Several hours after Tasha arrived at Sandville, she was in her mother’s kitchen cleaning up. The aroma of spices still lingering in the air.
She, her parents and Tyson just finished dinner. The clatter of forks against plates echoed through the kitchen, a symphony of post-dinner cleanup as she continued to stack the used plates into the dishwasher.
The last of the plates was her late grandmother’s chipped plate. She held it in her hands for a long time with a nostalgic smile as fond memories about Ma Gloria Harrison rushed back at her. She put the plate in the dishwasher and closed the door of the machine with a soft click. Tasha paused, her gaze lingering on a carrot stick lying on the oak worktop in the middle of the kitchen. She hummed the lyrics of a popular song to herself as she removed the carrot stick and dropped it in the garbage bag under the sink. Then she wiped down the countertops and worktop with vinegar.
“Yeah…yeah, yeah,” she mumbled to herself. “That is okay for the night.” She put off the kitchen lights and let herself out. Her mom was not in the living room anymore when she got there. The older woman had already retired into this bedroom over thirty minutes ago. It was only her father that was sitting in front of the TV, still sipping his coffee; a ritual he performed every night. Tasha always wondered why the old man never had problems falling asleep even after his very black coffee.
“Goodnight Dad,” she called out softly.
“Night…princess,” Mr. Harrison replied, not looking away from the basketball game that was showing on TV.
She smiled at her dad’s predictable reason and walked into the hallway.
She checked on Tyson in her brother’s childhood room before she proceeded to her own room.
“What a day,” she said and began to strip. Though she had slept for long hours after she got home around two pm. Now, she was feeling sleepy again. She smiled to herself when she remembered the reason she didn’t sleep well through the night before. She and Parker couldn’t get enough of each other. They had sex until the wee hours of the morning. It was still so surreal that she had gotten herself a lover on the short trip to Los Angeles.
She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. She was just climbing into bed when her phone rang. Her heart thudded in her chest as she checked the screen and saw that it was him calling. He had called about one hour ago, telling her he was on his way home from campus.
“Hey, babe,” he said when she answered. “I just got home now, I thought you would want to know.”
“Hey you too,” she gave him a small laugh. “You just got home, why are you living that far from the campus?”
“Well, it’s because I’m living in my own house,” he told her. “I don’t want to live elsewhere.”
“That’s okay,” she snuggled more into the sheets. “It’s understandable.”
“Actually, they are working on the road,” he explained. “So the traffic is a bit slow. Apex Grove is not that far from the campus, tops thirty-five minutes on a good day.”
“Apex Grove?” She repeated the name. “It’s a very old area if I can remember. So you bought a house there?”
“Well, it’s an old area truly, but it’s conducive enough for me,” he said to her. “I didn’t buy it, I actually inherited it from my paternal uncle.”
“Oh. I see.”
“I’m trying to renovate it though,” he said. “Most of the houses on my street are getting renovated by the new owners.”
“It’s better,” she corroborated.
“Yes,” he agreed.
“So how do you know Apex Grove, it’s obvious you’ve been there.”
“Yes, I was there about five or six years ago.” She explained, one of my colleagues in Berkeley got married there at the time. She’s actually from the town.”
“Really? What’s her family name?”
“The Edwards,” she replied. “I think her father owned one of the hardware stores in town then.”
“Oh yes,” he laughed. “I know them, they are a popular family. It’s one of his sons that is managing the store now.”
“Are you also a native of Apex Grove?” Tasha asked.
“Not really, it’s my mom’s hometown,” he replied.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful.”
He explained to her that his father was posted to the town as a young teacher and that was how he met his mother.
“Beautiful story,” Tasha took a deep breath. “I love hearing happy ever after stories.”
“Don’t worry,” he cleared his throat. “Our love story will be like that too.”
“Uh…uh,” she laughed loudly. “Parker, are you proposing?”
“Oh yeah, Prof,” he laughed too. “I will soon do it properly on my bent knees.”
“Okay,” she laughed more.
They both kept quiet for a few moments, before he said, “enough of me and my old house.” He chuckled, “When are you going to leave Sandville?”
“Wednesday.”
“Hmmm,” he drawled. “Can I visit you on Friday? I will lodge in a hotel near your house for the weekend.”
“Why not?”
She was actually happy he was thinking of visiting soon.
“I hope it will be okay?” He asked perceptively. “I mean…with your son. I hope it won’t look awkward to him?”
“Nope,” she assured him. “I will find a way of telling him before the weekend.”
“Great,” he said happily.
They continued chit-chatting for the next forty minutes or thereabout before they finally ended the call. With Parker promising to call her the next morning.
Parker dropped the phone on the side table after the call. Tired, but he was energized now that he had spoken to his lover. He walked through the lobby into his cozy bedroom and switched on his diffuser. Parker sat on the edge of the bed kicking off his shoes and sighing in relief. The familiar soothing mixture of cedarwood and frankincense essential oils enveloped him, instantly putting him at ease.
His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he needed to eat. He undressed and changed into more comfortable clothes and made his way to the kitchen.