Four : Surprise, Surprise

 

The mess that welcomed me was more that what I had expected.  Dirty dishes lined the sink, leftover food and crumbs covered the counter, and there were spills of different kinds of drinks on the floor.

“What have you been doing last night?”  I didn’t need to turn to know that she was already behind me.

She sighed.  “I don’t have time to clean okay?”

I started for the sink.  It was the easiest to clean.  And if I wanted to fix her begotten kitchen, I had to start somewhere.

“What are you doing?” she instantly demanded.

“Uh… cleaning?  You humans call it cleaning right?  I couldn’t have gotten that wrong.”

“Why are you cleaning?”

“I told you, I’m staying here for a while.  Might as well make myself useful.”  I grinned at her.

She sighed again.  It surprised me that she didn’t even try to throw me out of the house.  Instead, she moved towards the leftovers and started putting them in a plastic.

Curious, I stopped what I was doing and stared at her.  “You’re not going to kick me out?”

Her eyes met mine for a second and then she resumed her cleaning.  “Would you go if I try?  ‘Cause I could do that.”  I wasn’t sure if it was sarcasm in her voice.

“Hm.”  I turned back to the dirty dishes and started scrubbing the first one.  “I guess not.”

“I figured as much.”

I laughed whole-heartedly.  I didn’t know she would be this amusing.

“What’s so funny?”

“You.”

I could feel her eyes glaring at my back.

“You sound like you’ve lost a million dollars to some swindler.  Or misplaced it.”  Was that even funny?  Hm.  Now I didn’t even know why I laughed in the first place.

She resumed cleaning.  “First off, I don’t even have a million dollars to my name so I could lose it.  Or misplace it.  And second…” she hesitated.  “…I’ve lost something more valuable than money.”

How could I forget such a crucial thing?  So stupid!

“Oh… Sorry…”  I turned the faucet on and started rinsing the plates.  At least it was something to occupy myself with.

“I told you I’m not holding it against you.”

“Actually, I’m apologizing for mentioning it.  I didn’t want to remind you of what happened.  We’re talking to get your mind off it, remember?”

I heard her stifle a breathy chuckle.  “You know, you’re really more human than I thought.”

“Uh… Thanks?”  Was that supposed to be a good thing?

 

After a few hours of extensive household cleaning, I finally got to lounge on her soft couch.

I didn’t even know I was cable of getting tired until now.  Although, I might be because I was human at the moment…  I really didn’t wanna think about it.

“I’m beat!”  I slumped into the backrest and stretched my arms across it.

“I told you I could mop the floor – I do it all the time.”

“No, no.”  I shook my head and smiled.  I raised one arm and held the invisible muscles in my biceps.  “I’m a macho man.”

It was the first time I heard her laugh.  I kinda liked it…

“Sure thing Mr. Death guy, sir.”  She waved a hand at me and turned towards the kitchen.

I stood up and went after her.  “Where are going?”  Of course, I knew where she was headed for.  I just wanted to keep the conversation flowing ‘cause I didn’t like silence.

When we were working, she kept quiet most of the time and I knew she was thinking about her brother again.  Somehow, I wanted to help ease up her pain…

“To get you something to drink.”

“Ooh, is that suppose to be my prize for being such a good, little, house elf?”

She chuckled at the poor, Harry Potter reference.  “You’re not little.  And I think I prefer an actual house elf than, well, Death.”  She shuddered.  “You don’t know how creepy this is.”

“Ouch!  I’m sensitive, you know.”  I pretended to be hurt by her words.

“That’s ironic.”

She opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher filled with juice.  She poured some into a glass and slid it over the counter towards me.

“Thanks.”  I grinned.

She sat across me on one of the chairs in the marble counter with a curious expression.  “So tell me –“

The loud ringing of the telephone echoed from the living room.  Her shoulders drooped in exasperation.  She stood up again.  “I’ll try to hold on to that thought.  I have so many questions for you.”

I nodded and followed her with my eyes as she half ran to get the phone.

I should’ve remembered to warn her about the still-wet floor because the next thing I knew, she was already falling.

“Heather!”  Instinctively, I threw my hands to freeze her.  (Yes, freeze her.  It was just another one of the things that we Deaths could do.  It came in handy most of the time.)  But she didn’t stop for even a split second and then hit the floor with a loud thud. 

It must’ve really hurt because she groaned and didn’t stand up.  And then, as if by perfect coincidence, the phone stopped ringing.

I was frozen in my spot, my hands still raised.

What was going on?  Did I suddenly lose my powers?