(1) A Place Called Home
It was still cold in
London although summer had arrived.
The skies were filled with an endless formation of clouds while the
amber glow of a brilliant circle of light against a darkening backdrop revealed
the assemblage point of the universe. This was a time of day where the changing
of the guards took their rightful position in the heavens. The sun faded as the
moon gained its power. Traffic
lights morphed into iridescent greens, yellows and reds as they stood apart
from the dimming city commotion. A
tall, slender figure clad in heavy black clothes stepped off the bus onto
Worple Road. She drew the coat
collar tightly around her neck and adjusted the woolen scarf as a chilly wind
picked up, swirling bits of dust and debris around her ankles. Hands shoved
deeply in her pockets, she walked the rest of the block that was soon to become
a familiar path. The key in the
door, the sound of the consenting “click” as it opened and Vicki was home.
She stepped into the
foyer dimly lit by the glow of light emanating from the kitchen. Smells of sweet onions sautéing on the
stove wafted into the semi-spacious room tickling her hunger. It had to be Heller. Although a little more than two weeks
had passed since staying at the boarding house, Heller was the only one she’d
seen cook, with exception to one other tenant who graced the kitchen late
afternoons with an annoying, pungent smelling meal. Vicki wrinkled her nose and
shifted her attention towards the mail strewn across the small wooden table,
secretly hoping a letter awaited her. Even though Italy was now becoming a
distant memory, she had lingering thoughts of the love she left there. She
swooned momentarily lost in the memory of his powerful arms, his smile, his
eyes. And the lie she caught in
them. The cold hard truth was he left HER there. Alone. While he gallivanted
off to Northern Italy to play nurse to some young, rich widow filled with
stories of woe and a very large collection of historical paintings that needed
to be photographed. It would take weeks.
He gladly accepted the task and felt compelled to comfort her in any
manner necessary while she grieved over the passing of her ancient, decrepit,
scandalously rich husband. She had
inherited a dynasty after only two years of marriage. How much crying could she do…all the way to the bank? And Vicki’s love of a lifetime was
right there, calling her sporadically with untrues and tall tales while
manipulatively enraptured in the grieving widow, her outstretched needy arms,
and her spoils. Sick, Vicki
thought. What the fuck was she swooning over?
Pain edged in as the
points of her new leather boots began choking her toes to exhaustion. She frowned from the intrusion and
turned towards her and Heller’s room. A sudden loud thud resonated from
somewhere in the house near the stairs.
Vicki froze. An eerie sick
feeling slipped into the pit of her stomach. What was that?
Could it have come from the landlord’s room? She examined Tim’s closed door for a moment before tiptoeing
over to listen. Faint snoring
sounds seeped through the wooden barrier.
It certainly wasn’t him. Could’ve been anything, she determined. Maybe one
of the upstairs tenants dropped something heavy onto the floor. Must’ve been
more tired than she realized. Gotta be the shoes, she thought as the points
squeezed its occupants even tighter.
She managed a small chuckle just before another loud thud resonated in
the foyer. It was much louder than
the first and had unequivocally come from the stairwell. The pit of her stomach became
heavier. She took in a short gulp
of air and exhaled sharply trying to dispel the load that had settled within. Had anyone else heard it? She waited. No one had come running out from their rooms, and Heller was
still busy cooking in the kitchen. The stairs creaked and Vicki swung around
hard, straining to focus into the darkness. Her eyes fell upon something even
murkier than its surroundings, perched on the landing. She stared until her eyes watered, her
brain trying desperately to articulate what sat crouched in the shadows. Hello, she called out cautiously but
there was no response, no sound.
Reflections of headlights from passing cars glowed eerily through the
stained glass door animating two fiery pinpoints of light on the thickened
shadow on the stairwell. Something
was tracking her. Vicki shifted her stance. Her eyes widened as the play of light came closer and her
imagination kicked in. Flickering
eyes scanned her every move. Drenched with unease she inched backwards. Was
something actually there? Was she
being watched? Was it ready to pounce? Her hand anxiously groped for the light
switch. Where the fuck was
it? Nervous fingers patted the
wall until they found their target.
