“Yes, it’s very considerate of them,” I replied. Then I lowered my voice. “Maybe they’re all hoping for a slight reduction in their rent. Well, they can dream on!”
We both laughed.
Nilla went running toward my hallway carpet the second she was released. She shook off the excess water from her fur before rolling over the rug.
After having a cup of hot chocolate with me, Merlene went home and Sabrina left a short time later. Now that the coast was clear, Nilla and I were finally able to get some sleep.
6
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The day before the party, I sat outside on the back patio after breakfast. The front door closed shortly thereafter which meant Theodore had finally left for work. David and Anthony had been gone from an hour earlier.
I was accustomed to my front door swinging open and shut ever since I’d started taking on tenants a year or so after Donnie died. Not that I needed the money, since Donnie had left me well secured financially. The main reason was that I was afraid of being alone. I was on my own then—just Nilla and me. That was a scary feeling, not that Nilla wasn’t enough company. But what if something happened to me or the house? There was only so much she could do.
None of the properties in my neighborhood were zoned for commercial purposes, so technically, I shouldn’t have been able to acquire tenants. But when you’ve been around long enough and have forged some pretty good relationships with the “higher ups” in society, pretty much anything is possible. They did take my disability into consideration, though.
I’d let Nilla run off into the back yard while I sat there wishing I could watch her play. For the past two days, I’d seen nothing—absolutely nothing, except this blackness before me which seemed to be the only guarantee in my life.
The morning air was fresh and crisp. Getting outside and inhaling it was what kept most negative thoughts at bay. I’ve had better days for sure.
“Why do you do this to me?” I murmured, hoping in my heart for a supernatural answer. “Why would you allow me to see only—sometimes?” In the back of my mind I felt guilty for complaining since I knew my situation could’ve been far worse, and it was for a while. Why couldn’t the inner vision at least be constant? I wondered. It was bad enough that my eyes were literally useless, but having a taste of sight now and again had somewhat spoiled me. I wanted to see all the time. I’d started to feel like I was being juggled around, teased, and taunted.
Nilla barked at something, then the front door slammed.
I wondered who it was.
“Merlene, is that you?” I started to get up. Those guys knew to lock the door on their way out, but maybe Theodore forgot.
“It’s just me,” David answered, moments later.
“What are you doing here, David?” I sat down again.
“The boss decided to call when I was on my way to say they’re doing an internal audit today, so the office will be closed.” He sighed heavily.
“Fine time to tell you, huh?”
“Yep. Mind if I joined you out here?” he asked.
“Not at all. Would love the company.”
For a while, there was complete silence.
“What’s on your mind, son?” I could feel the tension he was carrying.
I also detected his shock at the question.
“Nothing at all, Miss Lucille. What makes you ask?”
“You’re going to be honest with me or not?”
Silence took center stage again. It was then my entire backyard gradually came into view — the plants, the trees, the flowers, bees and butterflies hovering over them and Nilla in the corner by the fence digging into the dirt.
She soon ran over to me and started licking my toes. I usually wore sandals because I knew she liked those toes of mine. Glad she didn’t think of biting like she did whenever she spotted Theodore’s. I wondered why she always targeted him and no one else in the house. I figured it must be his scent. Either Theodore’s was sweeter than the rest of ours or vice-versa. There were some things about Nilla I just never understood.
“Okay,” he said. “But I’d hate to burden you with my problems.”
“At my age, son, I’m used to carrying burdens. I won’t crack and fall to pieces; I promise.”
I sensed the boy’s reluctance. “She’s cheating on me, Miss Lucille! I just know it!”
I leaned in a little, thinking I hadn’t heard right. “What? Who? You mean, Juliet?”
“Juliet? Her name’s Sabrina,” he quickly corrected me.
Actually, the name was a slip of the tongue on my part.
“How can you be sure? She seemed like a nice young lady.”
“I don’t know.” He shifted in his chair. “She’s been acting different lately. We don’t go out on dates anymore like we used to. She always wants to stay indoors—either at my place or hers. It’s like she doesn’t wanna be seen in public with me. It’s usually the girl complaining about the guy not taking her out as much as he should, so this is all really weird to me.”
“You could be wrong, David. Maybe the poor girl’s tired after working all day and would just rather spend quiet time with you curled up, watching TV,” I suggested. “To think she’s cheating just because she’d rather stay home most nights instead of going out is taking the whole thing too far into left field, in my opinion.”
There I was feeling sorry for myself before David got home, but hearing his concern made me forget my own problems temporarily. I remember that crushing feeling when I thought the man I was in love with before I met Donnie was cheating on me. It’s all I thought about all day, every day until he finally came right out and told me he and I were over; then six months later, he married someone else. It literally took a couple of years for me to get over that heartbreak. I truly hoped Juliet was as sweet as pie and David’s insecurity was unjustified.
“I guess you’re right,” he finally said, after some thought. “Maybe I’m just letting my imagination run away with me.”
“I’d say you are.”
Maybe it took hearing from an old lady that he might’ve been a bit paranoid made him feel better.
