The Glass House

by Bettina Wolfe

I smiled, feeling a bit better that we ended the night on a happier note.

  After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I crawled into bed. As I waited for David to join me, I felt it again, that strange sensation. I had hoped by the time morning came, my anxiety would have disappeared.

  The next morning I woke up to a glass of orange juice by the bedside. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up to take a sip and soon heard David mumbling in the background. I arose from bed and with glass in hand padded into the living area and over to the kitchenette.

  Dressed in his boxers, David was scrambling eggs and had his cell phone in the crook of his neck. When he turned around, he saw me standing there.

  “Okay, my friend,” he spoke into the phone, “we’ll be ready.” Pressing a button, he set the phone on the counter and smiled at me.

  “Good morning, sunshine, did you sleep well?”

  “I tossed and turned for a while, trying to get comfortable, and then I had a very frightening dream.”

  “Oh yeah, what was it about?”

  “I don’t remember all of it, but I was trapped in a shack in the middle of nowhere. I kept screaming, but no one could hear me.”

  He didn’t say a word as he grabbed two dishes from the wooden shelf above him.

  I wasn’t sure if I should tell him the worst part of my dream—about the body lying on the ground near the shack—a woman’s dead body.

  “Thanks for the juice,” I said, raising my glass in the air.

  “Nothing better than fresh squeezed to start your day.” Spooning a handful of eggs on a plate, he slid it in front of me.

  “Toast will be up in a minute, and Slim will be here in an hour to pick us up.” He turned to the small pot of coffee and poured himself a cup. “He’s letting me borrow his truck for the day. We’ll need to make a quick stop and drop him off at his farm.”

  “Okay.” I took a bite of the eggs. They were loaded with cheese.

  “So, I have a little surprise for you.”

  “Another one? So soon? You’re a man full of surprises.” I forced a smile.

  David held my gaze, staring at me over the rim of his cup. His dark eyes suddenly appeared darker, penetrating through me and sending a chill up my spine.

  18

  David

  The look on her face when we pull up to the house is priceless. I remain silent while she takes in the surroundings, anticipating her thoughts. When we exit the vehicle, we walk side by side along the long gravel pathway.

  It’s a beautiful day; the sun shines bright in the mid-morning sky. A handful of large puffy clouds off in the distance hint at a possible rain shower later this afternoon. In the jungle, the weather changes throughout the day. The various microclimates are one of the reasons I chose this place. I like variety. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

  “Who lives here?” she asks, as we draw closer to the wrought iron gate that separates us from a second walkway.

  “We do,” I reply boastfully.

  “What?” Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “You can't be serious.”

  Unlocking the gate, we continue along the stone paved trail leading up to the front door.

  “This place looks abandoned,” she comments.

  “No,” shaking my head, I chuckle to myself. “It just needs a little more work. It's not quite finished yet.”

  “How come you didn’t tell me about it?”

  “I told you I had planned on moving here one day.”

  “Yeah, I know… but this house… you never mentioned you already had a house here.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise.” Slipping the keys from my pocket, I first unlock the steel security door and then proceed to open the hand-carved wood door. From the corner of my eye, I see Val gazing up at the windows.

  “What's with all the bars?” she asks. “It looks like a jail cell.”

  “Everyone down here has bars on their windows for protection.”

  “So much for safety,” she sucks her teeth. “You told me I'd be safe here with you.”

  “And you will. I'll make sure of it. We’ll be much safer here than we were in LA.”

  As I step inside, Val follows close behind, creeping her way into the main living area. She stops in the middle of the room and stands there gazing all around.

  “It looks much bigger from the outside,” she says, her voice bouncing off the concrete wall.

  “I don't need a lot of space.” Walking away, I step over the threshold. “Come over here and check out the master suite.”

  Poking her head inside, she glances at the spartan furnishings. A mattress sits atop a teak wood frame, and a matching teak armoire stands against the wall.

  “It’s a tiny bedroom but at least it's half furnished.”

  “Correction, fully furnished. Less is more in my book.”

  Turning around, she steps into the bathroom.

  “I’m guessing blue is your favorite color,” she remarks, running her fingers over the tiled countertop.

  “The secret is out.” I smile.

  “It’s a lot of blue for one room. I personally would have broken up the color scheme, maybe a more neutral color along the walls.”

  “I’ll admit that I don't have the best eye when it comes to interior design. Building things is my forte. I’m hoping you can help me decorate the place.”

  “Sure,” she murmurs as she walks back to the main room. “I guess it does have potential.”

  Making my way over to the side and rear walls, I pull back the striped curtains to expose five sliding glass doors, or as I like to call them, my floor-to-ceiling windows.

  “Now, for the best part of the house, the magnificent view.”

  “View? Of what, the trees?” A trace of confusion crosses her face. “There's nothing but trees.”

  “Wait until you see my neighbors,” I motion for her to come closer.

  She ambles toward me and stands gazing out the middle door.

