I was losing sun to the West, so I decided to try my luck with my camera again and I walked outside and around to the front of the house. I looked past the lawn and boulevard, toward the beach and water and couldn’t resist, so I made the short walk across the street. When I got to the sand, I removed my shoes and placed my toes in the sand. I squatted and ran my hand through the sand, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy me. I wanted to walk in the water and feel the wet sand between my toes, so I rolled the legs of my jeans to my knees and waded.
I was about to wade deeper when my intuition spoke to me and I felt the heavy stare of someone’s eyes. I jerked my head up and looked around, but no one on the beach showed any particular interest in me and I didn’t sense danger. I suspected plain curiosity, so I turned toward the house I now inhabited. I lifted my camera toward the house and zoomed in closely to the one watching me and found Chansey standing inside the dormer of Anna’s studio, watching me. She moved away from the window after I noticed her, but not before I snapped a close shot of her at the window. It seemed we did have one thing in common. We both enjoyed a little spying, but the difference was she got caught, and I didn’t.
Ten minutes later, she left in her car and as she passed by me on the beach, she looked my way and made a gesture in my direction. I suppose it was a good-bye wave or maybe a “I know you caught me spying on you” gesture. Either way, both prospects made me smile.
The guilt I experienced from spying on Chansey dissipated the moment I realized she was returning the favor and she leveled the playing field without realizing it. Sort of. I had spying advantages she didn’t know about and I found myself looking forward to her return home tonight. Tag, I was it. I was due some spy time and I was ready to collect.
When she returned later that night, the minutes ticked by after she turned off the engine of her car and I recognized something was off. I opened my door and stepped outside, but she remained inside her car and I wondered if she had fallen asleep. The car door opened one millisecond before I was ready to investigate and I streaked back inside and silently shut the door before she saw me.
I listened to her as she gracefully repeated the same routine as the previous night, with one exception; once she completed her bedroom rituals, she crawled into bed and began to cry. She cried for hours before her breathing became deep and rhythmic, indicating she had drifted off to sleep.
Chansey was upset and it caused me a second night of disharmony with myself, but I guess I asked for it. As I had the previous night, I waited for sleep to release me from the disturbance in my mind. My second night of discord was enough to end my curiosity. No more spying. This game had lost it’s fun factor and I didn’t want to play anymore.
Chapter 7
Chansey’s obvious strife prevented me from sleeping well and I felt it the following morning, but my lack of rest wasn’t enough to keep me inside today. I went outside to enjoy some sunlight while I decided on today’s activity, and as always, my camera was in my hand.
Grady was working in the flower garden behind the house and I thought Anna might enjoy some candid shots of him as he worked. I watched Grady work in the dirt and wondered if I would enjoy putting my hands in a little bit of turned earth. I put my camera away and walked over to get to know my landlord a little better. “Good morning, Mr. Emerson. Would you like some help?”
He lifted his head, surprised by offer, and happily answered, “Sure. I’d love the help of two extra hands.”
I knelt down to join him and asked, “What would you like me to do?”
“I’m just pulling weeds. Our grandson is getting married on the beach in a few weeks and the reception is going to be here in the garden, so I’m trying to keep the landscaping in tip top shape.”
Pulling weeds was easy enough and no real experience was required. I began to pull weeds with Grady and we were both quiet, uncertain how to begin a conversation. My conversations with humans were limited and I didn’t really know much about gardening.
He offered the introductory line. “Chansey was supposed to help me with this, but I think she is sleeping late this morning.”
Now it was my turn, so here went nothing. “She works late hours, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah. I wish she didn’t. She shouldn’t be driving by herself that late at night because it’s not safe.” He hesitated and continued, “Her parents wouldn’t have allowed it if they were still here.”
“Did they pass away?” I asked.
“Yeah, her parents and sister were killed in a car accident eleven years ago and she was the only survivor.”
I said the only thing I could think of at the moment. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Chansey has been a trooper. We’re all grateful she has done so well because I don’t think we could have endured it if she had withdrawn from us.”
