Love and Whiskers

by Olivia Myers

  She nodded and closed her eyes again.

  It’s Gabrielle or Gabby. Not babe! The thought echoed in her head.

  “I know it must be scary to be in a car again, but we’re almost there. Do you recognize anything yet?”

  Gabby didn’t bother opening her eyes before shaking her head. Nothing seemed familiar. Nothing had been familiar in the hospital. When she woke up with Cory asleep in her room, she started screaming, and the nurses had to sedate her. After that, Cory tried bringing in photo albums, none of which sparked any memory of her life before the accident. It was all dark.

  The car started to slow as they turned into a driveway with a large iron gate. Cory leaned out the driver’s window and punched in a code. The gate led to a longer driveway that circled around a fountain in front of the house. Three cars were parked outside; one was definitely a BMW, but Gabby didn’t know what the other two cars were.

  “Who’s here?” Gabby asked.

  “What? Oh.” Cory chuckled a little, “No. Those are our cars, baby.”

  Gabby winced at “baby” again.

  “That Lexus IS C is yours. After the accident, I replaced your old one with this current model.”

  “Um, which one is that?”

  “The convertible in the middle.” Cory started to reach out to her leg again but then pulled his hand back to the steering wheel.

  Cory parked the car next to the other three and turned off the engine. “Home sweet home, right?”

  Before waiting for a response, Cory leaped out and jogged around to open Gabby’s door. She gawked at the monstrous house before her and was suddenly blinded as Cory opened the door.

  Gabby tried to get out of the car, but realized she was still buckled in. One thing she did know about herself was how clumsy she could be. She blushed as she struggled with the buckle.

  “That’s all right. Let me get that,” Cory said.

  Gabby was mortified at her ineptitude, but that quickly morphed into panic as Cory leaned over her to unbuckle the seatbelt. She flattened herself as much as she could against the seat, trying not to breathe.

  Once she was free, Cory offered his hand to Gabby. She couldn’t move.

  “What’s the matter, baby?”

  “Uh, nothing. I’m fine. Sorry.” Gabby could feel her pulse in her ears.

  She got out of the car and stared at her gargantuan house. It seemed to be only two stories, but the length of the house was impressive. It gave off a golden glow with the interior lights illuminating the grounds in the late afternoon light. Windmill palms led up to the giant pillars framing the entryway. As Cory took Gabby’s hand and led her into the house, Gabby noticed the subtle fragrance of several potted flowers along the walkway.

  Once inside the house, Gabby was mesmerized. Everything looked so beautiful. The foyer was spacious, with a mosaic floor depicting a field of wildflowers. On Gabby’s right, Cory opened the doors into his study and put his suitcase and keys away. Gabby walked into the living room on her left and dragged her fingertips over the microfiber cream couches.

  The living room flowed into a brightly-lit kitchen, which had a little breakfast nook overlooking the backyard.

  Outside on the patio, chairs and couches all faced a large square fire pit. Potted wildflowers were everywhere out here too. Right next to the house, potted flowers, mostly tulips, framed a pool and a jacuzzi.

  Gabby stood at the patio window, and something seemed to stir her memory, nothing very clear, but this place definitely felt familiar, as if she had stood in this exact spot countless times before. She was about to go outside when Cory bounded into the kitchen.

  “So, are you hungry? I can make you my famous egg BLT.”

  “I’m not quite hungry yet, but thank you,” she responded.

  “Okay. Well, we could go for a swim--it’s a bit warm to sit in the hot tub. Or we could just sit outside on the patio. Oh! I could take you into town for a fancy dinner. What do you think?”

  “I...um...I’m not sure. What do we normally do right now?”

  “Well, I’m usually at work until pretty late in the evenings, and you stay home. I mean, you don’t stay home all of the time, but you pretty much do what you want. You usually have a fitness instructor come in the morning. Then, you’ll either have lunch with friends or go out shopping.”