Nilla had gone off somewhere in the enclosed yard. She loved playtime outdoors, though for the most part, she was a house dog— I guess, one of those sheltered ones, like some of the kids I described around my neighborhood to the rather eager listeners at the Pichton Pet Society. I felt good about that group, in spite of Merlene’s negative assertions. She might’ve been right about the uppity side of them, but they couldn’t have been too bad because they loved and cared for animals.
“Can I ask you a question, Miss Lucille?” David said.
“Sure, David! What is it?”
“Remember a few years ago you told me you can see things sometimes, but not with your eyes, and you asked me not to broadcast it?”
“Yeah… Have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Broadcasted it?” I asked.
“No.” He grinned. “I kept my word and Mom made sure to ingrain into my brain how important it was to do so. I just never understood what you told me though and Mom couldn’t really explain it either. She said you have visions sometimes; she called it ‘inner visions’.”
“Uh huh.”
“I guess my question is...how did these inner visions start? And how do you know if you’re actually seeing things in reality when it happens?”
That was a trick question; probably more of a test. Thankfully, it was asked at the perfect time. I kept my focus straight ahead toward the backyard and asked: “Are you wearing a dark blue shirt with a collar and a light beige pants?” David never wore a uniform at work. “And on the inside tag of your shirt, does it read Marcus Cole Design?”
I saw the look on his face.
“My God! You’ve nailed it—even down to the brand name. My shirt’s a Marcus Cole. I’m stunned!”
“Now, do you understand my inner vision?” I asked.
He quickly nodded. “Yes!
Yes, I do, but wouldn’t you call that being psychic?”
“No, you wouldn’t,” I replied. “Well, at least, you shouldn’t. I don’t know people’s past, neither their future. I barely know what’s happening in the present! I can’t even rely on this inner sight because sometimes I can go for days without seeing a darn thing. That’s what makes me so frustrated sometimes. I feel like I’m being teased, you know?”
He nodded. Since he was there, I figured I might as well off-load on him a little bit. After all, I pretty much calmed his fears about the lovely Juliet a short while ago.
“But how did it happen?”
He was good to remind me of the second part of his question.
“The night of Donnie’s heart attack. Up to that time, I’d been completely, utterly, terrifyingly blind for two full years. I depended on Donnie to do practically everything for me. But I never even thought about what would happen if there came a time when he really needed me for a change—if something were to happen where he couldn’t help himself and I was the only one around.” I paused. “That’s what happened that night.”
I had David’s full attention.
“I was never a light sleeper, so when he sat up suddenly in the middle of the night, naturally, I woke up.” Many times I wished I could forget that day, but I never could. The events etched in time will remain with me until I’ve taken my final breath. “I asked if he was all right, but he didn’t respond. Instead, I heard what sounded like gurgling sounds coming from his throat and I knew something was wrong. I sat up quickly, feeling for the man who was always so strong, but then I heard that sound more and more and when I touched him, he was crouched over the bed. I was starting to panic because no matter how many times I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn’t answer; he couldn’t answer. I had to do something. That’s when all of a sudden, in my mind’s eye, I saw those people for the very first time…”
“People?”
“Uh huh. About twelve of them were in the room just standing along the wall adjacent to our closet. I recognized one of them from news footage long before I’d lost my sight.”
“Who was it?” David probed.
“It was Sir Clement Tucker. No mistake about it. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him, but he was a prominent member of this community.”
“Yes, I heard he was a wealthy immigrant who owned a lot of property in these parts.”
“Including the one we’re sitting on,” I indicated.
“But he’s…dead.”
“Yeah, I know. Well, I don’t know why he was here and to this day, I have no idea who the others were. But I realized they were all I could see as my Donnie was struggling to breathe. I asked them, whomever they were to help me, but the whole time I pleaded, they just stood there, staring at me. I knew they had to have been ghosts, but I was desperate. I felt for the phone on my nightstand, but couldn’t think clearly enough to locate the digits. I was crying, horrified that Donnie needed me and I couldn’t help him. Then suddenly, images inside the bedroom came into view. First, they were like silhouettes, then I realized I could see everything, including my Donnie. I saw the digits on the phone and quickly dialed 911 and finally, help was on the way. Donnie survived for a few hours after that, then he passed away.”
David leaned in and placed his arm around my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Miss Lucille. I can only imagine how difficult that was for you losing him.”
“It was very hard for me,” I replied. “When he died, I immediately sank into a deep depression. I stopped eating, wasn’t sleeping; I just wanted my life to be over too. I wanted to be with Donnie. But it was your mother who was here for me every day, rowing me and trying her best to force me to eat something.”
I couldn’t help, but grin a little, while sharing that with David. It was amazing how Merlene’s rowing and scolding actually became therapeutic for me at that time in my life. “I truly owe a lot to your mother,” I continued. “She became my Donnie; except that she forced me to become independent for the first time since I lost my vision. Donnie had made everything easy for me, whereas Merlene threw me out on a limb, if you know what I mean…”
“I do,” he said. “Sounds like Mom. She hadn’t shared all of that with me though. I never knew this.”
