The Hidden Room

by C S Joseph

  “Wow. That kid is something else.”

  “I know. He surprises me daily. Thank you for getting breakfast and taking Zachary to school. So, I was thinking that since the kitchen is still in complete disarray, we should work on the front yard today.” The kitchen was actually getting closer to completion. They were waiting on the cabinetry to be delivered. Reese had found someone in Portland who had the solid-wood boxes in stock. They were completing the fabrication of the doors and adding the final finish.

  “Yeah. That sounds great.”

  Reese walked to the window and looked out. “There is a lot of work to be done out there, and I’d like to clear enough to find a good spot for my garden.”

  “Okay. Whatever you need. I’m here to help.”

  Reese smiled. “I know. Thank you. You’ve already done so much this past week.” She paused and looked at the dining room table. “Is there anything left from breakfast? I would hate to start working on an empty stomach.”

  Julia looked at Reese and their eyes met for a moment. “Yeah. We wouldn’t want that now, would we? You have your own box. I’m gonna go shower while you eat.”

  “Okay.” Reese grabbed her container.

  “I’ll be back.” With a small smile, Julia turned and headed upstairs. She paused to watch Reese begin her breakfast slowly, already lost in thought.

  †

  Reese squinted her eyes against the sun. “The property is quite large. I would like to find a good location that gets enough sunlight for my garden.”

  “Okay. I think we should walk around this way”—Julia pointed with her left hand—“and circle around.”

  “I believe that I could successfully harvest broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, swiss chard, beets, and winter squashes. I will have to plant them soon.”

  “Then let’s find the perfect spot.”

  Her feet seemed to be in charge, and she smiled in contentment as she followed Julia through the brush. They continued walking in silence. Soon, they came to an area of overgrown grasses and buried twigs and branches.

  “I think this is the perfect spot. It has the right amount of sun exposure, and I could have something installed to ward off animal intruders.”

  “That sounds like a plan. Let’s go get the yard stuff.” They walked around to the front of the house, where they’d placed the new gardening tools and machines earlier in the week. Julia handed Reese a weed whacker and the shovel, then grabbed the brush-cutting mower. They headed back to the garden area and began to work. They soon had the grasses and twigs tamed. The area now looked more like a roughly planted front lawn. In the back corner, there was a large patch of bare dirt. It seemed nothing was growing in that area.

  Julia wiped her hand across her brow. “I’ll be right back.” When she returned, Reese was standing and looking at the bare spot of land.

  “Hey,” Julia set a cooler and blanket on the ground, then pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and handed it to Reese.

  Reese smiled at the presumption of her need to clean her hands. She watched Julia open a blanket. A small breeze began to blow, and leaves swirled around them. The blanket was caught in the wind and twisted as Julia attempted to maneuver and use the breeze to her advantage. It twisted the other way, and she grunted in frustration. She raised her arms and attempted to flap the cloth one more time. Reese chuckled. She checked out the open cooler and appreciated Julia’s attention to detail. There looked to be food, napkins, plates, and silverware sitting at the ready. She thought Julia looked so cute struggling and concentrating. Soon, she took a few steps and helped smooth down one side of the blanket on the ground.

  “Thanks,” Julia said.

  “This day is perfect for a picnic.”

  “It is. I checked the weather this morning.” Julia seemed a little proud of herself, as she began to pull the items out of the cooler and started setting up their lunch.

  “Well, what do we have here?”

  “Ah, well I didn’t go too fancy or anything, but I did get you a spinach salad.” She pulled out the container and dumped the greens onto a plate. She handed it to Reese.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Julia smiled and pulled out her sandwich.

  Reese thought about the planning it took to get this lunch ready for the two of them. Aiden would never do something like that for her. They ate their lunch in silence, as they enjoyed each other’s company and the scenery. After they finished eating, Reese leaned back on her hands and let the sun hit her face. She closed her eyes.

  “Thank you for the picnic,” Reese said. Julia had moved away slightly.