  “Oh. I see. Well, since you’re here, what do we typically do together?”

  Cory’s cell phone started ringing. “Just one second, babe.” He walked out of the kitchen and into his study. Gabby followed him into the living room, watching him practically sprint off to privacy. Cory gave her a brief smile before shutting the door.

  Gabby decided that she might as well take a tour of the rest of the house. Upstairs, Gabby found the rather large master bedroom, replete with a king size bed, an overstuffed armchair and more oak furniture. She pulled down the covers of the bed and felt the exquisite Egyptian cotton sheets. On one nightstand there were several books about creating your own business next to a wedding picture of her and Cory. Gabby picked up the picture and tried to rekindle her memory of that day. She and Cory looked very elegant, though neither one of them were smiling. Rather, they looked like they were in a glamour photoshoot of some kind, with cocky postures and a soft filter on the photograph. She was exposing far too much cleavage for her wedding day. Gabby examined her face in the picture more closely and thought she saw sadness and maybe even a hint of fear.

  She walked to the other side of the bed to look at what she assumed was her nightstand. There were a few fashion magazines piled up next to a box of tissues and an alarm clock. In the drawer, however, there was an eclectic collection of books, from Jane Austen to Malcolm Gladwell to Kafka.

  Gabby decided to look around more and happened upon an enormous walk-in closet. To the right, men’s clothing hung on the racks, mostly suits, but to the right, Gabby found her clothing. There were dresses and pantsuits. Chanel and Gucci. She had an entire shelf dedicated to holding her purses, and the best part of it all was the back wall, which was stacked full of shoes.

  Gabby slipped off her flip flops and tried on at least 20 different pairs of shoes. Some heels were quite high, and she had no idea how she had ever walked more than a few steps in them. But they were gorgeous. She noticed that she had several Louboutins and squealed with delight.

  Gabby walked barefoot out of the closet to find the master bathroom. She stepped onto the tile and almost jumped off. The tile was warm. Gabby took a few more steps, and all of the tiles were warm. She had heated tiles and a large jetted tub in her bathroom.

  Suddenly, Cory appeared in the doorway.

  “Jeez! You frightened me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to scare you. I see you’ve found your closet. Did you like it?”

  “Yes, I can’t believe I have so many clothes!”

  “Well, you should wash up and pick out something to wear. I’m going to make us dinner tonight.”

  “That sounds amazing. Thank you. Do you need any help cooking?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. You just relax in a nice warm bath, and I’ll take care of everything. Would you like the usual?”

  “The usual what?”

  “Right, sorry. The usual bottle of wine. You typically drink chardonnay, just like me. I’ll go out to the store and get a bottle of Domaine Caillot.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to go to the store.”

  “I actually need to pick up food for dinner anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it. My number is in your cell phone, which I left on the kitchen counter.”

  “Okay. Well, thanks.”

  Gabby drew herself a bath and soaked in the essential oils, letting all of her stress float away. She felt herself slowly drift down into the tub, and felt the warm bathwater on her face.

  Suddenly, she was pulled into a memory. The world was sideways. Something wet dripped on the side of her face, and something rough, like gravel. She tried to push herself up
to a sitting position, but she couldn’t move her arms. Two blurry figures highlighted by flashing red lights were running toward her, and her world faded to black.

  ***

  Gabby jolted awake, swishing the tepid bath water over the edge of the tub and onto the floor. Goosebumps dotted her arms and a searing pain slashed through her head. She pulled the bathtub plug and watched the water drain as she dried off. She searched several cabinets looking for anything that would help her headache go away. Finally she found some Tylenol under the sink.

  She looked at the clock on the bathroom sink. 6:03. She’d been asleep for over an hour. She brushed her teeth, wrapped her hair in a towel, and tiptoed to the closet. She found some simple sweat pants and a Rolling Stones t-shirt to wear before trotting down the stairs to see how dinner was coming along.