Vicki flipped the switch.
An onslaught of light gushed onto the stairwell filling every
crevice. She stood breathless,
eyes glued to the landing, watching for any flicker of movement. The stairwell reeked of normalcy. Vicki didn’t move until her mind
released its grip and the pit of her stomach began to lighten. Edginess still lingered as she entered
her room. A long day had just
ended and she had fallen victim to its illusions. She was lost in thought. Something beyond Vicki’s comprehension
was settling in and she, an unknowing participant in its evolution.
This was the first of
many experiences staying with Heller on Worple Road. The boarding house had an international flair with people of
different cultural backgrounds.
There was German, British, Irish, Scottish, West Indian and now American
coexisting in the two-story house.
Four bedrooms were located on the second floor. The second level tenants
shared a large bathroom complete with tub and shower. The smaller bathroom
downstairs had only a shower and was used specifically by the occupants whose
bedrooms were on the ground floor, that being the landlord, Heller and
Vicki. It was located just beyond
the kitchen and on the other side of the back porch. Upstairs tenants were not allowed access. Common areas
shared were the foyer, kitchen and back porch where a washing machine, dryer
and two mini refrigerators lived.
Vicki had met all but one tenant on separate occasions, and found them
to be warm and friendly. There was
still one left to meet. Heller,
oblivious to his new girlfriend’s disturbing episode, called out from the
kitchen.
‘Vicki, is that you?’
‘Yes Heller, just give me a moment,’ she answered
easing off her boots. The painful
reminders were tossed into the freestanding wooden closet as she sunk into the
soft cushions of the aqua couch, stretching her aching toes towards the
crackling fire, embraced by its soothing heat. Vicki depended upon the gas lit
fireplace to ward off the cold London seemed to offer at any point throughout
the year. There was always a slight chill in the house and Tim was cheap on
heat. It’s summer now and we don’t
need to run heating, became his daily mantra. He’d check the thermostat from time to time to make sure his
rules were being adhered to after discovering someone had been naughty and
upped the temperature.
Incandescent flames bathed fire into her cheeks as she leaned in closer,
relaxing her guard and eventually melting the dark specter that had swept
through her mind. She didn’t move
until Heller’s voice prodded her once again.
Hurriedly she slipped into black sweats and a pullover
and took a quick glance around the room.
The round aqua table in the alcove was a mess. In one sweep, loose papers were stacked neatly, both high
back chairs scooted under the tabletop, white window shears drawn, and the
heavy aqua colored drapes pulled closed. Vicki refolded the brightly colored
afghan and smoothed it evenly over the back of the couch. Satisfied that everything appeared in order
she closed the door and walked into the kitchen. Peeled, sliced potatoes crackled and popped as Heller
dropped them amongst sweet onions sizzling in hot oil. More potatoes lined the
cutting board ready to be sliced.
‘Don’t worry Heller, I’ll finish the rest,’ Vicki said
kissing him lightly on the lips.
She ran her hands under the tap and grabbed the towel, drying them
before taking over the task.
‘Are you sure you don’t mind?’ he checked with her.
‘No problem sweetness. This is a breeze!’ Heller cracked a smile and headed for the
door.
‘Heller?’ Vicki stopped him. ‘Thank you for welcoming me in your home.’ I think, she said under her breath.
‘You are ever welcome in my life!’ Heller blew her a kiss and walked out
of the kitchen. Vicki, smiling to
herself, picked up the butcher knife, allowing the sharp blade to sink into a
skinned potato. She cut two slices
but never arrived at the third.
Standing motionless, her breath caught, knife frozen in mid air. Her head instinctively turned towards
the doorway, eyes remaining absorbed in a mechanical stare. Fear had slipped in once again,
gripping her attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment