Stranger to Me

~Six~

Sajana's P.O.V.

The old lady knew my name. The old lady knew my name. How? Maybe she was some kind of creepy stalker, but she actually knew my name!

As I followed her down the sidewalk, I looked up at the house I'd just fainted under to see a curtain in the upstairs window swish closed. My breathing was still erratic, but it was better. My tears had also ceased. For now.

The woman walked up to a nice house with a well tended yard. Her porch had a table and two chairs, but she opened the door and gestured for me to enter anyways. I hesitated for a second, then obliged her.

Inside, I saw a living room that was tidy and bright. There was a fireplace with a mantle above it - a mantle with a plethora of items. There was one that caught my eye. It was a black- and -white picture of the woman I came with. But there was someone with her. A man was there next to her and he was kissing her on the cheek. The woman was laughing, and the man was smiling. I suppose it was contagious. I smiled.

In the middle of the room, there were two arm chairs. They both looked very comfortable, but they looked very worn out, as if they had been there a long time. It was strange, since everything else in the room looked clean and new.

In between the chairs, there was a small table made of wood. It was spotless, but as I came up closer, I saw something on it. There, on the front leg of the table, was heart etched into the wood. Within it was a scratchy writing that I could barely make out. It seemed to say " Albin + Gilda."

I reached my hand out to touch the etching, but was stopped by the clearing of a throat behind me. I got up and whirled around to see the woman, who I assumed was Gilda, standing there with a cup of tea and a glass of water.

"S-Sorry," I mumbled. " I was just looking around."

"No need to apologize," she said. She approached the table and put the cup and the glass down, after which she retreated to the kitchen. When returning, she had a kitchen chair in her grasp that she was clearly struggling with. I got up to assist her.

"Just  put it right there," she panted, pointing to a spot in front of one of the chairs. I did as I was told.

She handed me the glass of water, picked up the cup of tea and sat down in the armchair in front of the kitchen chair.

"Sit," she offered, gesturing at the kitchen chair. Once again, I did as I was told.

Awkwardly, I took a sip from my water.

"I'm Gilda," the woman informed me, stretching out her hand in greeting. I nodded and accepted her hand.

"I'm Sajana," I introduced.

"I know," she smiled. I was slightly worried by this lady who I vaguely remembered from my walk around the neighbourhood,  the one who seemed to know all about me.

"You know," I began," I really should leave."

She grabbed my hand as I got up.

"No," she said. "You should stay for a while."

Slowly I sat back down into the chair, still a little hesitant.

"I want to talk to you."