” Jasper replied.

“You do that, and then we’ll talk when you’re ready. Even if it takes days, you’re going to get what you need to off your chest, and then we’ll straighten you right out.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Dinner will be ready soon, sweetie. We’re having chicken pot pie,” Jasper’s mother called as he walked to his room.

“Alright, Mom. Thanks.”

---

On Saturday, Jasper and his mother were in his room. They were sorting through the boxes from his penthouse in Dallas. He didn’t realize he owned so much, but then again, he had his own walk-in closet that was filled to the brim, thanks to Alice. She was constantly shopping while he was at work, frequently gifting him something new to wear. Jasper was glad they’d kept their finances separate. He couldn’t imagine his credit card bill if she were on his. As it was, Daddy Brandon took care of everything for her.

“Jasper, I’ve counted over fifty suits. How in the world are we going to fit these in your closet?” His mother had a bewildered expression on her face. Why? I don’t even think Mayor Cheney owns this many suits, and he’s the most important man in Forks.” She picked up a sweater with a distressed expression on her face. “Jasper, honey, I don’t think cashmere is machine washable, and why do you need so many pairs of shoes?”

“I didn’t buy them. Alice…”

“Ah, Alice… Honey, I never really liked her. I didn’t think she was good for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I don’t know. As soon as you started dating Alice, you stopped being you. You turned your back on your friends, your father, and me. Thank goodness your grandparents aren’t alive to see what you’ve become. They would be hurt beyond measure.”

“Mom, I didn’t turn my back on everyone. It’s just that I was so busy. As an attorney, my life…”

“Yes, yes… You’re a busy lawyer. I’ve heard it all before, but consider the fact that this is the first time we’ve seen you since you graduated from law school four years ago, and it’s been over seven years since you’ve come home.”

“Well, I couldn’t just drop everything to visit. You have no idea how busy I’ve been.”

“Yes, you’ve been busy, but you forgot about who you are in the process. Now, what happened? You still haven’t explained why you’re home so suddenly, Jasper?”

Jasper sat down on his bed with a thump and dropped his head in his hands in frustration. His mother sat next to him and pulled him into her arms, just like she used to do when he had struck out at-bat in baseball or when something had upset him. “Honey, I’m not trying to upset you, but something is clearly wrong, and you need to talk about it. You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?”

It was true. He could tell his mom anything. He always could, except he had been so wrapped up in Alice that he had forgotten. He let out a sigh before speaking, “Frankly, I don’t really know what happened myself. Well, I do, but I don’t know how it came about so suddenly. All I know is that I went into work expecting a promotion on Monday. But, instead, I was given severance papers, and Alice broke up with me at the same time. Truthfully, Mom, Alice didn’t break up with me; Mr. Brandon broke up with me for Alice. She didn’t even have the decency to explain herself to me, Mom.”

“Oh, Jasper. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say, except if she were here, I’d beat her over the head with my rolling pin.”

Jasper laughed. “I bet you would.”

“I would, but that’s neither here nor there. I never really thought Alice was the right girl for you. I can tell you from my observation of her she seemed to be someone who has had everything handed to her and has never had to take responsibility for her actions. Consider that she had her father end your relationship rather than facing you herself. I would say that’s extremely immature for a twenty-nine-year-old woman. Did you really want to be stuck in a relationship with a woman like that? Not to mention her enabling father?”

“No, not really.” Jasper didn’t really consider that Alice was immature or that her father enabled her behavior. He also never realized that his mother didn’t care too much for Alice. He always thought they were impressed by how suave and sophisticated she was. In hindsight, Alice was very rude to his parents when she met them. She always acted as if she were superior. The one and only time they visited Forks, they were supposed to stay for a week, but she had wanted to leave after two days, citing the deplorable living conditions in his parents’ house. And Jasper had capitulated to her tantrum, which had been the wrong thing to do. His parents’ house was perfectly fine. It was a clean, comfortable house that could be found in almost any neighborhood in the United States.

“What are you going to do now?” Charlotte jogged her son out of his thoughts.

“Take some time off to consider my next steps. I’ll have to apply for work soon, but I have a nice severance package. I’ll be retaining my salary for the next eighteen months, and I have health insurance.”

“Well, then, you can take some time to make a decision that’s right for you. But Jasper, make sure you decide to do something you want to do instead of what someone else wants you to do.” Before Jasper could protest, his mother stated, “Why don’t we store most of your suits away for now? I don’t think we’ll be going to any weddings anytime soon.”

“Good idea, Mom.”