Branded

  “Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  He finished swallowing. “I studied in England for a few years and one of my roommates was from Thailand.

  His mother owned a restaurant and he had worked in it pretty much all his life. So, he taught me.”

  “England?” I questioned after swallowing another amazing bite. “You’ve done a lot of traveling it sounds like.”

  He wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin. “I haven’t been back in the states for more than a month since I was eighteen. I’m twenty-three now.”

  “Where were you studying in England?” I asked, realizing there was a lot more to his man than I had first realized.

  “Oxford,” he said softly before taking a long drink of water.

  “Oxford?” I repeated and couldn’t help but feel totally insignificant. I still had yet to attend any form of college.

  “Ya,” he said, looking slightly embarrassed. “I somehow managed to get an international business degree.

  Pretty boring sounding, right?” he said with a chuckle. “It’s kind of a miracle that I actually did get the degree. I kind of like to wander.”

  “Sounds like it,” I said.

  There was a moment of silence as we both ate but it was comfortable and easy. That was a quality I liked in people. There didn’t need to be constant chatter and mindless talk. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit in silence.

  We each finished our food and sat back in our chairs, feeling stuffed to the limit.

  “So what about you?” he asked. “Are you from Bellingham or something?”

  “No,” I said feeling instantly uncomfortable. Talking about my past wasn’t exactly easy for me. “I grew up in this really small town called Ucon, in Idaho.”

  “Wow, not what I would have guessed. So what happened?”

  I was taken aback by how quickly he seemed to have guessed there was something that had in fact happened.

  “Let’s just say it was time to leave home or both me and my parents were going to regret things that were about to happen.”

  I hadn’t meant for the words to come out that way and suddenly wished I had given a more tactful explanation.

  “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” he said quietly.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I looked at my hands in my lap. There was a moment of silence again but this time it wasn’t quite so comfortable.

  A thought occurred to me and I looked up to his face.

  “So now that you’re here and have this house left to you, are you planning to stay or go back to Africa?”

  “I think I’m going to stay around here for a while. We were about done in Kenya anyway and by the time I could get back it’d be over. I had been trying to decide what to do when it was over. So, ya, I think I’ll stay around for a while.

  I like Washington.”

  I felt weird asking the next question but it was important. “I can find somewhere else to live now if you’d like. This is probably weird for you moving back and finding someone living in your house.”

  “No!” he sounded almost alarmed. “Not at all.

  Please, stay as long as you want. Like I said, there was a pretty good chunk of money left in a fund to continue paying your wages for however long you want to stay. And honestly I’m glad you’re here. I don’t do well being all by myself. I like people.” That small grin was begging to break free again.

  “If you’re sure,” I said cautiously.

  “Yes,” he said almost too quickly and this time the grin was trying to spread on my face.

  As if to save us from any further awkwardness, the phone rang. I almost sighed in relief. Even though I was enjoying Alex’s company and attention I still wasn’t sure how to handle it. Alex rose to his feet just before I could and answered it.

  “It’s for you,” he said as he extended the cordless phone.

  I grabbed it from him and held it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Jessica! Where are you? I’ve been waiting for forever!”

  Guilt instantly washed over me as I heard Sal’s frantic tone.

  “I’m so sorry Sal. I got distracted. I’ll be right over.” Sal said a clipped “bye” before she hung up.

  “I have to go,” I said as I turned to Alex and hung up the phone. “I can’t believe I forgot it’s Wednesday. I go over to the neighbors every week and watch her show with her.”

  “Who?” he asked as he leaned against the counter.

  “Sally Thomas,” I said as I started for the stairs to get my things. “Do you know her?”

  “Only a little,” he said. “She moved into the house a little while before I graduated but we weren’t always here. I know my grandma was friends with her.” I hurried down the stairs, trying hard to keep the numbers that flowed through my mind from slipping over my lips. Ten…eleven…twelve… Alex followed me.

  “I feel horrible I forgot about this. We do it every week. How could I forget?” I said as I opened the door to my apartment and looked around for my jacket.

  “Do you mind if I came with you?” he asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

  I froze in my tracks, half bent, looking through a few things on the floor. Sal might not notice my strange behavior toward her show but Alex just might. And I wasn’t sure how exactly Sal would react to him.

  “Um…” I debated internally. I found my jacket and straightened as I pulled it on. “I’m not sure how Sal will handle it if you come. Did you know her much at all?”

  “I know she’s different,” Alex said nonchalantly. “She always seemed to like me whenever I talked to her before though.”

  I nodded my head. “I guess it might be ok. She’s been really quiet lately and kind of out of it so she might not really even realize you’re there.”

  “That’s alright with me,” he said as he ducked out and I heard him rummage around in his room for a second before he appeared back in the door with a hooded jacket on. “If you don’t mind me tagging along.”

  “That’s fine with me,” I said, trying not to smile.

  “Let’s go.”

  We walked out the door and made our way to Sal’s in silence. I gave a soft knock on the door twice before letting myself in.

