Chapter Two
Ashley and I looked at each other. I had a smirk on my face. She did a much better job of hiding her amusement, but I knew she was just being respectful. Gale didn't have much to say after her announcement. I'm not certain but I think she sensed that neither of us were buying into her claim. We thanked her for the reading and made our way back out to Jackson Square.
We browsed a few more shops. Poking fun at her newly revealed talents, Ashley would act like she was talking to an invisible person. Then she would hold her hands up like a zombie and walk around. Why a zombie - I don't know. It was getting pretty late and we still had a 45 minute drive home. On the drive, she asked if I really was struggling over my relationship.
"Sort of. I guess so." I've never really shared much about my private life with her so I felt sort of uncomfortable talking about it. "I just feel like it's hard to find a connection with someone and when you find it, maybe you should sacrifice a little to keep it."
"Yeah but Gale was right. You may not be an attorney right now if you had taken time off school. You know how many people take a break and never go back. Heck, look at me, I actually graduated and I'm still 'slacking'." She held her hand up to symbol quotations. "Besides, I didn't think she was right for you either."
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"I don't know, yall just didn't seem to fit." She shrugged her shoulders and turned to look out at the river. I was taking her along the scenic route of River Road.
"What about you? You really think Mom and Dad don't understand where you're coming from with your career choices? Its their job to push you ya know."
"I know." Staring out the window, "It's not just the career. I really just wanted to get away. When I look at them I don't see happiness. They are in a routine. They don't seem in love anymore, and it's painful for me to watch."
"Have you talked to them about it."
"No, they seem to accept it, so I will too. Doesn't mean I have to follow their footsteps and get a job, get married, have babies and sit around acting like I'm happy."
"So Gale was right. You really do have relationship issues." I laughed, but realized it wasn't the right time for jokes. She just smiled at me and looked back out the window. "Mom and Dad love each other, they have just been together so long they don't show it the same way they used to."
"Yeah, but isn't that sad?" She looked at me inquisitively.
"Yeah I guess so, but I'm not sure if the kind of relationship you're talking about really exist. How many couples do you know that still act like they're still in love after being together many years?" She didn't have a response. "The fact that Mom and Dad are still together after 28 years is impressive enough for me."
"Yeah, I guess so." She paused for a few minutes. "So tell me about this house you bought, how old is it again?" Cleverly changing the subject.
"According to the realtor, it was built in 1898. I really like it. I'm still unpacking actually and I haven't even made my way through the whole house."
"Wow how big is it?"
"Its not that big, I've just been busy and haven't had a chance to get through it. But its two and a half stories. The attic has tons of stuff in it. Its full of dust. One day I need to get up there and see what it is." I continued describing the house and regretted not knowing much about its history.
"See, you work too much, you need to listen to Gale and get yourself a life." She said sarcastically and punched me on the arm.
We drove up about an hour before dark. After we unloaded her bags in the living room I took her on a tour. She liked her room and seemed excited to get settled in. It was weird having her just down the hall from me again. I couldn't help but remark about how long it'd been since we had rooms next to each other. The only difference is the house we grew up in was only a single story. All the bedrooms of this house were upstairs.
At the end of the hallway a narrow door leads to the attic. Its actually a half-story and I can tell it was used as a bedroom at one time. There's even a restroom although it has long been decommissioned. Ashley wanted to see what was up there. She was a sucker for history and really wanted to dig around for artifacts.
"Lets go see." She was excited but was hesitant to start up the stairs.
She trailed closely behind me. I had only been in the attic the one time during my viewing, but not since I moved in. There was really nothing to see. Mounds of boxes scattered throughout the space. Dust so thick everything was the same monotonous color. And it kicked up off the floor with each step. Ashley didn't hesitate, she started with the furniture, reminiscing about how old it was and wondering aloud how many people had used it. She made her way around the room plundering through chest of drawers and chifforobes, only pausing momentarily to reflect on her findings. By the time I had looked through one box she had made her way half-way around the room.
"Oh cool." She said sitting on a covered chair and looking through some kind of book.
"What'd you find?" I asked.
"Some kind of hand written book, or maybe a diary. This is really cool." She stood up and pulled the dust cover off the bright red antique chair and made herself comfortable to resume reading.
I had found some hand written ledgers for a business. Call me a geek but I was actually trying to follow the numbers. I could tell they were old and I was curious to know what kind of business they pertained to and who owned it. I had almost forgotten Ashley was in the room with me until I heard her stirring around. She wasn't in my line of vision because I was tucked away behind a pile of boxes. Then I heard her start humming some kind of song I had never heard before. I didn't pay it much mind. She drifted in and out of my line of vision and had a totally different swagger about her. She was no longer excavating for hidden treasures, but was now easing her way around the room uncovering the furniture. She hummed the entire time.
I went back to scanning my ledgers, tracing numbers back and forth to see if I could figure out what type of business I was looking at. Ashley looked as if she was unpacking clothes and rearranging the space. I put down my papers and was about to walk over and see if she needed a hand. She was inspecting the clothes in an armoire then all of the sudden, she grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. I froze in place. She continued to hum her song.
'Had she forgotten I was in the room?' I wasn't sure what to do, I didn't want to embarrass her, but I also didn't want her to catch me looking. Maybe she thought I had gone back downstairs. I eased back to my burrow making sure not to make a sound. As I was creeping back, she looked like she was unbuttoning her pants. She bent over slightly and slid her jeans down over her bottom and continued down just above her knees. She leaned forward and grabbed the pants legs and pulled them completely off.
I was in complete shock and hated the predicament. I really can't walk out now. She would die. Here she is standing just a few yards away from me in her panties and bra. I couldn't embarrass her. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt. I stood frozen in place and made my best attempt to look away from her direction. When I glanced back I noticed her unclasping her bra.
'You've gotta be kidding me!', I said to myself. I was starting to feel like such a pervert. Sitting in a dark corner observing the unsuspecting victim. She slid the straps off her shoulder and tossed the bra on a stack of boxes next to the armoire. She continued her song and starting walking around the bedroom area bare chested. I turned my eyes away from her the moment she started to move. I stared at the floor feeling very guilty for being in this situation. I could hear her moving stuff around. Dragging furniture and unstacking boxes. I was too afraid to look because I didn't know if she was still half naked. I prayed she wouldn't walk my way. If she saw me she would kill me. And probably grab her bags and fly back home to Sacramento.
I heard her close to me again so I peeked around to see what she was up to. She was hanging clothes from a very old and dusty suitcase; placing them two or three at a time in the armoire. Then she bent over with her bottom pointing directly towards me. Her panties were straining against the mounds of her butt. I jerked my head back behind the boxes and cursed myself again. After several minutes the room grew silent. I looked out but didn't see her anywhere. I know she didn't go down stairs because I would have seen her pass. I waiting for a while then crept out from behind the boxes.
She had uncovered almost all of the furniture and even rearranged most of it. All of the boxes that were stacked on the furniture had been placed in one pile against the wall. I still didn't see her so I eased further into the open area. That's when I spotted her lying on the bed she had uncovered. She was wearing one of the dresses from the armoire and was sound asleep.
"Ash." I said softly not wanting to frighten her. I figured she wouldn't know I didn't come from down stairs. She would think I came up while she was sleeping. She didn't stir so I spoke up and called her again. She opened her eyes and looked around briefly before turning over to look up at me. Then she looked down at her outfit.