The beams cut through the living room like a spotlight. Walter waited, thinking the driver would move once he realized. But the lights stayed on. Five minutes. Then ten. The engine rumbled, steady and deliberate. He went outside and waved both arms. “Turn those off!” he shouted. A man stepped out of the cab, phone in hand, pretending to talk to someone.
“Didn’t see you there, old-timer,” he said with a grin. He climbed back in, revved the engine once, then finally backed the truck away, laughing as he drove off. Walter stood there, jaw tight, hands shaking. Inside, the walls still held the faint vibration from the engine. He turned off every light and sat in the dark until the ringing in his ears stopped.