  “Neighbors? There’s not another house in sight.” Peering through the glass, she squints and turns her head. She looks to the left and then to the right.

  Unlocking one of the doors, we step out onto an expansive wood deck.

  “Hold my hand,” I say, reaching out for hers. “I still need to install railings out here.”

  Two minutes later, the screeching begins. A bright green parrot flies by, flits through the trees and lands on one of the branches. Behind the bird, brilliant blue butterflies flutter in the air, dancing in the gentle breeze.

  “Wow!” Her eyes light up. “They’re so beautiful, so colorful.”

  “It's like this every day… parrots, toucans, blue morphos… sometimes a capuchin monkey or two will swing by to say hello.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, but you’ll need to remember not to leave your shoes out on the deck. The monkeys sometimes take things that don't belong to them.”

  “Cute,” she shrieks, letting out a tiny giggle. “Burglar monkeys.”

  “I would imagine the animals could inspire your writing, help you create stories.”

  “Yeah, there are so many cool creatures here; I could have a whole jungle book series.”

  “Maybe your first book could be about a monkey who swings from the trees wearing sneakers.”

  She gazes over at me shaking her head. “Seriously?”

  “Why not? Isn't that the beauty of writing? You can create any story you want.”

  She walks up to me and stares into my eyes. “So what's your story? Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something?” Two questions that drop out of nowhere.

  “What would I be hiding?” I’m not prepared for an interrogation.

  “I don't know. I guess because we're still getting to know each other. I guess because you never told me you already had a house here.” She pauses to take a breath. “Things are happening a little too fast for me.”

  “So, I take it you're having second thoughts?”

  “I don't know. Ever
ything’s new, and there are so many things that are unknown.”

  “But I thought you were an adventurous type of gal. Did I get it wrong?”

  “You're the one who likes action-adventures.”

  “And you're the one who likes mysteries.”

  “Thrillers,” she adds. “I also like old-fashioned psychological thrillers.”

  “Well, then, think of our new life together as an action-adventure with a tinge of thriller.”

  19

  Valerie

  A few weeks later, the house was looking more like home. We purchased a gray futon and a dining set, and David let me pick out some new curtains for the glass doors. But the most important part, at least for me, was finally having the internet hooked up.

  I had been out of touch with the world, only having access to snippets of local news when we were out and about running errands. Most of the TVs at the bars and restaurants were tuned into either sports or news channels. Everything was spoken in Spanish and I had no idea what they were saying. But David did his best to translate for me although he didn't speak the language a hundred percent.

  When I turned on the computer, there were a bunch of emails from Cindy. As I opened the messages, each one more dire than the other, I sensed her concern.

  Hey, Val, wanted to touch base. Please call or email when you can.

  Are you okay?

  Why aren’t you returning my messages?

  I tried texting and calling your phone, but it goes directly to voicemail.

  Val, where the hell are you?

  Pick up your damn phone, Val!

  If I don't hear from you in the next forty-eight hours, I’m coming down to find you.

  My heart sank as I quickly sent her a reply. I had been so busy with the house and all that I felt bad for not reaching out to her sooner. I went into the bedroom and grabbed my phone to check for texts. When I pressed the lower button, the screen didn't light up. For a minute I thought the battery was dead because I hadn't used it in a while. After toying with the buttons, I soon realized it had been turned off, but I didn’t remember turning it off.

  David had a local cell phone and since I was always with him when we were out, I didn’t need to keep mine on me at all times. He had promised to buy me a second phone with a local number so I wouldn’t rack up hundreds of dollars in phone bills, but he never got around to it.

  Sliding the phone into my pocket, I went back to the kitchen for a bottle of water. Within minutes it was ringing.

  “Hello?”

  “Damn, Val. Where the hell have you been?” Cindy shrilled.

  “I take it you got my email.”

  “Yes, finally, I’ve been waiting forever to hear from you.”

  “I said I was sorry. You have no idea what it's been like the past few weeks. Things aren't as easy down here; it’s a lot harder to get things done. It took weeks to get internet service.”

  “And phone service, too, huh?”

  “No, for some reason, my phone was shut off. I hadn't been checking it because I—”

  “I was worried sick about you.”

  “I know. I already said I was sorry.”

  “Well, I'm glad you're alive. Listen, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What? What is it? Is everything okay there?”

  “Yeah, everything's fine. Nicole has been getting on my nerves and work has been crazy, but I'm dealing with it.”

  “So, what's going on?”

  “It's about David.”

  “What about him?”

  “Do you know he has a dating profile?”

  “What dating profile?”

  “So you don’t.”

  “No, but how do you know?”

  “Because he came up on my reverse match.”

  “Reverse match? What are you talking about?”

  “My profile alerts me when people search for someone like me.”

  “Someone like you? Why would he be searching for someone like you?”

  A moment of silence hung between us. Cindy let out a long, huffed breath.