“Your mother—my archenemy—is really something special. Has a heart of gold.” I thought he needed to hear that, and it did come from my heart.
“Hello, Miss Pfiffer!” Judy Anderson hailed from the balcony of her parents’ home. She was a friendly pre-teen brunette who wore those braces of hers well. When she got them put in a year earlier, she ran over to my house to describe how awesome they were—that is, after the initial pain from the installation had subsided.
“Hello, dear! How’re you doing?” I waved.
“I’m fine, thanks”
She was standing near the rail. Debbie Anderson joined her out there and hailed as well. Our homes sat about thirty feet away from the boundary line on the eastern and western sides. I had much more yard space in the back even though our properties were the exact, same size. The Andersons had taken up less space in the front yard where Donnie and I had done the opposite. I was glad we made that decision as the backyard was Nilla’s sanctuary. She had more than enough room to get lost in.
“Hi, Vanilla!” Judy was waving.
Nilla looked up for a good second, then darted further to the right and started inspecting something behind the Fothergilla bushes.
I felt my inner vision fading again. No! It usually lasted much longer once it came. I tried to hold onto it just by mere will, but knew I couldn’t.
“Don’t forget the party’s tomorrow night,” I told Debbie. “Make sure to drag that husband of yours out too. Let him know I’ll have some rabbit food available to compliment the diet he’s been working so hard at.”
Debbie chuckled. “I will. We’ll all be there.”
Debbie and Judy gave a kind farewell and returned inside the house, pulling the sliding door shut.
David must’ve been in deep contemplation of our previous conversation when he said, “Miss Lucille...do you think the people you saw that night helped you out?”
“I think so.” I replied. “I believe if they hadn’t shown up, my inner vision wouldn’t have been triggered and I wouldn’t have been able to make the call in time for Donnie. Because of them, I was able to spend a few more hours with him. I thanked him for everything he’d done for me and told him I loved him. I knew the prognosis. The doctors had made it clear that it was highly probable he wouldn’t survive. But yeah, definitely, those people helped me.”
“How often have you seen them since?”
I hesitated for a moment, then said, “I see them occasionally. And even if I can’t see anything else, I see them. Sometimes, others show up too.”
“Where do you see them mostly?”
“In my bedroom and at times, around the neighborhood when I take Nilla for her walks. They’re somehow tied to this area. I know Sir Clement’s connection to it, but have no idea about the others. One day, I’ll get to the bottom of it. And no… just in case you’re wondering… I’m not afraid to see them. At first I was for a while, but I realize they’re just like you and me, only not in their physical bodies anymore.”
“You’re a brave woman, Miss Lucille.” David sighed. “I doubt I’d be able to face what you’ve had to—any of it.”
“You would if you had to, son. Believe me. You do what you have to do. I had to put on my big girl’s panty and anyone else in my situation would have to pull up the right underwear.”
Later on, David went out and bought us some lunch. We had a wonderful time together that day until he’d had enough of me and took off for a while. Undoubtedly, Merlene had raised him well and I was certain he’d be on his way back home soon.
7
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My house must have been the talk of the neighborhood that evening. Anthony, David and Theodore had done a splendid job putting up decoratio
ns inside and out, on the balcony, through the trees, shrubs—everywhere! The over-the-top decorating was strictly Anthony’s idea. The man had class and it showed.
Inside the house was even more breath-taking. A Happy 50th Anniversary banner hung from one column in the living room to the other and Donnie’s hand-painted portrait hung slightly above it. That room, by far, was the largest in the house and other than the back porch, was one of my favorites to escape to. Fresh vases of flowers had been placed in various spots throughout the front area of the house; colorful balloons attached to the walls were hanging in clusters and then some individually throughout the house. The place was immaculate. The boys and Merlene had made sure of it.
Dressed in a lovely, sleeveless, burgundy dress which fell slightly below the knees, Merlene walked in with the triple-layered cake from Osmond’s Creations. Pineapple cream cheese filling—it was Donnie’s absolute favorite, and every year, we were sure to pick one up for his birthday.
Theodore brought in the plastic bag from Merlene’s car which hid a couple of extra packs of decorative paper plates and cups, just in case our supply in the kitchen ran low. I knew he wouldn’t have gotten Merlene to give up that cake. She would’ve definitely been the one to bring it out of the car herself to avoid the mere possibility of it getting mashed in any way.
The caterers I’d hired were ready to serve as the guests were beginning to show up and gather in the living room. Just about everyone complimented me on how beautiful the place looked, but I knew I didn’t deserve the credit and said so. Without my friends, none of it would’ve been possible. I was beyond gratified and Donnie must’ve been so proud. We were about to celebrate our wedding anniversary in grand style.
I insisted on being at the door when the bulk of guests arrived, so David went and brought out one of my dining room chairs and set it down inside a few feet away from the door. Nilla took a comfy spot on the fluffy mat right next to me.
Lucille Pfiffer Mystery Series Box Set Page 4
