Cursed (9 page)

As they stepped out onto the snowy sidewalk Kerry asked how the new project was going.
             

“It’s great!
I am almost done reading through the author’s source journals and making my initial notes. And, I am learning so much about this city!”

“I love
Boston, but then again, I never lived anywhere else.”

“My grandmother was from here, but she moved to
Connecticut when she was still a teenager. The last of her family died off before I was born so we never came up this way. We were closer to NY.”

They were entering the bagel shop and Kerry nodded towards the line. “There’s your friend, does she follow you?”

Sarah turned and looked towards the line of people at the counter and saw Zoe, still looking chic in high heeled boots even with the snow. Zoe had already seen them and waived them over.

“Hello, Sarah,” Zoe said with a big, Cheshire cat grin.
With a side glance towards Kerry she added dismissively, “And Sarah’s work friend.” Kerry shook her head and Sarah looked a little surprised with the rude comment.

Zoe turned toward the young man behind the counter and he visibly reacted to Zoe’s flirtatious smile and intense stare.
They ordered quickly and moved to the side to wait for their large order. Zoe took her small bag from the young mad, purposely grazing his hand and wrist as she did so, and prepared to leave.

“It was great bumping into you.
Let’s make plans this weekend, Sarah”

“Sure, that would be nice.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Have a nice day.”

“Bye!”

Kerry, watching the interaction with a bemused smile called out loudly, “Yeah, bye Zoe!” as Zoe was striding out of the shop.

Zoe kept walking, but raised her red gloved hand in confirmation that she heard her.
Kerry looked at Sarah, “Seriously? How can you like her? She is so snobby!”

Sarah didn’t have a good answer but she had noticed when Lisa was visiting a few weeks ago that Zoe had also cut her off and dismissed a few things she had said.
Less noticeably than how she had treated Kerry, but it was there. Maybe she would say something to Zoe about it when they went out.



The cell phone rang promptly at nine Saturday morning. Sarah answered on the second ring and momentarily wished she had not. The more she had thought about some of the things Lisa had said and watching the way Zoe had treated Kerry, Sarah wondered why Zoe was only nice to her.

“Sarah! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Zoe. What amusing place have you found for us tonight?” Sarah walked up to the window, pulling the shade to let some light in, however she found it was gray outside and the sky looked like snow. She leaned against the window frame and looked out at the snowy street below.

“I have a few places in mind. Maybe we could try
Newbury Street.”

Looking up at the sky, Sarah spontaneously asked, “It looks like snow, do you want to lay low and get a pizza?
You could come here.” The offer was met with silence.

“Hello?” Sarah looked at the screen of the phone wondering if the call had dropped.

“I’m here. No. Thanks, but no.”

“Ok, it was just a thought.” Sarah believed she heard barely suppressed anger in Zoe’s voice and she wondered what she could have said wrong with her casual invite.

“Well, I am working today so I need to get going. Think about Newbury Street, maybe Abe & Louie’s for some dead red.” Sarah thought this sounded more like Zoe and quickly forgot the momentary flare up.

“OK, I’ll talk to you later.”

Sarah went to the kitchen to get her day started. As the coffee brewed, she made a quick list of errands that she wanted to get done before the snow. Taking the mug, she breathed in the aroma and then added a touch of cream before carrying it back to the living room. She stood by the coffee table, remote control in hand to snap on the television and check the news. Glancing towards the front door she noticed a piece of paper sticking out from under her door.

Leaning down to retrieve the paper she unfolded it and instead of reading, just looked at the handwriting like it was a piece of artwork.
When she did read it, her face broke out into a wide smile and she flung open the door.

Miss Carter,

Your comment from last evening while admiring the snow reminded me of a painting I had stored in the attic.
If the scene appeals to you, I would be honored if you would enjoy it in your apartment while here. I will leave it in the hallway.

Truly,

Mason Brown

Leaning against the wall was a framed painting approximately three feet wide and two feet high. The scene was of their street, after a snowfall. A gentle dusk was falling and cast the snow in pale lavender and gray-blue shades with gas lamps adding brighter lilacs across the snow. The brick brownstones with their stately black shutters and wrought iron gates, all capped with snow, looked peaceful and you could almost hear the quiet that had descended upon the scene.

Sarah lifted the painting carefully and carried it into her apartment for a better look.
The frame was unusually heavy and intricately carved. Not exactly her taste but it did lend itself to the painting. Bringing it to the window she examined the painting closer, finding small details she did not see in the dim hallway. The name Catherine was in the lower right corner.

Sarah set it down where it would get the most light and got her coffee.
She sat on the hardwood floor in front of the painting, pulling her knees up to her chin and crossing her arms over her knees. It was definitely the street, but it wasn’t as exactly as it is. Somehow, all the buildings were right, but it was as if the artist had taken some liberties, like the gas lamps and adding shutters to every window. But maybe it was a look they were going for. It worked and Sarah stared into the scene.

The sounds of cheers broke out on the television and it cut into her thoughts.
Realizing the news had somehow become sports she squinted to make out the time on the cable box.
Eleven o’clock? How long have I been sitting here,
she wondered
, over an hour?
Picking up her mug she found it was ice cold. The painting had mesmerized her.

Sarah placed the coffee mug into the sink and walked down the short hall to the bedroom.
She pulled off her pajamas and quickly got dressed, pulling on a green v-neck cable sweater and jeans and then a pair of socks and her Uggs. She had to thank Mason in person for such a lovely painting, even if it was just on loan. Hopefully he would hang it for her.

