She walked briskly west, toward the windswept piece of countryside that had become her favorite destination. She smelled the ocean, sharp and salty, and smiled. Passing homes that grew much bigger, more expensive and further apart, and feeling like an interloper, which she most certainly was, she held her head up like she belonged. Up ahead, the turret of the house came into view over the treetops. The road sloped downhill slightly now and she saw the ocean, then, at last, the house. It sat at the end of the road, surrounded by woods on three sides and very secluded.
She called it the Birdhouse because it seemed the sea birds loved it as they were always on the roof or in the yard. The home was enormous, probably three stories, it had two stone fireplaces with chimneys taller than the roof. The turret gave it a medieval look, like a castle by the sea. The house itself was either sided in or made of stone and had tall windows that looked out over the vast waters. The place was obviously uninhabited and she had looked in every window she could reach. She saw furniture with dust coverings over them, and the house was dark and quiet.
Sitting down on one of the ornate metal deck chairs on the expansive lawn, she opened her backpack and took out a thermos. She spread a napkin over her lap and pulled out a piece of cheese and a hunk of bread. Pouring some of the sparkling wine she brought from the thermos into its lid, she sipped the wine and nibbled on her snack, closing her eyes and pretending she was the lady of the house and this was her view. The sound of a car broke her reverie, and she felt a jolt of fear. No one ever came all the way down to this house. She packed up and was ready to flee when she saw a man come around the corner. He saw her and looked very surprised. She knew that she was blushing with shame at being caught trespassing. She stood up quickly, dropped her thermos and it began to roll down the lawn. The man caught it and walked to her.
“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be here. It’s just that it is so beautiful here and no one lives in the house so I thought it might be okay -” she stammered.
“Oh, its alright,” the man said, handing her the thermos. He held out his hand in greeting. “My name is Milt. I don’t care that you are here,” he said and she shook his hand. He had not seen such a lovely woman in a long time. She had thick, auburn hair and green eyes. He noticed little red-brown freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose.
“I’m Penny,” she said, wondering if he was the owner of this house. He was certainly well-dressed, had on expensive shoes and his hands were manicured. “I have a terrible habit of finding myself here enjoying the view on most evenings. I’m not the criminal type, normally, really.”
“I’m the gardener. I just stopped by to look the place over. I’m going to plant some flower gardens,” he gestured, “over here and over there.”
“With those hands?” Penny asked. “I don’t think those hands have been in the dirt much lately.”
“You got me,” Milt looked like a boy caught in a lie, and Penny found him somewhat charming. “I bought this place and just got the keys today. But I do plan to plant those flower gardens. I am going to be gardener, housekeeper and cook.”
“So, this isn’t Downtown Abbey?”
“Heavens no. Hey, would you like to see inside?” Milt asked.
Penny hesitated. “You mean go into an empty house with a complete stranger?”
“Well, we have been properly introduced. So, not a complete stranger. C’mon, you can trust me,” he said with a smile. “You can be my very first guest in my new home,” and he held out his arm to show the way.
“Oh, I suppose I could take a quick look around,” Penny said, her curiosity overcoming any trepidation, and they walked to the front door.
“I always think of this place as The Birdhouse,” she admitted, taking a step on the outside stairs, “because there are so many birds here.”
“Really? Hmmm, that’s very interesting. I kind of like it.”
Milt took her hand to help her up to the top step and they both looked at each other in surprise. Penny had felt something, like a current running between them. He felt it, too. Milt produced his key and opened the front door and they walked inside the house together for what would be the first time in all the times they went into the house together over many, many years.
Image credit; Eugenia Pankiv @Unsplash
This image shows the rooftop of a building, with turrets and a sloping roof! There are different birds sitting on the roof, including a seagull. There are bird droppings all over the turret, chimney, and the roof.
A Little Bit of Everything, With Love 