Young Squatters (2 page)

“It’ll be okay, I’ll still do a good job,” she added quickly.

He laughed a little.  “It’s okay, Sarah.  We’ve all got off days.”

She had probably been expecting him to act like Nora, taking no mercy on her personal problems.  Nora firmly believed that the “help” should have no personal problems, as far as she was concerned, unless there was a major death in the family.  “I deal with enough of my own aches and pains,” she always said, “why should I have to listen to theirs, and pay them while they’re complaining?  Nick could see her point, but Sarah was a good housekeeper, he thought.  She had once moved his razor in the bathroom to an obscure drawer, and when he had eventually found it, he had asked her not to touch it again, and she hadn’t.  She listened to instructions, at least.  That had to count for something, at least in his book.

Sarah gave him a little smile.  She might not have been too bad looking, if the marker-thick lines beneath her eyes had disappeared and she dyed her hair like Nora.  Maybe if she wore some perfume and a dress, or something...

He shook the thoughts out of his head, walking over and picking up the spoons for her.

“Why don’t you just take the rest of the day off?  We’ll pay you for today’s work.”

Sarah’s eyes met his.  “Really?”

A voice in his head told him this was a bad idea, that Nora would absolutely have a fit over it, but today Nick didn’t mind.  He felt an unfamiliar sense of camaraderie with Sarah—maybe it was because they were both under Nora’s control, maybe not.

“Really,” he said.  “There’s no use staying here if you can’t work.”

“Thank you, Mr. Donnelly,” Sarah said, and he could see tears welling up in her eyes.  “Thank you so much.  I’ll come in on Sunday, if you want me to—”

“Do what you can,” he told her.  His phone buzzed again.  Sarah seemed to take the hint and walked past him, heading to the mudroom to collect her coat.

He told himself that Nora would be fine, that she wouldn’t blow a gasket over the temporary dismissal of the “help,” but deep down he knew that she would indeed have a fit.  He thought about leaving her a note, but then thought again.  What would a note succeed in doing but fueling her wrath?  Instead, he decided to just let her figure it out, put two and two together, and she could leave all her anger on his voicemail while he worked.

Walking over to the counter, he pressed the lid onto his cup, scooped up his keys, his wallet, and his watch, and let himself out into the garage where his Land Rover was waiting.  The garage smelled like trash; Sarah hadn’t taken it out yet.  Tomato-y, egg smell.  Nora would be even less pleased.  He didn’t have time to think about it.  He’d have to handle it when he got back, once things had hopefully cooled down.

He unlocked the Land Rover and opened the door, letting himself into the vehicle.  He put his key in the ignition and started the engine, plugging his iPhone into the car charger.  He reversed out of the driveway and made his way to work.

***

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man sat in the passenger seat of a silver 2005 BMW, watching the house through dark sunglasses as the Land Rover left the driveway.  A cigarette hung idly from his lips.

Behind the wheel was a young woman--black hair, blue eyes, red lips.  She was wearing a white button-down blouse and a cable-knit sweater.  She tucked a small bottle of moisturizer into her Gucci purse.  She glanced over at her partner.  He looked very attentive and smart sitting there, dressed in his plaid shirt and clean jeans.  He didn’t seem to notice her looking at him.

“Do you think this will really work?”  The young woman looked slightly worried as she looked over at the Land Rover driving away.

“It was your idea, Harper.”  The young man kept watching the house as Nick left for his office, taking a drag from the cigarette and tapping it outside the window.

The young woman, Harper, flashed him an irritated look, sticking out her lower lip in a pout, tasting the cherry-flavored Chap Stick she had put on earlier, even though he still wouldn’t look at her.  She hated that.  When he got focused on something, really focused, it became nearly impossible to get his attention, even if she tried her hardest.  “So?  That doesn’t mean it will work, Bradford.”

“Trust me, I looked it up on Wikipedia.  It’ll work.  If those Occupy clowns can do it, why not us? And the best thing is, once she leaves to take Colin and Clara to school, they’ll be gone all day.  Come on, let’s go get the truck.”

Those simple words, “let’s go get the truck,” made her body shiver a little.  They were really going to do this.  The situation was becoming a little too real, and the consequences loomed in her mind.  She fingered the wheel, pressing her sweaty palms up against the leather.  It almost felt as if she couldn’t feel her toes; her body started to numb.