  “You’re welcome. Can we make a deal? I feel like we’re starting whatever this is off the way most relationships start off. You feel happy all the time. You are overly thankful or sorry about everything. That’s not necessary for me. I know that you are grateful. Just know that you can say what you want to say or feel what you want to feel. I’m happy spending time with you.”

  Reese tried to understand what Julia had said. “Well, if we are going to tell each other our expectations up front, I should state mine as well.”

  Julia nodded.

  “I didn’t really grow up with the most loving family. My mother showed two emotions. Anger and disinterest. She was more tender briefly after Zachary was born, but that ended when my father died. I was not allowed to talk about how I felt. I need you to understand that going into this. If I do tell you that I’m thankful, that’s not easy for me to do. Likewise, if I apologize for something, that isn’t something that comes natural to me. If I feel hurt, I don’t talk about it right away. I react in anger and want to retreat into myself and my son.”

  “I have noticed that about you.” Julia’s warm smile put Reese at ease. “We both have our stuff. We’ll figure this out as we go. I just don’t want to go through this with unrealistic expectations.”

  Reese looked over toward the house. “You’re right. I’m still married, and I am having a hard time dealing with that right now. I can’t talk about it yet. Maybe we can walk down to the falls and enjoy the time we have together before you go home.”

  Normal conversation buoyed their spirits, and soon enough they were at the falls, sitting on the bank and listening to the water. Reese suspected Julia relished the comfortable silence that passed between them as much as she did.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In the following days, they cleared most of the landscape around the house. Reese was very pleased with the amount of work that was getting accomplished. By Friday morning, Spencer and Pete had finished installing the cabinetry, flooring, and appliances in the kitchen. Relieved that she could finally start to cook meals at home, Reese was ready to go to the grocery store.

  While Zachary was in school, the two women drove into town. “I’ve got to be honest; my father is a chef, but I hate going grocery shopping. You have no idea how many hours were spent walking around markets. We’d go to the fish market, the farmer’s market, and to finish it all off we’d stop at the butcher shop.”

  “So tortured,” Reese snarked. “You could have stayed home. I just need to get everything that I need.”

  “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that! Could we just have a game plan? We might be able to get done faster if we split up the list. I’d like to cook for you one night. Maybe I can make some caponata, pasta con le sarde, and cannoli?”

  “That sounds wonderful. Zachary won’t eat that though. He doesn’t like eggplant. I also don’t think that he would eat the sardines. I didn’t know that you knew about Sicilian food?”

  “Ah, my father’s mother is from Sicily. When I was a little girl, my father would make caponata with my grandmother. She’d slice some bread and I’d grab pieces of it and steal some out of the pan. I think it was the sweet and sour flavor that I loved most. Will the little man eat the pasta with sauce? We can enjoy the rest of the meal. I’m also pretty sure he will eat the dessert.”

  Reese laughed. “Ye
s, that much is certain.” She turned at the light and pulled into the parking lot. “Why don’t you go and get what you need for your special dinner. I’ll go and start grabbing what I need. Just find me when you’re finished. We can try to make this as painless as possible.” The parking lot was quite full, yet they found the perfect spot near the store’s entrance. Julia grabbed her own cart and headed toward the ingredients that she needed. Reese went and quickly grabbed items that she felt were important to stock her kitchen. Before long, both women met back up and were heading toward the cashier stand.

  “You’re finished?” Julia asked.

  “I don’t like to grocery shop either. I’d rather walk in and grab what I need and get out quickly.” They checked out and walked back to the car. Reese got into her seat and leaned over and gave Julia a kiss on the cheek. “I love you,” she said. They sat there and looked at each other for a moment. Then, the key was turned and the moment passed.

  †

  After getting home and putting their fresh food away, it was time to pick Zachary up from school. Reese wanted to stop to get a couple of new pans. After an hour and half of following Reese around the store, Julia and Zachary were giving each other silent high fives as they finally made their way back out into the sunlight. The young boy squinted his eyes and sneezed as he readjusted to the day.

