Residence

Chapter 1 A New Resident

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Chapter 1

I remember the first time I saw her.  She was probably the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and she made my body react in a manner I was unfamiliar with.  She was tall and slender.  Her face was round, yet narrow enough in its symmetry.  Her striking eyes were as blue as the sea and wide in their almond shape.  She had wavy brown hair that was neither light nor dark and it fell down around her shoulders with a perfect thickness and luster.   She was strong in her demeanor and walked with the determination of a queen. 

She puttered around my house, observing every corner and light fixture, making sure all the doors open and shut properly,  and measuring the height from the floor to the ceiling with her tape measure.  Her eyes observed the beauty of the deck I  built overlooking a picturesque patio and sparkling swimming pool.  She knelt down next to the box that housed the pool pump,switching it on. The hum of the mechanics coming into action filled her ears.   She looked over her shoulder to the woman standing behind her. 

"When was this last replaced?" she inquired.  

The woman, about 35 years-old or so, wore a long blue sundress.  Her hair was thick and curly.   She peered through her glasses at the papers she was holding and squinted to look at the print.

"It looks like it was just replaced last year, so it should work for a good long while," she said. 

    The blue-eyed woman stood up as she gazed out at my swimming pool again.   Her eyes narrowed and it was apparent she was caught up in deep thought.   I could see that she was calculating, reeling in her mind about her next step. 

    "Can we put in an offer today, Caren?  I don't want to lose this one," she said.  

    The woman with curly hair looked back at her as she thumbed through the stack of papers.

    "Of course.  I'll call you later," she said. 

    The women went through the back, sliding glass door and through the house, not speaking a single word to me.   There was no smile, nod, or wave, only the chill of the breeze as they passed by.  Did they not realize this was my beloved home? I thought.   I had built that deck with my bare hands.   I hung the three inch blinds to make the windows look more presentable.   I had painted the walls, installed new doorknobs, and fished leaves out of the pool.   I had been there for years, giving this home my blood, sweat and tears.  They hadn't even the decency to acknowledge my presence, leaving me there to feel the defeat of my loneliness.   They shut and locked my doors behind them as they left and I reeled about their rude and odd behavior. 

    As I laid my head down that evening, I could feel a cool mist covering me like fog, and it felt like a darkness that swallowed me. My life was an oxymoron. I was free, yet trapped.   I was happy, yet sad.   The thoughts of my inadequacies consumed my mind, festering like the fermentation of rotten fruit.   There was no high or low.  I could not break from this perpetual feeling of time standing still.  The blurry vision in my nightmares only caused more confusion.   Was I to be fearful?  I didn't feel fearful necessarily.   I was only made to remember a feeling that made no sense at all. 

    I wondered if I'd see the blue-eyed woman again, and even though she had totally ignored me, I admired her more than I could explain.   There was something so contemplative in the way she went about her life.  I loved to see her face as the wheels of her mind were spinning.   A woman like that wouldn't make any decision in haste, careful to iron out all of life's wrinkles.  She would smooth every blemish.   She was tried and true.   A woman like that isn't one to be toyed with.   It was in her strength that she could find the will to carry on and it didn't matter how exhausted she became.  Failure was not an option.