“But what if something goes wrong?” she asked him, feeling like she was about to choke.  “Both of them may not go to school, one of them could stay home sick.  Or the old lady may not be gone all day and may come straight home after dropping them at school!” She still sat behind the wheel of the BMW; she had to remind herself of that.  The panic Harper was feeling showed in her voice, making it shake a little.  She shut her eyes, trying to get rid of the unpleasant feeling that made her want to die, to hide forever.

“Now come on, baby, don’t go getting yourself into a state.  None of that is going to happen.  Try not to worry so much.  I have told you the most important part for this to work is acting completely normal like we haven’t done anything wrong.  You need to stop worrying, and believe me when I tell you everything is going to be okay.  Can you do that for me?”

Bradford finally looked into the young woman’s face, pulling off his sunglasses, his own blue eyes searching hers, and he started to feel a bit concerned.  If Harper was not able to stop her worrying and act normal, they would have to call the whole thing off; it would not work if she got herself in a state.  If her nerves got the best of her, they’d both be screwed.

The girl really needed medication, for her anxiety, but nothing was going to happen until they got that house.  For as long as he had known her, Harper would have anxiety attacks anytime, anywhere.  Before they had met, she’d lived with her mother, a crazy bitch.  The woman drank like a fish and screamed and yelled at Harper all the time, once even locking her out of the house claiming that she didn’t know her own daughter.  She’d had dozens, maybe even hundreds, of boyfriends.  Every time he’d come over, Harper would be in her room hiding from another one.  That was why she was so anxious, he thought.

It was his job to save her, really.  They were young, and full of life.  He had a lifetime to provide for her, but he wanted to do as much as he could now for her.  They could start a family; something he had never had.  She was pretty enough, and he liked to be the one in charge.  She followed him around like a loyal puppy, depending on him, trusting his every word.  He loved the power he had over her, the way she looked up to him.  It made him feel like a real man.

“You were right.  Look, the three of them are leaving the house and the old lady has a large bag with her so she must be going into work like you said.”  Harper’s eyes had broken away from his to capture the movement.  Bradford followed her gaze.  Indeed, the rest of the family left now, climbing into their car.

Harper felt relaxed now and knew she had nothing to worry about.  She looked at the house, her dream home.  For as long as she could remember she had always wanted a house like this one, with a decorative black gate (although in her dreams it was a white picket fence, but close enough), flowers done by a professional landscaper, and the house—oh the house! It sat three stories high in this rich neighborhood, looking like a castle.  Painted a pristine white, with purple shutters, it was everything she had ever dreamed and more.  When she had told Bradford about it, he had vowed to get it for her.  She felt lucky to have him by her side.

“I’m sorry for getting in a state just now.  You know how much I want this house, and could not bear it if something went wrong.  Okay, I trust you and will not worry anymore, I promise.”  She looked blissfully compliant.  Bradford smiled.

“That’s my girl.  Now get the car started and let’s go get the truck and start making this house our home,” Bradford said before giving Harper a kiss and hug, but only for a few moments, as they had work to do.

With a beaming smile on her face, the young woman started the engine and they made their way to pick up the delivery truck.

***

Nick banged his wheel in frustration, smacking the hard surface as hard as he could.  He must have hit a nerve; tingling pain raced from his palm all the way up his arm, making him curse.  He cursed like he had never cursed before, at least, not since his college days.  He cursed the sun, the sky, the moon, everything.  He wanted to open his window and curse all of humanity and existence.  Instead, he loosened his tie, swiping his hands through his already disarrayed hair, trying to imagine Nora’s voice telling him to get a grip.  Of course, if he had just listened to her in the first place, none of this would have happened.

Of all the days for there to be a traffic jam, it had to be today.  He didn’t normally worry about the time he arrived at work, but today he had wanted to arrive early, to get a leg up on everyone and prepare for the big meeting.

Nick lowered the window, and instead of cursing out the entire world, he leaned out to have a look.  He knew he wouldn’t be moving anytime soon, since the traffic was at a standstill for miles from what he could see.  The Prius in the lane next to him had a young businesswoman in it.  She sat talking on her cellphone, dressed in a black business suit.  He could see her air conditioning blowing her curly blonde hair out of her face.

He looked away, feeling too old and frustrated to be checking out women half his age.  He had Nora; that was enough.  That had to be enough.  Still, he couldn’t help but to remember a time when she had blonde hair like the woman’s, a time when she didn’t care about hairstylists and perfect houses and money.  They’d worked their way up from nothing together, but he didn’t understand how all of that could have happened and left them so...mundane.

Ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong-ding-dong-ding….

