O, Fortuna

Chapter 14

By the time Grace emerged from the swimming pool, Liam had performed his anticipated vanishing act, which she was grateful for because he was acting like no one had ever flirted with him in his life. Or that he found her utterly repugnant. Or maybe he was gay, Grace considered as she dried herself, before realising how conceited she actually could be, just because he clearly wasn't interested, it did not follow that he was a homosexual and surely if he were, he would be forthright enough to admit as much. If he's admitted as much to himself, that is, chimed her inner and decidedly more whimsical self, that always sought to protect her from life's knockbacks by blaming others and convincing her vodka was the answer.

Her higher reasoning, on the other hand, while pragmatic and less judgemental of the faults of others, was always quick to humble her into accepting facts over fancies and demanded that she acknowledge a more logical possibility - Maybe he just doesn't like you. He's not obligated to, you know, you just need to be civil toward him and stop stirring up trouble for yourself.

She wrapped the towel around her hips as she moved up the stairs to the veranda, in need of breakfast and a strong, milky cup of tea to distract her from what had turned out to be an epic anti-climax. Grace had fancied herself as having been in love before and had certainly been in lust, on numerous occasions, most of them during the first year of university, all that long way from home. All of it had ended up with her realising she had more important things to be doing with her life, like study or work. Rationalising her desire for Liam could only be made all the easier if he did not feel the same way. He was strange though, Grace considered as she opened the door to allow herself back inside the house, she had thought Liam at least liked her. Maybe she had come on a bit too strong for his tastes, whatever the hell they might be.

After switching on the kettle, Grace moved toward the pantry, a thus-far unexplored area of the house and upon opening the door and switching on the light, breathed out an exclamation of astonishment. Far from having expected clutter and untidiness might lurk behind closed doors at Faridah with Rosa in charge, Grace had not anticipated that anyone could maintain a pantry as if it were something out of the IKEA catalogue. There were the dry goods on the left, lining the full length of the shelves there, all carefully stored in transparent plastic containers, the smaller and mid-sized receptacles on the top four shelves, the bulkier sitting on the bottom two, slightly wider shelves. At the back and around the corner onto the right side wall were the canned and bottled goods, lined up and sorted with obsessive-compulsive-like care, while nearest the door were the everyday items, cereals, bread, condiments and four deep drawers for fruit and vegetables.

Grace stood at the threshold, cautious about stepping in and disturbing the perfect order of it all, carefully plucking the loaf of rye bread, a box of cereal and the honey jar from the shelf just inside before stepping back, casting a final, almost reverent gaze about the meticulously maintained space before switching off the light and closing the door on the Aladdin's Cave that was the pantry. She would take a better look but only in the presence of Rosa, Grace decided as she crossed the kitchen to begin assembling her breakfast at the bench, convinced that anyone who kept that kind of organisation would be resentful of anyone else blundering in and disturbing it all.

With the toaster's innards glowing and the tea brewing, Grace moved toward the fridge for the milk and butter and, like the pantry, found each shelf carefully ordered well-stocked, as if Rosa was catering to a family three meals a day, seven days a week. Grace had to wonder if this what June had always expected and provided for the staff or what Rosa had anticipated the demands might be from Faridah's guest. She had pulled the required dairy from the fridge door and moved back to the bench, wondering what the household expenses actually were. She had seen figures relating to the property but not the specifics of the household, like what Rosa was paid, details that Grace assumed she would find in the study.