  But when she got down to the living room, none of the lights were on. She glanced at the empty kitchen and turned around, calling Cory’s name. She went to the front door and peeked out of the side window. Cory’s car was still gone.

  How far is the nearest grocery store?

  She went back upstairs and finished getting ready. She dried her hair and put on a little makeup. Around 7:00, she got dressed. Cory would probably be back soon. Her stomach had been growling for half an hour at this point, so she went into the kitchen to find something to tide her over until he came home. She found some saltines in the pantry and took them out to the patio to snack on.

  Gabby dipped her toe into the pool and admired all of the flowers. As she wandered over to the edge of the yard, she realized she could hear running water just beyond the maple trees. She looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching her, and then paused.

  Why would it matter if anyone is watching me? She shook off the notion and walked through the trees down to a stream.

  Even though it was getting dark, Gabby didn’t want to leave this place. Somehow it felt safe and peaceful. She sat down on a mossy rock next to the brook, dipping her feet into the cool running water. After picking out a saltine, she placed the nearly empty package on the rock, but some of the crackers slipped out and fell to the ground. She got off of the rock and bent down to pick them up when she noticed an oddly shaped rock. She picked it up and realized that it was actually a box that had been strategically covered with moss.

  Opening it up, she found several folded pieces of paper. She was about to pull one out when she heard someone yelling her name. Gabby hurriedly put the box back in its hiding place, covering it with some moss and leaves. She rushed back up to the patio where Cory was calling after her.

  When Cory spotted her coming out of the trees, he strode over to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and violently shook her.

  “Where the hell were you? Why weren’t you in the house? Don’t you ever hide from me like that again!”

  Gabby looked at him in shock and nodded in agreement.

  He pushed her as he released his grasp, and Gabby stumbled back a few steps. She watched him storm into the house. Over his shoulder, he demanded, “Well? Are you coming in?”

  Gabby nodded, and Cory left the front door open and walked into the kitchen. She followed him, trembling, trying to comprehend what had just happened. There were red marks on her shoulders, where his fingers had been. Gabby breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth slowly two times before venturing into the house.

  ***

  The next morning, Gabby woke up and looked at her alarm clock which was draped with a white tulip that had a note wrapped around the stem. Gabby unraveled the note: I’m sorry.

  The tempting smells of breakfast and coffee wafted up the stairs. Gabby got out of bed and headed toward the kitchen where she found Cory covered in pancake batter and surrounded by dirty dishes. Once he turned around, he spied the tulip in Gabby’s hand. His face lit up with a grin.

  “Good, morning! I’ve been making breakfast.”

  “Yeah, I can see that.”

  He was wearing an apron that had fruit juice stains and what must have been egg yolk all down the front. He had flour on his cheek and in his hair, and Gabby couldn’t help but smile.

  “Do you want any help?” she tentatively asked.

  “Oh. No, no, no. This is for you! Sit down. Eat!”

  The kitchen table was covered with plates of food. There were pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, pastries, all sorts of fruits and cheeses, four different kinds of toast, and Cory was mixing something green and ominous in a blender. Gabby grabbed a piece of bacon but didn’t want to sit down until Cory was finished. He turned on the blender and smiled at her like an excited boy with a new toy, and she beamed back at him.

  Cory turned off the blender and told Gabby to sit at the table. He walked around the kitchen counter and poured her the blended concoction. “It’s a kale and protein smoothie,” he explained.

  “Thank you very much!” She feigned appreciation while eying the drink for any signs of bug guts. However afraid she was to taste it, she felt much better around Cory since the incident last night.

  “You are very welcome, Gabby.” He turned around to put the blender in the sink. As he started to clean up a bit, he sighed heavily.

  “Look. I’m sorry about last night. I guess I was just worried about you. I got scared when I couldn’t…” Cory continued to wipe down the counter without looking up at Gabby.

  “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m sorry, too.”

