Footsteps
Lenny stood in the empty space that was her new living room. Small, but bright and airy and with a cute little dining room sitting next to it across an alcove. The wood floors were in excellent shape and the old, built-in bookshelves were waiting to be filled. The kitchen needed some updating and there were plenty of other projects, but she was ready for the work. Outside she heard the rollup door on the moving truck grate open and then bang to a stop. The movers chatted with each other, talking strategy.
This was actually happening. She was moving into her first place. HER first place. She’d bought it on her own, with no help from anyone. She didn’t need anyone, and this was proof. Lenny was fine on her own. The house had been a steal, so there had been a little good luck in her favor. But she gave herself credit for finding the realtor who found this house. A little bubble of self-satisfaction wriggled its way up her throat and she let out a giggle. The joy worked itself down her body to her feet and she stamped out a mini dance on the hardwoods.
This was actually happening!
“Ma’am, we’re ready when you are.”
Lenny jumped and spun around, her face flushing crimson.
“Ready, yes! Let’s do this!” She told the mover standing in the doorway, eyeing her with a slight smile.
The movers were quick, efficient, and Lenny barely had any furniture having come from a tiny one bedroom apartment, so they were done by early afternoon. She walked the rooms, enjoying the silence. No neighbors screaming through the walls or muffled loud music. No babies crying or dogs barking. No traffic or sirens. Just quiet. No, just peace. That’s what it was. Peace. That she wasn’t sharing it with her family was the only heartache. But it was heartache she was hoping to mend.
She worked hard the rest of the day to get the kitchen fully unpacked and get her bedroom in order. By nightfall she was standing in the shower, exhausted but happy as the warm water eased her aching muscles. The essentials were unpacked, she could do the rest more slowly. No need to rush. There would be furniture shopping to get done as well. She’d hired a gardener to help her untangle the yard, that would happen next weekend. The house had been vacant for some time so things were a bit overgrown. So much to do, but the house was all hers, and it was so worth it. She soaped up her hair, massaging her scalp and breathing in the steam. It was going to be perfect.
Bang!
Lenny jumped and nearly slipped.
“Jesus, what was that?” She waited, pushing suds away from her eyes, but didn’t hear anything else. There was a stack of boxes in the living room, she’d probably left it unbalanced and it fell. Hopefully nothing was broken. Whatever had fallen, it had sounded heavy. She finished up her shower and then went to look.
Everything was as she’d left it. All the boxes were still stacked.
“Huh, neighbors I guess. It’s still suburbia, I can’t expect total silence.” She yawned and padded back to her room in her slippers. Her bed looked very inviting. A soft haven after a day of hard labor.
Lenny sat bolt upright in the dark. It took a minute to remember where she was, her breathing growing steadily more normal as she did. Always hard to sleep in a new place, she told herself as she laid back down. As her head hit the pillow a creak crept through the room. Old house, she reminded herself. Just an old house. Within minutes, Lenny was back to sleep.
In the morning she had breakfast and coffee delivered to the house while she wrote out a grocery shopping list. Sun streamed through the kitchen windows and lit the pale yellow walls with a soft glow. She added houseplants to her list. This sun could not go to waste. Laying her pen across the paper she took up her coffee cup and looked out over the back yard, it was badly overgrown with weeds and shrubs. But it was also huge. There was so much potential. Maybe a fire pit, a barbecue, a vegetable garden for sure.
Footsteps come up behind her, quick and deliberate. She whirled around. There was no one there. She stood a minute in confusion, then let out a breath.
“It’s just the house settling. It’s been vacant for so long,” she told herself. She was used to the constant noise of the apartment, but the house was so quiet that any noise seemed earth shattering. She was just overreacting.
Her phone chimed and she jumped.
“Jesus, Len,” she laughed to herself as she picked up the phone and read the message. Her heart dropped. The day’s errands would have to wait.