I didn’t know much about her, so again, I said the only thing that seemed appropriate. “She seems like she is a rather upbeat kind of person, although I’ve only met her briefly.”
He was impressed with my conclusion. “She certainly has an upbeat personality.”
I heard several rings of a cell phone inside the house, followed by Chansey answering, “Hello.”
She paused a moment to listen to the caller before she said, “The restraining order says that you are not supposed to contact me in any form, or come near me. You can expect a visit from the police because I have already notified the authorities about last night.” As she spoke, her voice began to shake, a sure sign of her fear.
Someone was scaring her and doing a fine job of it. It angered me to know someone was causing her to cry herself to sleep and I wanted to know more, but it wasn’t my place to get involved in human matters.
Fifteen minutes later, she was in the kitchen talking to Anna and I wondered if her grandparents knew about the harassment of the caller. She didn’t mention the phone call and I guessed she was keeping it to herself. She told Anna she would be joining her grandfather in the garden after she finished her coffee and that was my cue to find a way out of the help I had offered to Grady.
I wasn’t ready to see her because the memory of our interaction was still fresh on my mind and I still felt the burn of embarrassment on my cheeks. I was afraid of an encore performance and I didn’t want Grady to see me act like a fool around her.
I didn’t have long to vacate the premises, and luckily for me, Grady introduced the perfect idea. “I need to replace the annuals in this section. I was thinking of using pink and purple petunias.”
“Why don’t you let me run down to the garden supply store and get those for you? It will save you the trip and I don’t mind getting out and learning a little bit about where things are located,” I said. I heard the door open, so I didn’t wait for his response before I jumped to my feet and ran like a scalded dog for my apartment door. “I’ll go get my keys.”
Despite how far I had come, I still harbored issues with losing control and I felt completely out of control around Chansey. I found my keys and headed for my truck, hoping to dodge her, and I was almost successful when I heard Grady shout, “Hey, Curry, Chansey is going to ride with you. She’ll show you the way and help you pick out what we need.”
I wanted to act like I didn’t hear him. If I could have gotten away with it, I would have tried, but it would have been too obvious, ultimately making me look strange and rude and I didn’t need the unwanted attention.
I turned around and saw her leaning around the back screen door of the kitchen entrance saying, “I need to run in for just a second and I’ll meet you at your truck.”
I sat in my truck and rolled both windows down while I waited for her because it was a really bad idea to get cooped up in this small cab with her aroma. I racked my brain, trying to think of topics for conversation, and did a great job of drawing a blank. My nervousness escalated to a full blown panic when I saw her walking toward me in my truck.
She sat next to me in the cab and I willed the truck to not star
t, but it defied me and started without hesitation. “I was thinking we could go to McFerrin’s Nursery. They’re local and I prefer to buy from a mom and pop kind of business because their stuff always looks better.”
Her heart rate was normal and her voice was smooth and carefree as she spoke to me, showing no signs of anxiousness. I tried not to consider how differently she would react if she knew what kind of creature sat next to her in this small truck cab, within arm’s reach.
I pulled to the end of the drive and she directed me to take a left. I did as I was instructed and leaned toward the incoming breeze through the window, relieved by the fresh air, although I had not yet been invaded by her aroma.
“So, where are you from?” she asked, interrupting my concentration.
I hoped I could manage to answer that one without a blunder. “I’m not really from anywhere. I was born here, but I left many years ago and I’ve never stayed any one place long enough to call it home.” My answer was vague, but true.
“I think that would be cool, living in different places. I was born in Hawaii, which would be really cool if I could remember it, but other than that, the only places I have ever been is somewhere between here and nowhere. My shot glass collection is rather small,” she laughed.
“Living abroad is not as glamourous as it might sound, I’ve never stayed anywhere long enough to make connections with people or get to know anyone.”
“Take the next left. I guess that would explain why you don’t have too much to say. I thought you just didn’t like me,” she laughed.