  “I guess his search preferences matched mine. Gosh, Val, I don't know all the details.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t mean that. My words came out wrong. I just don’t understand. I’m confused.”

  “That's why I'm calling you. I wanted you to be aware of it.”

  “I don't know what to think right now.”

  “Well, on the bright side, I don’t think he has logged in lately. So maybe he posted it before he met you.”

  “Can you send me a link? I need to see it for myself.”

  “Look, Val, I don’t want to upset you. Maybe you should ask David about it.”

  “What the heck? How do I casually bring up a dating profile? He’ll think I've been snooping.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll send it. But don't tell him I told you. I don't want to be in the middle of this.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  “And keep your damn phone on in case I need to reach you.”

  “I will. Talk to you soon.”

  I ended the call, my hands trembling as I slid the phone back into my pocket. My heart raced and my stomach churned at the thought of David’s dating profile.

  I reached for the water bottle, took a quick sip, and walked over to the glass doors. Sliding one open, I stepped out onto the deck. I stood there for a while, inhaling the fresh air and trying to calm my nerves.

  Despite the sounds of the birds chirping and the wind rustling through the trees, I couldn't relax. Visions of Kayla crept through my mind, followed by the two young women at the harbor restaurant in LA. They all shared something in common. They were tall, skinny blondes—just like Cindy.

  My thoughts then drifted to David’s ex-wives as I began wondering what they looked like. I knew it shouldn't matter, but I couldn't help feeling a bit unnerved and somewhat betrayed.

  My phone chimed. Pulling it out, I held it by my side, hesitant to look at the message. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it because once I saw it; I wouldn't be able to unsee it.

  Taking a deep breath, I tapped on the screen. Cindy’s email appeared, and I opened the link. There he was, the man of my dreams, on a dating site.

  I stared at the photo and then at his profile name, ‘Now You Behave.’ How fitting, I thought. His tagline read, ‘Fit, fun, gentleman seeks adventurous woman to travel the world.’

  Stuffing the phone back in my pocket, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but knew I didn't have the time or energy to deal with it. At that moment, the sound of a rumbling engine grew near.

  I gazed out through the trees and saw a blue pickup truck making its way down the main road toward the house. David had taken the bus earlier to run a few errands in town, so I figured it was someone giving him a ride back.

  It was the first time he had left me alone at the house and I was uneasy. No matter how many times I told him how frightened I felt, he ignored me. Oblivious to my feelings, he had a hard time understanding my point of view. Not only was he much more familiar with the area but he also had no problem adapting as he thrived on new experiences.

  My senses went into overdrive. It had taken me a while to adjust to the house and my new surroundings. Every sound was new and each snapping of a branch had me thinking someone was outside casing the place. Most of the men carried machetes and my mind often wandered to the worst-case scenario.

  There was an ongoing saying about Americans living there. It went something like this: ‘It’s not if your house will get broken into; it’s a matter of when.’

  Day and night, I prayed for our safety. I had mentioned to David about maybe getting a dog for protection who could also be my companion. Each time we went into town, I would see starving mangy mutts, wanting to take them all home. It broke my heart to see so many strays roaming around the area.

  I soon heard a voice and then footsteps coming up the walkway along with th
e jingling of metal. As I walked back inside the house, I went to the front door to unlock it. Trailing behind David was a big black dog with icy blue eyes. With his tail wagging and his tongue lolling out of his mouth, he made his way toward me.

  “Say hello to Max,” David said, a smile forming on his face.

  “Hi, Max! Aren’t you a handsome boy?” I reached down to pet him and he jumped up, licking my face.

  “He’s friendly too,” he winked.

  “Who does he belong to?”

  “Us.”

  “Really?” I replied, my eyes widening.

  “Yeah, he was hanging out in the yard of the guy I bought the truck from.”

  I gazed over his shoulder at the beaten-up truck parked in the driveway. “That old thing?” I pointed. “That jalopy is yours?”

  “Ours,” he replied proudly. “Now, we don’t have to borrow Slim’s truck or take the bus when we want to go to town.”

  I stood there, shaking my head. “Is it reliable? It doesn't look as though it would go very far.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to have a mechanic check it over this week. Besides, Max didn't have a problem with it. He loved hanging out in the back and going for a ride.”

  “I better not see him riding in the back of that thing; it’s way too dangerous,” I fumed. “He could fall out.”

  “But everyone does it down here. I’ve even seen them transport horses in the backs of their trucks.”

  “Please don't tell me these things.” I cried out, putting my hands over my ears. “How can people be so careless?”

  I glanced down to see Max sitting there, panting heavily, and staring up at me. “I promise you, boy, I will always protect you,” I said softly, patting his head.

  20

  David

  I retrieve the groceries and the large bag of dog food from the truck. As I make my way along the walkway back toward the house, I sense something’s off with Val. I thought she would have been more excited about the dog since all she ever talks about is safety. I expected a different reaction.