The Hollow Clunk: Why You Should Never Go Back to the Garage

Title: A Good Marriage Author: Stephen King ISBN: 9781439192597

Darcy was back in the kitchen, trying to act like everything was normal. The phone rang, and she let the machine pick it up. She wasn’t ready to talk to Bob yet. She was afraid he would hear something in her voice.

But it wasn’t Bob. It was their son, Donnie.

Good news from Cleveland

Donnie was calling with some amazing news. He and a friend had started their own ad agency in Cleveland. Bob had told them they would never get a loan, but they did. Not only that, they had just landed their first two big clients.

Donnie was bubbling over with excitement. Darcy talked to him for twenty minutes, laughing and celebrating. For a second, the weirdness in the garage felt far away. Her son was a young entrepreneur making it in the world. It was a proud mom moment.

The interruption

While she was talking to Donnie, she heard the double-beep of another call coming in. Donnie asked if she wanted to get it.

“No, it’s just your father,” she said. “He’s in Vermont looking at steel pennies.”

She didn’t want to talk to Bob. Not yet. She told Donnie she would tell his dad the good news later. They said their “I love yous” and hung up.

The lingering thought

Darcy stood there in the kitchen, the smile fading from her face. She was thinking about that sound.

Clunk.

It wasn’t a clatter like a dropped tool. It was hollow. It felt like a piece of a puzzle that didn’t fit. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care. She tried to tell herself she didn’t want to know.

But here is the thing: once you know something is hidden, you can’t just un-know it. Curiosity is a powerful thing. It can help you find the truth, but it can also destroy your life.

She grabbed a flashlight from the pantry. She told herself she was just going to check for mice. But deep down, she knew she was going back to find out what made that sound.

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