Nick glanced at his phone and was annoyed to see Nora’s name flash up on the caller ID.

He’d only been gone fifteen minutes and she was already calling him.  What on earth did she want to say that couldn’t wait until he got home tonight?

He wouldn’t answer it; he’d let it go to voicemail.  He was in a foul mood due to the traffic, and the last thing he wanted to do was get a lecture from his wife about not listening to the traffic news before he’d left.

He knew it wasn’t Nora’s fault he was stuck in traffic, so it wouldn’t be fair to take it out on her, so he continued to ignore the ringing.

Ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong-ding-dong-ding…
filled the car.  He finally hit “Decline,” tempted to turn on his radio and blast the music so he didn’t have to think anymore.

A couple of minutes later his mobile phone flashed, displaying a text message from Nora on the screen.

I hope you listened to me this morning and checked the traffic news for the roads.  There was a big crash on the A12 involving three cars causing a massive traffic jam.  See, I don’t always nag as you put it, for no reason.  I hope the meeting goes well.  Speak to you tonight.

As Nick read the message he felt livid and frustrated both at the same time.  Mainly he was frustrated at himself.  He was truly an idiot.  Only an idiot would live near a huge city and choose to drive into the traffic, hoping to get to work in ten or twenty minutes.  Someone behind him honked.  Like that was going to do a lot.  Nick spun around and honked back.  No one seemed to notice.

He was now glad he hadn’t answered the phone. 
That must have been what she was telling me this morning when I stupidly put my fingers in my ears. 
If only he’d listened to her this morning, he wouldn’t find himself in this situation.

“Don’t forget to check the traffic on the news before you drive off, love.”

Nora would repeat the same thing to Nick every morning when he first started commuting to the office.

“Yes, my love, it’s the first thing I do every morning after I’ve turned the engine on,”
Nick would tell the same lie to his wife to pacify her.  It’s not that he liked lying to her.  He just didn’t see the point of listening to the boring traffic news every day.

If there was an accident and he knew about it, the likelihood was other people knew about it too and the alternative routes would be just as busy.  That was Nick’s logic behind it which he stuck to most of the time, apart from this moment in time when he was sure the alternate routes would not be anywhere near as slow as the A12 was right now.

“You know I’m only thinking of you and trying to be helpful, ”Nora would explain to him if he told her about this mishap.  She would start to tell the story she had told him so many times that he tuned out when he heard it nowadays.

“I mean, if only he’d checked the traffic before he left he wouldn’t have missed the birth of his son.  It still annoys Belinda to this day that he didn’t keep up his promise of being there to see their first born coming into this world.”

Belinda, Nora’s sister, virtually became annoyed about anything, but Nick wasn’t about to mention that to his wife.  If he had thought Nora had nagging problems, they were nothing compared to Belinda’s angry tirades against her husband, Ben.  She looked much bigger than Nora, too, though they shared some of the same facial features.  Ben, in contrast, was a skinny, middle-sized man.  The difference in their physical appearances only highlighted the disparities in their personality difference.

Nick sometimes wondered if Ben had deliberately taken that route knowing there was a traffic jam so he wouldn’t make it to the birth of his son.

“I’m dreading the birth,” Ben had openly said to Nick one night, over a few beers on the rare occasion they got away from their wives.  It had been cold that night.  Nick remembered that part because he had forgotten to bring his coat, and suffered the consequences the day after, contracting a head cold.

“Why’s that?” Nick asked, taking a sip of his beer and wincing at the bitter taste.  Since being married to Nora he hadn’t been much of a drinker; he preferred wines to beers, anyway, though he would never admit it.

Ben shrugged.  Clearly he didn’t want to say.

“Well, if you really don’t want to be there at the birth and it is bothering you that much, why don’t you be open with Belinda and talk to her about how you feel?”  Nick asked Ben in the hopes he was offering some good advice.  Ben looked up from his beer, eyes wide beneath his black-framed glasses.

“Dude, how long have you been married to Nora?”  Ben asked, and laughed when he saw the confusion on his friend’s face.

“What has that got to do with anything?  I wasn’t present at either of the births of our children and Nora didn’t ask me to be there, so I don’t see the comparison.”

“It’s nothing to do with you being present or not present at your children’s birth.  I’m asking about how long you’ve known Belinda.”

“Oh, I see,” Nick understood what Ben was getting at now.

“In all of the time you’ve known your sister-in-law, do you honestly think she will understand me telling her I don’t want to be at the birth and accept that?”