  Julia winked at him and looked over at Reese who was happily walking back to the car. He ran in front of the cart that she was pushing and jumped on. Julia ran a little, then put one foot on the back bar and pushed them one more time, before her other foot landed on the bar and she leaned forward over the handle. The wind was blowing her hair and Zachary laughed. Reese turned to see the scene behind her.

  Walking ahead of them, Reese clicked a button and the trunk popped open. Julia pulled the cart up next to the vehicle and unloaded the boxes, one by one, into the back. She closed the door. “Reese, aren’t you gonna put the cart back?”

  Sighing, Reese answered, “You’re closer, can’t you?” She opened the driver side door and started to get in. Julia looked around at the mostly vacant parking lot. She saw the closest return area was still far away.

  “How about if we both do it?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Zachary, and he grew a conspiratorial smile. Reese had a curious look on her face, as Julia started to walk toward her.

  “I don’t see why we would both need to take the cart to the return area.” Julia smiled, and in one quick motion, picked Reese up in her arms and placed her in the basket. Reese screamed and kicked, as her legs hung over the side. Zachary assumed his position in the front and smiled down at his mother. Julia started to push the cart and began to run. Reese gripped the edge of the basket tightly. Julia looked down at Reese wearing her designer jeans and button up shirt and holding on for dear life, laughing with her eyes closed. “Stop!” She yelled, as another laugh erupted out of her.

  “Oh no, this thing is out of control!” Reese’s eyes popped open. Julia’s feet scraped the ground for a moment, bringing them to a safe stop right at the cart return. She helped Reese out of the cart and the shorter woman playfully swatted her arm. Julia teased, “Wow, you hit like a girl.” As Reese lifted her hand to hit her again, Julia grabbed both of Reese’s wrists, spun her around, and crossed her arms across her chest, essentially catching her in a human straight jacket. “Hey buddy, do you think all of your mom’s ribs are in the right place? You better come over here and count them just to make sure.”

  Reese started to giggle and squirm. Clearly, she had guessed what the new plan was. “No, Julia. No! NO!” Julia held her captive, as Zachary began to saunter over with his hands in front of him. “Zachary, don’t you dare! If you even think about this, I will ground you for a week.” He continued his walking. “Please, no Zach. I’ll buy you that remote helicopter. No,” she whimpered and dropped her head slightly.

  “I just watched you go through the five stages of grief in about ten seconds.” Julia changed her voice to sound more like Reese’s. “Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.” Reese looked up at Julia. Suddenly, Zachary was tickling her and she wailed in laughter.

  Finally, the tickling ceased and they headed home. Julia and Zachary shared a laugh as Reese feigned offense to the two of them ganging up on her. Shortly after they brought in the grocery bags, everything was put away in its proper place. Julia began to make the caponata and pasta for dinner. Reese turned on some background music, and Zachary sat at the new breakfast bar on the island, with Ollie at his feet. Every so often, Julia would give him a task and he would eagerly help her with mixing the dough. She taught him how to knead it on the new counter.

  †

  Julia was swinging her hips to the different songs, as they went on from one to the next. Reese felt her heart swell. Zachary started telling jokes. This rarely happened when Aiden was home. He typically would make a comment about Zachary needing to work on his jokes. “If you want me to laugh, say something funny,” he would say to his son. Zachary would look hurt and leave the room. That was another thing that always bothered her about her husband. He never supported his son.

  Aiden did have one thing going for him now. He would never have instigated a flash tickle torture in the parking lot of a culinary store. She smiled at the recent memory and mentally crossed it back off the list. Aiden wouldn’t care enough about her to start a tickle anything. That would require intimacy. Something that was severely lacking from both spouses.

