Out of Circulation by Allison Brook

Author:Allison Brook
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

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A few minutes past five, I placed Smoky Joe’s carrier in the passenger seat of my car, slid behind the wheel, and set out for the house on Old Willows Road. I thought about Marjorie and Ted living there with their daughter; about the two little ghost girls whom I hoped to help send where they belonged. I looked forward to decorating each room with Dylan and making our house a loving home for our own children and pets in the coming years.

As I pulled into the driveway, I decided to bring Smoky Joe inside with me. After all, this was going to be his home too. He stood in the hall and looked around. Then he moved into the living room and cautiously began to sniff along the wall.

I left him to get acclimated at his own pace and wandered into the kitchen. The sun was streaming in through the windows. I glanced down at the hardwood floor, the shining updated appliances, the cabinets and counters. Nothing here needed attention except the addition of a round table and four chairs in the eating area, and dishes, utensils, and cookware in the cabinets.

I wandered from room to room, more to get a sense of each space than to imagine it filled with furniture, window treatments, and pictures. I’d rather do that with Dylan, I decided. I gazed out of every window, taking in views of the backyard, of the neighboring houses across the road. My new home seemed to welcome me, bestowing warmth that filled me with a definite sense of belonging.

There was no sign of the little girls. I wondered if they were staying away in order to give me privacy as I entered every room and marked it as ours, Dylan’s and mine. I was upstairs in the smallest bedroom when Smoky Joe came scampering into the room. I picked him up and held him tight.

“Welcome to your new home, Smoky Joe.”

Downstairs, I put him in his carrier and walked around the perimeter of the backyard. Bushes and trees formed a natural barrier along the three sides, giving us total privacy. I gazed down at the running water in the brook, at the weeping willow in its full glory. A few rose bushes in bloom grew along one side of the property.

The lawn was covered with crabgrass and would no doubt require a good deal of money and attention to get it into shape. I wasn’t a natural gardener, but I intended to learn how to cultivate a small vegetable garden. I’d grow tomatoes and cucumbers and zucchini for starters. But that was something to think about next summer.

Smoky Joe was meowing mournfully from his carrier as I carried him back into the house. “Sorry, boy. Soon as I lock up here, we’re going home.”

I double-locked the front door, then placed the cat carrier inside my car. As I walked around to the driver’s seat, I noticed a gray car passing by on the road below. The damage to the rear passenger door caught my eye.

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