Boxed by Richard Anderson

Author:Richard Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC000000, FIC066000, FIC050000
Publisher: Scribe Publications Pty Ltd
Published: 2019-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

10

As I turn at my mailbox, I see the lid partly open, suggesting that someone has left me something. I stop, open it, and see two more boxes, the same as the last two. I slam the lid shut, and sit back in the ute with my hands on my head. More boxes. More fucking boxes. Does this mean more dead people? More money? Did Grant put them in on his way back, or has someone else dropped them off? I agree with myself that I will not think about this. I put them in the back, and drive home. I leave the boxes in the laundry, and then set about organising myself for Elaine’s arrival.

When she takes a seat at my kitchen island, she looks fully repaired. But in response to a question about how she feels, she claims the wrist is still sore, and displays a support that irritates her. To me, she is back to her beautiful self, almost haughty. She sips at her wine (white), and asks me how I’ve been.

‘Messy,’ I tell her, and begin to apologise for walking out and not being around to protect her.

She dismisses my apology, and claims to know how hard the last year must have been. I lean down, and open the oven to check the vegetables in the oven. They smell like they are going to be fabulous.

‘Thanks for finding me.’ It is a lonely thing to say. She makes it sound like there is no one else in her life who would have found her.

‘I thought you were dead.’

‘So did I.’ Then she corrects herself: ‘I thought I was going to be …’

I set the salad things out as a deflection. ‘Shit, I forgot to ask, is steak okay? I can whip up something else …’

‘No, steak will be great.’

I take them out of the fridge and put them on the bench. They are moist and pink, but not too pale. I am rocking it.

My confidence gets out of control, and I decide to share: ‘Someone sent me some money. A lot of money. I don’t know who.’ I don’t look at her until I’ve said the last words. Her face is serene and, if anything, a little pleased for me. I had hoped I would get a sign of something else: guilt, acknowledgement, even panic. But there is none of it. Not that I think she is responsible or involved. It’s just that I can’t help feeling she’s had something like this happen either to her or to someone she knows, and I have no idea why.

‘Cash?’

‘Yes. Folding stuff.’

‘You’re a lucky boy then, aren’t you?’ I get ‘playful’ instead of ‘panic’. There’s my intuitive skill on full display.

‘I’m not sure what to do with it. I don’t know whether to spend it or send it back to the post office.’

‘I would normally say “Spend it”, but I’ve had too many close calls with tough guys to think that anymore.’ The only thing that is odd here is the calmness of her response.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.