  All of a sudden, the music changed and Zachary yelled out, “Julia! Black Eyes Peas! TURN IT UP!” Julia started to turn it up, as Reese motioned to stop. She saw Zachary move quickly and turned her head. He got up and stood on the stool he’d been sitting on. He bent his knees and held his arm out in front of him. Zach rapped about busting rhymes and breaking necks, Zachary sang along and danced while Julia and Reese both stood there watching him. Reese looked at Julia who looked back and shrugged. They joined in on the chorus, “Everybody, everybody…”

  Julia began to dance to the song’s infectious rhythm, and soon Reese was also swaying to the beat. Her foot was tapping, and she dipped her head to the right while moving her right shoulder up in a perfect snake. After a few rounds, they each broke off into freestyle dancing. Reese was impressed with Julia’s natural rhythm until she broke out “the sprinkler.” With one arm behind her head and the other pointed straight out, she clicked five times to the left and then sprung back right, sending Reese and Zachary into hysterics. Zachary jumped in to learn and picked up the easy move immediately.

  †

  The next night, Reese walked through the back door. She looked over at Julia who was working at the island chopping vegetables. There was a tray of roasted tomatoes sitting on one side and a large pot sitting on the stove. “Well, Zachary is very happy to be at his first sleepover since the move.” Julia looked up, startled.

  “Oh, that was fast! I thought you’d stay talking to, what’s her name? Jason’s mom?”

  A noise come out of the pot. Julia quickly turned the faucet on and filled up a nearby cup. She dumped in the water, and the hissing stopped. Reese gazed behind Julia to the counter. It was obvious that Julia was not just making dinner. She was also creating a very large mess in the shiny new kitchen. Reese saw a large cake sitting on the corner of the island. She was quite impressed for a moment that Julia had taken the time to decorate the cake while she was running her errands and dropping off her son.

  “Yes, her name is Jill. We did talk for a bit, but I got the ‘look’ from my son. You know the one where he wanted his mother to leave so he could have fun.” She slowly moved to the counter behind Julia and started picking up dishes and placing them next to the sink.

  “Don’t be offended, Reese. He’s eleven. He needs some independence from his mom occasionally. He still loves you.” Reese was moving around behind her.

  “I know that, Julia. I just wish I didn’t have to see that look on his face.” She started washing the used dishes, while Julia conti
nued to make her sauce for the roast. Soon enough, Reese had cleaned everything around Julia except for the knife and chopping block she was using to cut up the herbs. She watched Julia put down the knife and add a handful to the pot. She put the lid back on and went to the refrigerator, where she grabbed the block of cheese. She brought it to the island with a grater. She looked where the chopping block had been. It was now sitting in the drainer.

  “Reese! What did you do with the rest of the herbs?”

  “I put them in a bag.” She held up a small Ziploc. Julia clicked her tongue and grabbed the herbs from her. Suddenly, Reese felt like she had overstepped a bit. “What?”

  “Nothing. I just wasn’t finished with the cutting board. Why don’t you just sit down and relax? Have a glass of wine.” She motioned to a stool. Reese looked at the stool and agreed. She took a step, but saw the cake sitting precariously on the corner of the island. She felt it would be better on the other counter. She picked it up and walked behind Julia.

  Suddenly, the heel of her shoe caught in the tile and snapped. In a flash, she was on the floor and covered in cake. Julia looked down at her. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes,” came the curt reply. She started to move when Julia broke into a snicker. “I was just trying to help!”

  Julia laughed louder.

  “Well aren’t you going to help me up?”

  Julia walked over and squatted down next to her. Reese was sitting on the floor, with cake was all over her face, neck, and chest. “I must say, you look delicious.”

  Reese glared at her. “I’ll show you delicious!” Reese grabbed Julia’s head with both hands and shoved her into her cake-covered cleavage. Julia fell a little bit. The look on her face made Reese start to feel a little uneasy, until she started eating the cake directly from Reese’s chest. Reese closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. Julia lifted her head and grinned, as frosting dripped off her nose.

  Breaking the trance, Reese got up from the floor with a smile and started to clean up the mess. “I’ve never been one to eat dessert before dinner.” Their eyes met and they both smiled. Julia cleaned up the floor and threw the last of the towels into the sink.