Ben looked at Nick and could see from his face he knew that she wouldn’t.

It was true, and Nick had to admit that when he first met Nora’s sister Belinda, he had been frightened of her.  He had thought Nora nagged at times, but at least she was pleasant and their relationship was balanced with neither one of them getting their own way all of the time.  When he got to know Nora well enough, he had asked if her sister had always been like that.

“Ever since she was a child she has wanted her own way.  It’s my father’s fault.  He spoiled her from the day she was born and she’s always gotten what she wanted.  I feel sorry for the man who marries her.  He won’t stand a chance in having a say in anything.”

Nora had thought her sister would never get married; she didn’t think there was any guy out there who would put up with a relationship like that.

She had been proved wrong though, and had to admit she was surprised at how well Ben and Belinda worked as a couple.  They seemed genuinely happy and she thought he was a really nice guy. 

Nora only saw the good side of the couple’s relationship, though.  Nick knew Ben and what he wanted out of life; he wasn’t entirely sure that Ben wanted Belinda and family, more or less a new baby.

“You’re right, mate; I can’t see that being an easy conversation to have.  Well, not one that you’re going to win anyway.”

Not that I can imagine you ever winning any argument
, Nick wanted to add, but thought better of it.  He liked Ben and didn’t want to offend him in anyway, so he thought some things were best left unsaid.

“Yeah, well I’d better just get used to the idea and hope I go all wimpy and faint or something.”

Ben had joked and they hadn’t discussed the birth again, Nick remembered, thinking what a stroke of luck it had been for Ben to have found himself stuck in a traffic jam on his way to the hospital.

No one had batted an eyelid at the coincidence of Ben happening to take the route which had the traffic jam instead of the typical route most would have taken.

That is, apart from Nick.

As much as Nick liked Ben, and had in fact become quite good mates with him over the past five years, still he would have to take Belinda’s side if they ever got divorced.  She was, after all, his wife’s sister.  And he loved Nora and didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship.

Nick wasn’t a stupid man, he knew if ever Ben and Belinda had a massive row and split up there was a chance Ben could turn nasty and blurt out his secrets.  Although not usually open with people about his relationship with Nora, Nick could remember a couple times when he had vented to Ben, saying things he probably shouldn’t have.

This was why Nick had kept his thoughts to himself and said nothing to anyone about it.

***

Ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong ding-dong, ding-dong-ding-dong-ding….

Nick was immediately brought back to his present situation.

As his coworker Will’s name flashed on his mobile screen, he thought he too must be stuck in the traffic jam.  At least, that’s what he told himself to feel better about this already horrible day, not willing to answer his phone to find out and have to listen to the drivel of Will, the rookie.  He felt relieved, knowing he was not the only one who was going to be late to the office; there was strength in numbers, after all.

His phone buzzed again.  Another text from Nora.

I got the note about Sarah.  NOT HAPPY
, it read. 

Nick rolled his eyes, turning the radio on.  Surely Nora could wait until tonight to bitch him out about the housekeeper situation.  Some Zen music, complete with flutes, bells, and whistles filled the cab, and Nick angrily ejected the CD.  He had gone to the hospital once for chest pains a few months ago—a false alarm, just gas, according to the doctor—and Nora had went nuts over trying to keep his blood pressure down.  Peaceful meditation music that he didn’t particularly like, and some green goopy health shakes that Nora had force-fed him, were the accumulation of those attempts.

Instead he turned on the radio, fiddling with the volume dial and listening to “Rock You Like a Hurricane” as he sat waiting for the traffic to move, which hopefully wouldn’t be too long.

***

“I can’t believe this is actually happening, babe,” 

As Bradford stood watching Harper, he thought she looked like a child in a sweet shop.  He loved how childlike she was when she was happy.  The way she looked up at him with those sweet, big eyes made him melt almost every time.  Finally he would be able to take care of her in a way she deserved.

As Harper stood looking out of the kitchen admiring the well-trimmed lawn and flowers, repeatedly telling him how happy she was, he started to laugh.

“Babe, I know how happy you are.  Look at you, anyone can see how happy you are with that smile on your face.  I haven’t seen you this happy in ages.  All of my hard work was worth it to see you this happy.”

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have you.  I could stand here looking at this wonderful view for hours,” she breathed, leaning on the expensive counter, trying to get an even better look.  She turned back to look at him, flipping her black hair over her shoulder in a way that somehow struck him as adorable.

