Prisoner's Prisoner

Chapter 6

David opened the door and welcomed Tara. Tara was amused. Clothes were scattered everywhere. There were books on the couch and on the floor. David hurriedly pick the dirty clothes up one by one then threw everything on the laundry basket near the kitchen.

"I thought you were alone." Tara smiled at him. "Seems like ten kids have lived here.

She was joking.

"Yeah, uhm but...how did you know I am alone?" David looked at him quizically. He removed the books on the couch so he can invite Tara to have a seat. He loved reading books especially dissents of different cases and detective books. He put them back on the shelves.

"The nurses on the hospital talked a lot about you and I heard. You are their hero. Said you are the hottest bachelor in town."

David chuckled.

"You don't have to believe everything people say."

David went inside his room. Tara heard some noises and when David came out, he had with him bulk of dirty clothes which he put again on the laundry basket near the kitchen.

"What day is today? Martha visits here every Saturday to wash the clothes and clean the house." He said before going into his room again. Martha was a neighbor who lives a few yards down the road.

Tara just looked at him. She looked around the house. The house was clean, she thought. Only disorganized. She saw a lonely house. No pictures. No home decors. Not even curtains.

David came out of his room.

"OK, you can use my room for the meantime. Until then, we can find a house for you. As for me, I will sleep on the couch. There's the bathroom if you need to use it." He pointed to the door near the kitchen.

Tara nodded. She get the things David bought for her in the bathroom. It was almost half an hour past before she went out.

David pretend not to look but he saw her went out of the bathroom. There was a towel wrapped on her wet hair. She changed into a more comfortable clothes. There were no more bandages wrapped on her head. She put a smaller band aid instead on the wound on her forehead.

She asked David where to hang the wet clothes. She washed the clothes she was wearing a while ago. David point to the door beside the kitchen. She smiled when she noticed the frontload washing machine settled on the side of the kitchen. The door led to an open space behind the house. With roof but no walls.

Tara hung her dress and underwear on the clothesline that was in there.
She noticed that the house was on an uphill and she can see the trees covered with snow and the iced small lake far below. She sensed she would like it here. Peaceful and quiet. It was almost dark.

David noticed she had not gotten in yet so he followed her at the backyard.

"You okay? It is freezing out here." He saw her staring at the trees below.

"Yeah. You have a beautiful place."

David noticed she had a Southern accent. North Carolina perhaps? He could not tell. "I am renting."

"I see.."

"No more headache?"

"Nah...just a little. I will make sure I take the medicine on time."

The two went inside. David locked the doors. Tara thanked David before she went into his room.

David slouched on the couch. He was used to sleeping on a couch anyway. He wondered what awaits him on the following days. He will ask Martha for any possible available house for rent. Besides Tara had a lot of money to spent, he thought.