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packed car and started the drive home.
     
    **
     
    He turned his company car left from Harrison Road onto the Durham Road loop. Ryan sat in the rear passenger side seat, just barely visible to him in the rear-view mirror, staring out of his window. After the turn, they passed four houses, two on each side of the street, and then the road split. He turned the car right at the split and headed toward their home. If he continued past his house and kept driving, he would end up back at the split. Durham Road was a loop and had only one access point, the turn he had just taken from Harrison Road.
    The subdivision contained thirty-four houses located on both sides of the street and evenly spaced on half-acre lots around the loop. Since both Durham Road and the streets surrounding it were built on recently converted farmland, most of the trees throughout the neighborhood were still smaller than the houses. Compared to most of the older, established neighborhoods nearby, the trees on Durham Road still looked like saplings.
    As he passed more houses on the way home, he started to see some of his neighbors, the first one being Todd Perry, in front of a red colonial with gray doors. Todd was adjusting a sprinkler head in the front yard when he noticed Alex’s car, and he waved. Alex waved back through the side passenger window.
    He glanced to the left as he passed a gray colonial with dark blue doors and a three car garage. Thick evergreen bushes crowded the sides of the walkway leading to the front door, standing guard over wide, raised beds filled with yellow and orange fall flowers. He waved at Julia Rhodes, who was examining her mail on the mudroom porch. She looked up as he passed, returning his wave.
    Alex pushed the garage door opener as he passed the Walkers’ house on the right. He looked at their house, a yellow contemporary colonial with green doors, and did not see any signs of activity. The Walkers usually started to spill home at around 5:30. First, Ed would arrive with at least two of their children. Then at about six, Samantha would pull in with whichever kid had a late practice.
    As he pulled into the driveway, the right side garage bay door finished opening, and he pulled his car into the garage.
    “Make sure you have all of your junk,” he said to Ryan.
    “Got it,” Ryan replied and opened his door.
    Alex carefully slid behind his wife’s Toyota 4Runner, trying not to dirty his suit.
    She never pulls in far enough , he mentally complained.
    As he opened the screen door and walked into the mudroom, he could smell dinner.
    Garlic, onions, ginger…probably a stir-fry.
    He hung up his suit jacket in the mudroom closet and took off his shoes, kicking them into the open floor space of the closet.
    “Hey, honey, smells great!”
    “Yeah, I thought a stir-fry was in order for tonight,” she said.
    He crossed the kitchen and gave her a kiss, holding her for a few seconds. He looked around.
    “Are you making rice for the stir fry?” he asked.
    “Yep, already in the pressure cooker. Don’t you have anything better to do other than hawk me?”
    “Probably not.”
    He heard Ryan enter the mudroom and kick off his shoes. One of the shoes banged against the closet door.
    “Take it easy on the house in there,” he yelled.
    “Sorry, Dad,” Ryan said and flashed by them on his way upstairs.
    “Hey, no hug for your mom?” Kate said.
    “Sorry, Mom,” Ryan said and returned to the kitchen to begrudgingly hug Kate.
    “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Tell Emily to wash her hands and start making her way downstairs. You too. Love you,” she said.
    “Love you too, Mom. I’ll be right down,” he replied and scooted up the stairs.
    “Anything good happen?” he asked, nodding at the TV.
    “The UN declared an emergency session. They’re considering a travel and commerce ban against China. Chinese officials plan to release more information about whatever is going on over there.”
    “When?”
    “Some time