“I know how much you love the view, but we can’t stand here admiring the view all day,” he told her, touching his finger to her nose with a silly grin.  “The old woman will be home soon and we need to start unpacking some of our belongings and put them in here before she comes back.”

“Okay, Bradford, but can I have five more minutes, please?”

She looked at him, her big blue eyes blinking sweetly.  He grinned at her, moving closer, running his hands along her shoulders.

“Okay, five more minutes, but that’s all, and then we really do need to get a move on with the unpacking.”

She smiled, hugging him tight before breaking away to point out the beautiful trees in the yard.

The young couple stood in their new home with their arms wrapped around each other before moving outside to start unpacking their belongings to put inside the house.

***

Nora Donnelly drove home in the early evening, enjoying the spring sunlight and listening to her favorite station, The Blend, on the radio.  She had had a good day at work, as the Admissions Director at the local university.  Good questions, good people, and a lot of respect, especially from the new secretary, Cindy.  Nora had always enjoyed helping others—her husband called it nagging, but what did he know. She had felt excited to see young Cindy sitting at the secretary desk, looking flustered.  Nora had helped her organize things, instructed her on the proper break times and the like, and had left her to it.  Cindy had chosen to come to her office, out of the twenty other offices in the building, to ask questions, and that made Nora feel ecstatic.

It was still fairly early, the sun not yet down.  Its rays permeated through her car windows, getting absorbed by her dark pencil skirt and blouse.  She turned up the air conditioning.  She expected her son, Colin, was home already, having only a mid-morning and an early afternoon class.  Her daughter, Clara, wouldn’t be home for a while yet.  She’d have a few hours before she needed to make dinner, long enough to take the Pilates class at the country club.  In a mere couple of years, she had advanced to the level of an expert in Pilates.  She attacked her exercises with the ferocity and determination that she did everything else. 
I’ll just drop off a few things at the house and get changed….

As she turned onto the cul-de-sac, she frowned.  Someone in the neighborhood had parked an ugly orange U-Rent-It van in front of her house.  Probably the Parkers. They didn’t seem to know how not to be rude.  Last year they had accidentally put the wrong address on their daughter’s open house invitations, and Nora had to deal with dozens of confused invitees, basically becoming a traffic director in her own home.  Sarah had been off that day, trying to save her troublesome son, before Nora had put a stop to that once and for all.

She wondered if Sarah had a hand in this U-Rent-It dilemma.  She probably felt like she could do anything, now, since Nick had so easily given her the day off.  Really, back problems?  Nora had back problems; she had birthed two children, after all.  Did Nick ever give her a day off for that?

But as Nora cautiously maneuvered her metallic black Volvo S80 around the moving van, she could see that the front door of her house was open.  Only she and Nick had keys to the place--and Sarah.  Sometimes they gave the keys to the landscaper, but he always gave them back.  They had an alarm system, but she never bothered to set it, figuring that no one would have the guts to break into their fortress on the hill, especially since it stood so tall and imposing, with black gates and a long driveway.

Nora wondered what on earth was happening when she saw a young couple come out of the front door of her own home.  Burglars? No, they did not take things
out
of the house.  Nora observed them taking items out of the truck, carrying them
into
her house.  Without a moment’s hesitation, Nora opened her handbag, taking out her mobile phone, and dialed her husband’s mobile.  It directed her straight to voicemail.

“Nick, why do you never answer your phone?  I have just arrived home and have no idea what is going on.  There are two kids with a truck taking items into our home.  Did you have a hand in this?  Is there something you’re not telling me?  I need you to come home right away to sort this mess out,”

When Nora had hung up the phone, she decided to also send Nick a text message.  There was probably more of a chance of him reading the text than listening to her voicemail.  She wouldn’t consider calling his work phone; he rarely answered his messages there, either, especially if they were from her.  It had always frustrated her that Nick was not available on the phone during the day, but she hoped he would sense the urgency in her voice, and in the messages, and come home immediately.

Somehow, she doubted it.  She didn’t like the feeling of knowing that her husband probably would consider her messages just more nagging problems and not answer them at all, until he got home that night, claiming that he had been busy all day.

***

Nick felt a buzzing in his pants.  He was in the middle of a conference call with some of his lawyers, debating next steps on an intellectual property action.  Annoyed, he inconspicuously slid the phone from his pocket and looked at it.  A missed call and a voicemail from his wife, followed up by a text.  “Come home.  NOW!”  He noticed the time.  Three-thirty.  What the hell?  He’d told her he’d be working late, and he couldn’t very well end this call early, especially since he had been late this morning.