  Sal was already cuddled up on one of the couches, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, remote in hand.

  “Sorry, Sal,” I said as I took a quick look around to make sure everything looked in order. Everything seemed to be in its proper placement of chaos. “I had a friend show up and got a bit distracted.”

  At this Sal’s head popped up from staring at the blank TV screen. Her gaze went immediately to Alex and to my great surprise, a smile spread on her face. “Hello Alex.” Alex didn’t hide his astonishment that not only did she recognize him but she remembered his name. “Hi Sal,” he replied with a broad smile, making a quick recovery.

  She didn’t say anything more as she turned her attention back to the TV and pulled up her TIVO menu. I gave Alex a sideways glance before we walked into the living room and sat on the empty couch. After just a second the show started.

  Sal did not watch really any television but she had an unfortunate obsession with “Touched by an Angel” and I had to watch it with her. Of all the shows she could choose to be obsessed with it had to be that show.

  As the episode started, I realized it was one that we’d already seen from an early season. I guessed by now we had probably watched all the seasons and every episode to ever air. I tried very hard to focus my attention on the show.

  Normally I was able to ignore the show fairly completely, but with Alex there to observe, I thought it best to show some interest. It was not that I did not like the show. I thought the messages in it were good and of worthy origins but why did they have to call them angels? If they were called anything else I probably would have actually enjoyed watching the show. Obviously the creators knew nothing of the true nature of the beings they were trying to portray.

  I couldn
’t help it as I diverted my attention to anything other than the television screen without taking my eyes from it. I noticed that somehow Alex’s arm had ended up draped across the back of the couch. Trying to be discrete, I glanced at his face, searching for any signs of a sly grin but found his face oddly attentive of the show before him. He wasn’t trying to be sneaky or make a move. I somehow doubted he even realized his arm was there, resting just an inch or so above my shoulders.

  I tried to turn my attention back to the television but caught a glimpse of Sal out of the corner of my eye. To my great shock and embarrassment she was staring intently in my direction, a slight smile spread across her face. It almost startled me at first, Sal almost never smiled. And she never lost attention in her show.

  A confused expression spread on my face as I shrugged my shoulders just slightly as if to ask her “what?” Her grin only got a little bigger before she turned her attention back to the television.

  I didn’t see it; if it was at all possible I just felt it, the small smile that crept onto Alex’s lips.

  The rest of the show passed by unbearably slow and I nearly sighed in relief when the credits started rolling.

  Feeling ready to snap at any moment from the tension I felt inside, I sprang to my feet and grabbed my jacket. Sal turned the television off and stood to face us, that strange grin still spread on her face.

  I tried to ignore it, however impossible it was to do so.

  “Do you need anything Sal?” I asked, as I always did before I left her house.

  “I’m okay,” she said, her grin still plastered on her face. “Good-night Jessica. Good-night Alex.” Without another word she walked to the stairs and headed down to her bedroom.

  This time I did sigh in relief as we turned for the door and walked out.

  “What a nice evening,” Alex said as we walked up the stairs that ascended the sloped lawn to the road.

  It was freezing. Small puffs of air curled out from our lips and noses and rose into the air in delicate patterns.

  “Sal seems like a really wonderful person,” he continued as we took our first steps down the road.

  “She is,” I said as I wrapped my arms around my torso. “She’s different but I suppose that’s part of why I care about her so much. She’s so innocent.

  Alex nodded his head. “It’s really good of you to take care of her like that. My grandma tried to help her out but we were gone so much it made it difficult.” By this time we reached the stairs that led down to the house and I kept my silent count to ninety-one to myself. As we walked back into the house the smell of our recent meal filled my nose.

  “Oh shoot,” I said as I closed the door behind us. “I forgot about all this. I’ll help you clean it up.” He didn’t argue with me and we quickly cleared the table and started to load the dishwasher.

  “I really enjoyed tonight,” I said as I put the plates onto the rack, speaking before I thought about what I was going to say. I immediately felt blood rush into my face.

  “I did too,” Alex said as he rinsed a pot and as he handed it to me his eyes met my own and I felt a small quiver run down my spine as that smile spread on his lips.

  He turned his attention back to another pot. “Thanks for letting me come with you to Sal’s. It was nice.” I had to hold back a little chuckle as I put the pot into the dishwasher. Awkward maybe, I thought to myself. “I was surprised she remembered your name. She barley remembers her own most days it seems. You must have left a good impression on her before.”

  “I guess,” he said simply as he handed me the last of the silverware. I loaded it into the rack and closed the door.

  “Thanks for the help,” Alex said as he leaned against the counter, his arms folded across his chest.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Alex glanced back at the clock that hung above the sink. It now read eleven o’clock exactly. “Well, I think I’m going to hit the sack. I’ve got to meet with an attorney in the morning. Something to do with my grandparents will and having the assets transferred to my name.”

