Chap 4 The Glass House

by Shin

 

 

 

 

Sara parked her car on the street and put in enough coins for two hours. The yoga center was just around the block. As she turned around from the parking meter, she realized that ' The Gap ' department store across the road was having its grand annual sale.

The considerations regarding a new dress suddenly loomed large in her mind. She figured that it would be in some way a relevance to her needs at this time. She had ten minutes before her class but before she properly arrived at a decision, her feet were striding across the road to the store.

As she walked through the doors, she felt the gates to her ' disco ' open. She felt very crowded in a room full of people who were all her. There was one who wanted something casual for a picnic. Then as she turned, she saw another one of her going to a barbecue.

“Not so fast,” she muttered under her breath, referring to a glass house experience of possibilities she had always enjoyed as a child. She didn't quite think it was a female thing, but figured that women engaged the glass house possibilities in their daily activities, while the men deferred it to what they always referred to as thinking.

Then suddenly she saw herself meeting his mother. ' No, too much,' she said as she dismissed it.

So why had she come into the store, she wondered. She paused at the lingerie section but realized she was not going to leave. She had denied herself the glass house in order to get herself more ordered at work, but it was starting to wear her out. Besides, she thought, it was simply defensiveness.

Matthias....well, any new acquaintances she had formed recently would have to accept her for what she is or she'll show them the road. She paused again. She thought again about how she seemed to be blurting out things when she feels cornered. She'll have to …..

Someone tapped her on her shoulder.

“ I have the same problem when I step in here, “ said Randolph. “ Simply can't decide.”

“ Lingerie?” she teased.

Randolph was her godfather's son. A nice sort of person who always spoke to her like she came first, not himself. And that always caused in her a volition to agree with him on the issues he raised. A mutually programmed society of self fulfilling prophecies.

“ Are you busy? Can you spare a few minutes?” he asked earnestly.

“ I have a class to get to,” she responded. “ Can it wait?”

“ Yeah, okay” he agreed quickly. “ It's about father....” he trailed off.

“What about Mike?” she blurted out.

He made a gesture with his hands about someone going over the edge.

“The doctor says he needs to rest.”

“ Is he all right? Is it anything serious?”

They went over to the food court, got a coke each and found an empty table.

“ He's into UFOs,” Randolph announced. “ He says he gets nightly visits from Aliens who are concerned about earth conditions and want to help.”

Her concern opened up her glass house just slightly and she pictured an alien individual walking away from Mike as he sat in a chair with a blanket around his legs.

Randolph was going on about something but her attention seemed to be focused on how she can bring herself to communicate what she just saw as part of Mike's condition.

She reached for her cell and dialed his number. She had to take on more herself, she figured, get him to stop worrying about her.

“ Is that father?” Randolph asked.

“ Yeah,” she responded.

“ Mike,” she called into her phone, “ How're you doing?” She paused briefly. “ Okay, I'm glad to hear that....yeah all right.....I'd like to come see you.....this weekend?.....okay I'll call you.....good....take care....bye.”

Randolph seemed reassured. They finished their coke and they made their way back to the store.

“ Aren't you going back to your class?” he inquired.

“ No....not today,” she replied. She had an idea what she needed to find in a dress.

“ I have to ask you to do something for me,” Randolph suddenly began, “ it's Klan stuff.”

“ What?” she asked curtly.

“ It's the yoga class....could.....you....ask him not to distribute flyers in town?”

She paused and looked at him.

“ I know I shouldn't have to ask you this....don't get mad with me....but …. could you please...?”

She peeped into her glass house. Everything was the way it should be. There were no special indications.

“ Okay, I will,” she responded.

“ Thank you, I knew I could count on you,” he said and took off.

As she walked to the ladies section, she viewed her glass house again. It pictured the street in front of the yoga class. There wasn't anybody in sight. No cars on the road.

' What are you saying?' she whispered.

' It's a matter for the higher ups,' the intimation said, ' it is as it should be.'

She picked a horizontal striped tee shirt and beige slacks. ' Nantucket Bay,' she muttered under her breath.

As she tried them on for size she wondered about asking Matthias to accompany her to visit Mike. She so wanted for Mike to think she was getting on with her life.

' No …..' she clamped down on the glass house as it began to picture she and Matthias visiting Mike.

' No glass house with Matt,' she declared.

Reviews

[Marie]

Okay, now you're getting a bit obscure. I think I understand "the glass house". But the story is slowly escaping my reach.