Suburbia | Kaytlen Bennett

It was the typical suburbia, identical houses on a perfectly straight road. Neat little lawns with one tree in front left corner, perpendicular driveways that pulled up into two car garages, all white stucco. Between each house, a white fence approximately four feet high. They called it Tranquility Meadows. Every morning the Duroville Examiner would arrive at exactly 6:30 and would be greeted by the men on their way to work, each in their compact cars.

Mr. Howard Petersen was one of these men. He would wake up at exactly 6:00, shower, brush his teeth, comb his full head of hair, and make his way down stairs into the kitchen where his wife, Claire, would greet him with a breakfast of two slices of bacon, one over easy egg and a steaming cup of coffee. After eating he’d kiss his wife and walk out the door, briefcase in hand, pick up the newspaper, read the front page, walk to his car and leave for work.

Shortly after Howard would leave, his daughter Ashlee would wake up and make her way sleepily down to the kitchen where she too was greeted with breakfast (one piece of bacon, scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast). After breakfast, she would make her way up to her room and start her routine of getting ready for school. She was a senior at Duroville High, Student Body President and the only brunette with blue eyes making her the prettiest girl in school. She was average height and perfectly slim but with the right amount of curves. Her smile was white. At 7:15, her captain of the football team boyfriend would pick her up and take her to school. She was perfect.

The house next to the Petersen’s was the only empty house in all of Tranquility Meadows. Its lawn hadn’t been mowed since Mrs. Jones, the 81 year old widow, died a year ago. It was the black spot on the perfection.

When 2:30 came along, Ashlee would arrive home followed 30 minutes later by Mr. Petersen. Ashlee would go up stairs and work on her homework until her mother called her for dinner at 4:30. After dinner, she would stare out her bedroom window at the house next door until her friends would pick her up and they would go to the movies, the Friday night football games or a park.

This is the way it had always been, as long as Ashlee could remember and this was the way it was until the summer after she graduated high school.