  “Sounds fun,” I said sarcastically.

  “You’d better believe it,” he said as he rolled his eyes and started for the stairs. We walked down in silence and said a brief goodnight before we went our separate ways.

  When all was quiet, I pulled my laptop out again and pulled up the internet. After only a few moments I found the gruesome answers I was looking for.

  I was right when I had assumed Crystal Daniels was a prostitute. She had also been murdered last night in an alleyway. Stabbed four times in the chest. The murderer was still at large and they currently had no leads.

  Could one really call that getting what another deserved? I didn’t know if anyone deserved to die like that.

  The next morning the house felt oddly silent. It was strange how I had grown so accustomed to having another person around after just one day. I thought I was happy being on my own. I had become independent and I needed no one. Apparently I was wrong. Humans are social creatures by nature and while I may have been a freak, I was still human. At least I hoped so.

  I felt restless and anxious with how empty the house felt so I headed to Sal’s early. She may not have been the company I was craving but anything was better than sitting at home alone at this point.

  “Sal?” I called as I opened the door and peaked in.

  “Come in,” I heard her faint call from inside.

  As usual, I quickly glanced around and noted everything looked in order.

  “Sal?” I called again when I saw no signs of her.

  “Down here,” I heard her voice float up the stairs.

  I found her in the office, sitting at the great oak desk, a shoebox open in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” I asked as I sat in the chair in front of the desk.

  She didn’t say anything but pushed a photo across the desk towards me. I picked it up and examined it.

  There were two people in it. The first was Sal. She appeared to be several years younger, her skin more youthful, her hair a bit more lively. Yet there was something all too familiar about her eyes, they looked haunted, hurt.

  The second woman was slightly familiar and it took me a moment to recognize her. I had never actually met Sue Wright in person, only talked to her on the phone, but I had seen one or two pictures of her. She was a kind looking woman, pure white hair, wrinkles all around her eyes and sprouting from her sunny smile. Her face was tanned and warm looking.

  Sue’s arms were wrapped around Sal’s waist, her head resting slightly on her shoulder. Sal looked hesitant but she was smiling as if in acceptance of the woman’s affection.

  “Alex said you were friends,” I said quietly as I pushed the photo back towards her.

  “I miss her,” Sal said and I was surprised to hear the emotion in her voice. As I looked into her face I saw a single tear rolling down her cheek. I had never seen Sal cry.

  I also silently wondered how Sal had found out about Paul and Sue’s death as neither Alex nor I had said anything at all about it.

  Sal didn’t look up again from the box as she pushed another photo towards me. This one held two men, standing next to a barbeque, both wearing aprons. Paul and Alex.

  Paul was tall, just as tall as Alex. He was very fit for a man his age and his build was similar to Alex’s. His hair was very dark, almost black, yet speckled with dignified silver.

  His face too was tan, a leathered look as if he had spent too much of his life out in the sun.

  “When were these pictures taken?” I asked as I noticed Alex looked much younger. He was exactly the type that every girl in high school would have had a crush on. I certainly would have.

  “That was Alex’s eighteenth birthday,” Sal said as she pushed another picture towards me. This one was of Alex blowing out candles on a birthday cake. “He graduated a month later. That was the last time I saw him.” It seemed strange to me that there didn’t seem to be any friends around in any of the pic
tures. What eighteen-year-old guy was content to spend his birthday with just his grandparents and the odd neighbor? To me this spoke loads about his character.

  “Alex is a nice boy,” Sal said as she finally looked up at me, a serene smile on her face. “I’m glad he came back home.”

  The thought I am too, ran though my mind all too quickly. I tried not to think too much about how ridiculous I was being.

  She continued to pass pictures to me, she starred in a few but for the most part they were of Alex. There were several of him eating a hamburger, opening a few presents, and a few candid ones of him laughing with his grandfather.

  It took me a while before I thought to wonder where Alex’s parents were. I had never heard him say anything about them yet.

  After an hour or so I could tell Sal was getting restless and ready to be alone. I took this as my cue to head back home.

  “Do you need anything, Sal?” I asked as I rose to leave.

  She shook her head as normal and I bid her goodbye.

  I didn’t see Alex the rest of the day, much to my disappointment. The day passed painfully slow and when I finally heard the door open and close at eleven thirty, I knew it was too late in the night to rush out and see how he was.

  Not only was this desperate but I should probably be asleep.

  *

  *

  *

  The store was still fairly quiet, not a surprise considering we had gotten there just minutes after it opened its doors. Just after I had thrown a load of laundry into the washer Alex had come asked if I would mind doing some shopping with him. At first I had been hesitant, with it being the day before Valentines but when he told me he would be shopping for new appliances, this seemed less threatening.

  “This would be so nice,” Alex mused as he ran a hand over the glossy sterling silver range that was on display. “So much better than that old unit at home.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. While I had to agree the house could use some updating as it was twenty something years old now, it seemed humorous that a twenty-three-year-old guy would care.