  He nodded and finished wiping the counter.

  “Well, I’m going to make some phone calls now. Enjoy your breakfast.” Cory once again flashed his surprisingly white smile at Gabby.

  “You’re not going to have breakfast with me?” Gabby couldn’t mask her disappointment.

  Cory walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry, baby. I have to get some work done since I’m not going in today. But I have a surprise for you later.”

  She willed herself not to flinch from his touch; he was trying to make amends, after all. He kissed her on the cheek and walked into his study, closing the door behind him.

  Gabby finished her bacon and drank the rest of her smoothie, but she was already full. She looked at all the uneaten food left on the table and then over to the counter that was still covered with dirty dishes.

  Great. You get to make the mess, and the wifey gets to clean it all up?

  Just then, a young Indian woman appeared in the kitchen out of nowhere. Gabby jumped when she realized she wasn’t alone.

  “Who are you?” Gabby shouted.

  The Indian girl turned around and almost left the kitchen.

  “No, wait. I just want to know who you are. I’m sorry I raised my voice. You just scared me.”

  The Indian girl stood still, facing Gabby without saying a word or even making eye contact.

  “So, what is your name? Do you speak English?”

  The Indian girl pointed toward the dishes and started cleaning just as Cory came out of his study, looking frazzled.

  Gabby gestured at the Indian girl. “We have a maid?”

  “What? Oh, yeah. Her name is Raja or something. Look, I have to go into work. I know I said I wasn’t going to, but something came up. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be as quick as I can because I’m taking you out for a romantic evening tonight.”

  “Can’t someone else go in? I still don’t know what’s going on around here.”

  “Please try to understand—I’m under a lot of pressure to keep you in a good home. I’ll be back before you know it. Just take it easy.”

  Cory kissed her on the forehead, pushing her off balance again. He went back into the study to grab his car keys and briefcase and left with a wave that was more like a salute.

  Gabby was alone once again, except for the maid who she couldn’t even talk to. She was already feeling lonely until she remembered the box near the brook.

  “Raja? Is that your name?”

  The maid straightened up from loading the dishwasher and pointed to h
erself with a questioning look.

  “Yes, is your name Raja?”

  “Raja.” The maid nodded at Gabby and paused for a second before going back to the dishes.

  Trying to be nonchalant, Gabby told Raja, “Well, I’m going out in the yard...just so you know where I am....if anyone needs me….”

  Raja didn’t even bother looking up at Gabby.

  God, that was stupid! Gabby felt completely socially inept. But once she escaped to the brook, she felt more like herself, whoever that might be, than she had in a long time.

  Even though she felt happy in this safe space of hers, she also felt very cautious grabbing the moss-covered box, as if she would get in trouble if someone caught her. But having this little secret thrilled her, especially because it was a nice distraction from Cory’s absence. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching her, she picked up the box and sat on the large rock to read the notes inside. She opened the note that was on top, and her eyes almost popped out of her head. It was addressed to her.

  My Beloved Gabrielle,

  My heart is aching. There hasn’t been a single moment since that night when I haven’t thought of you. Your beautiful face, covered in tears. Ever since that fateful night when you came to my door and told me that you loved me, all I’ve wanted is to hold you in my arms and shield you from any more pain. I dream of waking up next to you and brushing your hair off of your cheek to tenderly kiss the corner of your mouth.

  I don’t know what happened that night seven months ago. I don’t know why you didn’t come. But I don’t need to know. All I need to know is if you still love me. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes, and I’ll only go when you tell me to leave you. Even then, I won’t be truly gone. I love you, Gabrielle, and I’ll always wait for you.

  Yours eternally,

  L.

  A thousand thoughts raced through Gabby’s mind. How recent was this letter? And who was L? Or maybe it was a C. Maybe these notes were from Cory before they got married. What did he mean by seven months ago?

  Gabby hurriedly pulled out the next note.