Skipping down the stairs she bumped into Gregory and Melanie just returning home.
Melanie smiled as Sarah approached, “Hello Sarah, where have you been child? We haven’t seen you since our tea?”

“Hi there, Melanie” Sara said with a smile, and with a small nod she added, “Greg.”

Greg nodded back, his white hair flopping into his eyes.
Melanie’s face was flushed from the cold and her curly hair was wild from the wind.

“I’ve been busy with work and was visiting back home for Thanksgiving.
I will be heading there soon for Christmas week as well. But I love it here; this is the perfect building for me. And Mason has been so nice, I was just going down to thank him now for something he left for me.”

Melanie looked a little confused and then she gazed up at her tall husband for an answer.
“The landlord, dear,” he replied to her silent question.

Greg looked at Sarah with new admiration, “My, my! Have you actually become friendly with our Mr. Brown?
I didn’t think it possible!”

“Well, maybe not what you would call friends, but we have chatted a few times and he seems very nice.”
There was a pause as they all stood there not knowing what else to say about the landlord.

“Well don’t let us hold you up,” Melanie said, “But do let us know when we can have tea again.”

Sarah said her goodbyes and continued down the stairs. Arriving at Mason’s door she knocked and waited. Silence. Again she knocked and waited. Frowning, she pivoted in her Uggs and was about to walk away when she heard a shuffling approaching the door.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Brown! Um…Mason. It’s Sarah.”

“Hello. Sarah.”

Sarah waited a moment before continuing, thinking he might open the door. When he didn’t, she tentatively asked, “Can I talk with you for a minute?”

She held her breath, waiting to see what he would do or say and finally she heard the dead bolt slide and another lock click open and finally the handle turned.
Instead of the door swinging open it only opened by a few inches with no sign of Mason. Sarah tilted her head in anticipation and placed her hand on the door, pushing gently.

“Mason, can I come in?”

The room was unlit. With the dull skies above, not much light was finding its way through the multi-paned windows. Mason kept his back to the window to maximize the shadow on his face. With the newspaper on the couch, Sarah assumed the lamp had been on moments before she stepped into the apartment.

“I am sorry . . . to bother you I mean.
I, um, well thank you. I really love the painting.”

“I am glad.
It should be viewed and appreciated.”

“If you liked the painting so much, why wouldn’t you hang it here?” Sarah looked around, eyes adjusting to the light, and realized the walls were full of paintings.
Some looked like they should belong in a museum and all had the same heavy gilt frames like the one on the snowy street she had in her apartment. Stepping forward to the painting closest to her by the still open door, she gazed at three women in long white dresses sitting at a table set up under a weeping willow tree. They were from a different time, with their pinned up hairstyles and clothing. Pushing her gaze away from the trio enjoying a summer conversation in the painting she again found the name Catherine in the lower right.

“I have all the paintings I need.
At times I exchange them with some I have in storage.” He cleared his throat, raw from under-use.

Sarah, still looking around the room, found it easy to keep her eyes off Mason.
She pushed her hands into the front pockets of her jeans to keep her nervousness from showing.

“I could never paint like this.” She said still admiring the paintings from where she stood, afraid to step deeper into his apartment.
“When I was a kid I always tried to paint, I wanted to be an artist, but I guess I didn’t have it in me.”

Mason stood still, watching her but not contributing to the conversation.
She cleared her throat and took a step backwards towards the still open door.

“Would you be able to help me hang it for me?”

“Of course I will hang it. Just let me know where and I will come by Monday while you are at work. Now, if that is all?” He was feeling weary from the social interaction and he tried to remember just how long it had been since anyone had stepped foot into his apartment.

“I was thinking in the living room, on the brick wall if possible?
And thank you again for allowing me to borrow it. It’s the most beautiful thing in my apartment.”

Mason gave a nod and Sarah turned to go.

“Bye, Mason.” She closed the door behind her, realizing the nod he gave her was all she would get.
On her on the way out, she was able to catch one more glimpse of the three elegantly dressed women and wished it was summer.

Sarah entered the dark wood paneled steakhouse at precisely seven o’clock as they had agreed, breathing in the rich aroma and embracing the warmth of the restaurant. Scanning the packed bar, it was easy to find Zoe. She was mid-way down the bar surrounded by an assortment of men. Zoe’s eyes were dancing with the attention, red lips curled into a devilishly sexy smile and her skirt hiked high on her long, crossed legs. Listening to one of the men, she was pulling at tufts of her jet black choppy hair that framed her face and hugged her neck making it appear even longer than it already was.

Sarah watched Zoe play with these men for moment as she removed her coat.
As she had learned, Zoe liked to dress to go out so Sarah had tried to accommodate tonight. Her freshly washed hair had been blown dry to a silky smooth texture and curled at the ends for some style. Tall dark gray leather boots paired with a charcoal gray skirt and a pale pink cashmere sweater. Makeup even graced Sarah’s usually bare face, accentuating her gray eyes and lightly highlighting her prominent cheekbones.

She approached the bar on the left and Zoe saw her, sizing up the outfit and the extra attention Sarah paid to herself tonight and spread the men like the red sea to allow her through.
Sarah said hello to everyone and the man who had been just been keeping Zoe’s attention, Adam, called for the bartender. Ordering a glass of wine one of the men jumped up to allow her to take his seat. She slid onto the stool, tugging at her skirt to make sure it didn’t slide up like Zoe’s.