My mom was out of town. I came to water her plants, feed the cat, and sleep off a long day. But when I collapsed onto her bed, it wasn’t empty.
A stranger was already in it—snoring. And when I screamed, he said my name like he’d known me forever. I stepped into the café just after six, the sky outside already wearing its evening blue like a worn-out coat.
My feet ached, my shoulders sagged, and the smell of roasted beans hit me like a soft punch. After a day of standing, nodding, and saying “Sure, I’ll take care of it,” caffeine felt less like a choice and more like a need. Bonnie, my coworker, floated past me to the counter, already smiling at the barista.
“Chamomile with a hint of peach, please,” she chirped. I dragged myself forward. “Give me your strongest,” I said.
“Whatever keeps eyelids from glueing shut.”
The barista chuckled, and a minute later, I had a steaming cup of what smelled like bitter courage. I tore open three sugar packets and dumped them in one after the other. Bonnie watched, eyebrows raised, and stirred her tea like it was some delicate spell.
“Sugar’s white death, you know?” she said, lips curling into a knowing smile. Her hands were always neat—short nails, no chipped polish. The honey drizzled into her cup caught the light like gold.
I didn’t flinch. “I’ve heard that a hundred times from my mom,” I said. “And a couple hundred more from everyone else.”
She tilted her head.
“So you’re not like your mom?”
I blew on my coffee and took a careful sip. It burned a little, but in a good way. Like it was waking something up inside me.
“Nope,” I said. “She doesn’t touch sugar. Thinks it’ll make her look eighty by fifty.”
Bonnie laughed softly.
“And you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t care about that.”
We found a booth near the back, tucked away from the rush of customers. The light overhead flickered every few minutes like it couldn’t make up its mind.
We talked about nothing. And then a little about everything. Work gossip.
Old boyfriends. Favorite sandwiches. For a while, the weight I’d been carrying all day slid off my shoulders.
Two guys walked in sometime after seven. Both were tall and smelled like they’d bathed in department-store cologne. One had dimples deep enough to lose a coin in.
They grabbed the table next to us. “Hey,” Dimple Guy said. “You ladies from around here?”
Bonnie’s whole body leaned in like it had been waiting for this moment.
“Born and raised in Ames,” she said, twirling her tea spoon. I stared into my mug like it had secrets. They flirted.
Bonnie laughed and tossed her hair. I tugged my sleeves down and tried to disappear. After a while, Bonnie gave me the look and pulled me to the restroom.
“You’re ruining it,” she hissed the second the door closed. “I didn’t ask them to sit with us.”
“They’re cute, Sadie! Just be normal.
I’m trying to find love. Don’t make it weird.”
I checked my watch. “I have to go.
Mom’s out of town. I promised to feed the cat, water the plants.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Your dad can’t?”
I blinked.
“Never met him. If he’s out there, he’s not about to show up for a cat.”
She sighed, hugged me. Her perfume—something powdery and sweet—clung to my coat.
I stepped back out into the Iowa night. The wind bit my cheeks. The street was quiet.
Mom’s house wasn’t far, just a ten-minute walk. But it felt like a hundred miles of memories. And something told me, this night wasn’t done with me yet.
I fumbled with the key in the dark. The porch light was still busted—Mom said she’d fix it before she left. She didn’t.
That was just like her. Always writing notes about what she would do, and then forgetting where she left them. The key stuck for a second, like the door didn’t want to open for me.
I jiggled it a little, then pushed hard with my shoulder. The old wooden frame groaned as it finally gave way. Inside, the hallway yawned with shadows.
That’s the word that came to mind—yawned. Wide, deep, and quiet. I reached for the light switch near the door.
Flicked it. Nothing. “Of course,” I muttered.
The bulb had burned out weeks ago. I’d reminded her. Twice.
I pulled up the flashlight on my phone and swept the beam in front of me. The place felt weirdly still, like someone had pressed pause on the house itself. I tiptoed forward, careful not to trip on Earl’s scratching mat or the clump of shoes Mom kept by the stairs.
The living room smelled like lavender cleaner and wood polish. Familiar, but cold. I glanced at the old fern in the corner.
Its leaves sagged like they’d given up. I filled the watering can and gave it a drink. Then I moved into the kitchen and grabbed Earl’s food.
I bent down to pour some in his bowl—only, it was already full. “Huh.” I stared at it for a second, my heart giving a small, uneven beat. I called gently, “Earl?
Here, kitty.”
A few seconds later, he padded into the room like royalty. Fat, fluffy, and very pleased with himself. He rubbed against my ankle, purred, and blinked up at me like I was late to his party.
I narrowed my eyes. “Okay… someone’s been here.”
What happened next changed everything…
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