House Guest

Lucy got out of her car, past the mailbox, past the two stone frogs on the lawn, and into the house. She put her car keys on the painted wooden tray by the door, put her bag on the kitchen counter next to the frog-shaped salt and pepper shakers. She got herself a glass of water.

Jeremy was sitting at the kitchen table, slouched over his tablet, but not looking at it. He was following Lucy with his eyes. He had a glum expression on his face.

”What is it, honey?” Lucy smiled in encouragement. Jeremy looked sad.

”I have something to tell you, Lucy.”

She sat opposite him, put her hands flat on the table and assumed a an attentive pose. “Okay?"

"I cheated on you."

"Huh!” she said, leaning back in the chair, her mouth open, tongue touching teeth as if to count them, thinking. She was really surprised by his honesty, it was unlike him.

”And she died very recently. Cancer."

"Huh!"

"And she left her little daughter. My little daughter. Seven years old."

"Huh!"

"Her name is Emily. The daughter. She is going to live with us now.”

Lucy put her elbows on the table now, rested her head on her fists and looked at Jeremy intently. He was definitely not joking. Lucy was not angry or sad, she was just really really surprised. She figured she was probably in shock.

Then she thought about the little girl who would come and live at their house. An innocent creature who did nothing wrong to Lucy, nor her marriage. The little creature with thoughts, emotions and aspirations, who would tap the mailbox on her way to the school bus, and say hi to the stone frogs on her way back from school, and put her keys on the painted wooden tray, and do her homework by the kitchen counter, and use the frog-shaped salt and pepper shakers at dinner. Would she call Lucy “mom”?

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk