I went to the kitchen, careful not to stub
my toe on any protruding box that hadn't
been unpacked yet, and the fact that the
layout of the apartment is new to me.
I hadn't put curtains or shades up yet, and
the moon light was illuminating the kitchen.
I loved the ambiance, and I could still hear
crickets chirping.
I found the bottle of Scotch I had put in a
cupboard, grabbed a little glass, threw 2
ice cubes in it, and filled it three quarters
the way full. I went back to my easy chair,
and sipped my drink, trying to relax and
clear my mind.
I pulled the lever, reclining my chair. It
would recline almost flat, and was real
comfortable for naps. Within minutes,
I was asleep again.
I woke to the sound of my alarm blaring
it's annoying repetitive electronic beep.
I got up, went to the bedroom and shut it
off. Yawning, I went back to the kitchen to
start some coffee. It wasn't light yet, so I
had to turn the kitchen light on.
That's when I found my phone. It was
laying by the back patio door, smashed
as if someone took a hammer to it.
I checked the door, and it was locked.
I went and checked all the windows. They
were all locked, as well as the front door.
There was no way in as far as I knew, and
I was not only bewildered, but angry as
well.
First, someone slashes my tire, and now
this. Who could be doing this, and why?
After a few minutes, I was pouring my
first cup of coffee. I mixed in a splash of
milk, two teaspoons of sugar, and stirred
it up.
I grabbed the broken phone, and my cup
of coffee, and went to sit down.
The early morning air was still, and a little
chilly. I hadn't tried the heater yet, and to
keep cool, the living room had a big window
unit air conditioner. It looked like it had been
installed professionally, and the plywood
that covered the rest of the open space,
was caulked in and painted. They even put
the border trim around the edges to picture
frame the space. It looked maintained, so
I didn't bother to examine it further.
I found the thermostat, and turned it to
heat, turned it on, and adjusted the
temperature to 78°F. to get the place
warmed up. It was probably around 54°F
or so, according to my goose bumps.
The heater kicked on right away, and I
found one of the vents in the floor. It was
closed, so I opened it. I went to all the
rooms and opened all the vents. I don't
know how long the place was vacant, but
it seemed to be for quite a while.
It wasn't dusty or dirty, as if it had been
opened and cleaned periodically, but it
still had that musky, stagnant air smell.
After a few minutes, the place warmed up.
I had to crack a window because of the
burnt dust smell, but it didn't take long
for it to dissipate. The smell of the coffee
was overtaking the place, and was putting
a skip to my step.
I felt good, inspite of being woken up by
the nightmare, and the confusion I was
under regarding all the people staring at
me. I pondered that for a second...
What's with this strange town?
I started to unpack a few boxes, and
reassemble my writers desk. It was
easier to take apart and pack, rather than
try to muscle it to the U-Haul. It was a
beautiful piece handed down to me
by my Uncle, who was a journalist back
in New York when newspapers were the
big thing. He did pretty well for himself,
although him and my father never got
along, so I didn't get a chance to know
him, except for an occasional phone call.
What I did know of him, was, he was
nothing like my dad. A man of many words,
A poet, a writer, a columnist, a historian,
and a fine art collector. He had a nice
condo in uptown NewYork, where he lived
alone, and said he preferred it that way.
I understand. I have come to prefer being
alone as well.
When he retired from the Newspaper
he worked at, He told me I could have the
desk if I wanted it. It cost me a couple
hundred dollars to have it hauled to me
in the city I lived in, but what a gorgeous
piece of wood! Elegantly carved dark
cherry wood. The laquer coating was
perfectly done, giving it the most
beautiful sheen. It gleemed like a fine
automobile. You know, the ones they
show off at those car shows. It had 2
large drawers on the right hand side, with
a small drawer above them. A long narrow
drawer pulled out underneath where your
legs go, and had hand crafted deviders for
pencils, pens, etc. On the left side, was one
big compartment, and a little drawer above
that that locks. I have no idea where the
key is , so I disassembled the tumbler, and
put it away in a bag, in one of the desk
drawers. Sure would like to get that fixed!
I found my little socket and rachet set, a
wrench to fit the nuts, and assembled my
desk. Rubbing it all down with a cotton,
cloth and topping it off with my desk lamp,
I stood back to admire the piece.
Realizing, a couple hours must have gone
by, I...