Man In The House

Farleigh visits the big house again.

Farleigh fried bananas for breakfast, and brewed coffee for his lady guest. He wore one of Frederick's brocade robes along with a pair of felt bedroom slippers. Brenda descended the steps fully dressed, with tidy hair and lipstick already applied. Soft music played on the radio, and there were birds feasting at the bird feeder just outside by the kitchen sink window.

Farleigh said that he was eager to see the big house again. His mother loved the Hyattsville area, and often ran errands for Dr. Sullivan on her breaks. The good doctor traveled a great deal for his practice, and entrusted Laura Hooper with many tasks. Farleigh said that he still went to Dr. Sullivan when he was having flashbacks, or self destructive thoughts. His sense of time was somewhat distorted when anniversaries came up. Any efforts on the part of his colleagues to match him up with women went unnoticed, and unappreciated.

Within half an hour, Brenda was sitting in the passenger seat of the strange blue car, and Farleigh insisted upon going over the Railroad tracks, turning left, then south on US 1. Brenda smiled when she passed her mother's old shop. When they got to Riverdale Park, Brenda asked him to go by her storefront and look at the window displays. 

Karen Shaw waved at them as reported to work at the coffee shop next door. She did a double take at Farleigh and thought to herself " Brenda always finds the good looking men." The windows were perfect in Farleigh's estimation. One side featured Halloween decorations, and the other honored women who had lost the family breadwinner.

The Blundon house needed a few more sheet ghosts, and Farleigh offered to help hang some of them using a stepladder. Part of him wanted to stay for the celebration, but he felt that Edwina might be jealous, which was, in reality, a delusion. Edwina's true love would always be Frederick. The attraction to Brenda was a strong one for Farleigh, but he was "true blue" when it came to marriage. 

Maybe in time he could be with another woman. He hadn't told Brenda everything about his feelings for Edwina just after she died. He confided in his doctor, but longed to have "some kind of female companionship" before he went "completely" crazy.

There were moments that his mind frightened him, but they would fade away for months, only to return again with any uncertainty about his future. He couldn't give up the house. It wouldn't be right. Edwina might be back one day. She had felt that Frederick would come back, so he adopted her optimism. His fragile heart and mind were always having conversations with one another.

He said he had to get back home by 1 PM. Brenda didn't ask why, she simply helped him fill the small paper Trick Or Treat bags on the dining room table, and shared a little bit of wine with him. He asked about the seances, and what happened during one. Her explanation was a bit vague since she wasn't a trance medium herself. 

He asked about Ouija boards, and said that Edwina and Frederick had one when they first got married. Edwina's mother was so outraged that they promised to throw it out, and attend church more regularly, but they didn't keep their word. Both were full of harmless mischief. Frederick called her his "Little Bohemian."

When Farleigh left, Brenda hugged him goodbye, and felt a strong jolt in her privates. She promised that the attic would be "more interesting" the next time he came to see her. He seemed very happy with her hugging him. He held her hand for a moment, and smiled nervously. Now he knew that she liked him unconditionally. First, the promise of being allowed into the spirit circle, and second, she HUGGED him. It was a clinch !

C. J. Marks