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| This is a story I have been working on the past week, hope you all enjoy. Critiques and comments are welcome. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The soft fragrance of baking cinnamon wafted over to the small secretary desk; a young woman lay slumped over in what would seem to be an uncomfortable position fighting unpleasant dreams. The sweet scent teased her nose that was buried in the arms of a thick, oversized sweater. As if by magic her troubled dreams seemed to melt away into a peaceful slumber. The cinnamon was accented with the strong, pungent aroma of coffee…black, just the way she liked it. The bitter odor teased her eyelids open with the tenderness of a feather. As she opened her tired eyelids, a groan rumbled from within the depths of her throat, a sign that her body was making it perfectly clear that it was most certainly not time to get up. She whole heartedly agreed and snuggled back into the purple sweater. She breathed in deep, inhaling the accent of summer violets that exuded from the sweater, a scent that only lulled her deeper into slumber. She was just about to fall back to sleep when the sharp ring of the oven timer caused her to jolt awake with a startled yelp. She had always meant to get rid of the obnoxious oven timer; it was always ringing when it wasn’t supposed to. She yawned and wiped the remnants of sleep from her eyes and swung off the low-backed stool, planting her bare feet firmly on the oak paneled floor. She cocked her head to the side for a moment, puzzled at the lingering scent of cinnamon in her apartment. She sniffed the air intently, “and coffee too?” she thought to herself. “It must be the bakery oven downstairs” yet her puzzled look still clung to her face, “But I didn’t put anything in last night”. She glanced at her watch, “It is not even 2 o’clock” she echoed aloud. The thought of intruders crossed her mind briefly, but she quickly dismissed it. The thought of robbers breaking into her shop and baking cookies seemed silly to her. She slipped on a pair of fuzzy slippers and ventured slowly down the curved wrought iron staircase. She stopped at the landing and peered around the spacious kitchen, there was no one there, but someone had to be here in the shop. She strode over to the oven and opened it with the tenderness of a dove, almost as if she was a small child sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar. A wave of hot air rushed at her face causing her to have to squint in order to see the contents of the oven. Arranged in neat little rows on a baking tray were the cutest cinnamon gingerbread men. It was strange; she vaguely remembered seeing those gingerbread treats before…many times before. “Grandma” she said through her teeth, “But what was she doing here? Or the better and more troubling question, why was she here?” Her thought process was interrupted by the pungent fragrance of a perfume that she would never forget or rather couldn’t forget. “Anna!” a voice cried out from behind her causing the woman to jump and slam the oven door shut. The woman turned around slowly and smiled weakly, “Hi Grandma, wha-what are you doing here?” she said, her age old stammer surfacing due to her surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Fair Lakes?” Anna’s grandmother dismissed her with a wave of her hand, “Oh they released me two days ago, gave me a clean bill of health” Anna frowned, she seriously doubted that Dr. Gordon would just let her manic depressive grandmother just walk out of the hospital. Grandma has also been known to go on spirited little jaunts from time to time when she was secretly not taking her medication. Anna’s grandmother frowned, “Don’t look at me like that, your mother always gave me that look when I said that I was better, god rest her soul” Anna could feel the rage boiling inside her upon the mention of her recently deceased mother, “Hopefully she is at rest, despite the way you presented yourself at her funeral” Anna was close to tears now, the wounds were still fresh from the sudden loss of her mother to a car accident. It didn’t help that Grandma showed up to the funeral dressed in a bright multicolored robe with her hair done up in curlers, reeking of alcohol, that and the incident with the coffin. Anna’s grandmother’s face fell and an ashamed look reflected in her eyes, “You still haven’t forgiven me for that have you?” Anna just looked at her incredulously, her grandmother continued in a voice saturated with shame, “You have a right to be upset with me, and I don’t expect forgiveness right away. I made both of your lives so difficult, but when your mother…died, I knew that I wasn’t ok, I knew that I was sick, for the first time I realized that I was the monster, not the meds…I am sorry Anna, I really am. I am better now though, I am taking my meds and doing everything the doctors tell me.” Anna surveyed her grandmother with distrustful eyes, “I don’t believe you” she said in a cold, even tone, “I am going to bed, please see yourself out Geane” Anna turned around and stomped up the stairs making the old wrought iron staircase shudder under the pressure. Geane tried her best to hold back the tears; Dr. Gordon said it wouldn’t be easy. He said that she wouldn’t forgive her right away; but that didn’t make the pain go away. She retrieved from her pocket the spare key that she used to enter the shop and laid it gently on top of the counter. Dr. Gordon had said her daughter entrusted the key to him for when she got better, but now that doesn’t really matter anymore now that her only granddaughter hates her. “I know I have been a fool and neglected those I love, but I am better. I am going to prove it to you Anna. I lost my Gillian to my illness, but I won’t lose you.” With that she quietly let herself out of the quaint, little coffee-shop on the corner of Mott Street and retreated in silence to the Bavardian Hotel down the street. Try as she might, sleep did not come to Anna. The sudden appearance of her grandmother brought forth all the troubles and worries she had been storing away for several months. “If only mom was here” she thought sullenly. Anna opened one eye and glanced at her mother’s old secretary desk, now piled high with bills that were beyond her means to pay. She sighed, the coffee shop was not doing well, “I guess I am just not the people person mom was” she thought, “We were a team, we managed to get through everything, despite Dad, Bobby, and grandma; we were the only ones that were constant, strong…now I’m all that’s left.” After an hour of fretful worries and the absence of the promise of sleep Anna grudgingly rose up from beneath a heavy quilted blanket. As she slipped her pink fuzzy slippers on she gently rubbed the belly of a serene Buddha figurine that sat on the nightstand next to her bed. It was a force of habit for her. The Buddha was given to her as a gag gift on her 16th birthday. Anna hope were dashed for getting a car that birthday; that is until she realized that the Buddha's belly detached and inside were a pair of gleaming silver keys to a rusted, but working junker parked outside. Her mother always did have a great sense of humor. Anna was about to head downstairs when she saw something peculiar out of the small window that overlooked a scenic alleyway dotted with closed windows and perched air conditioning machines. “Huh,” she said, “Wonder why Mr. Pullman is up and about at this hour” Anna skittered over to a closet and pulled a robe roughly off of the rack and wrapped herself tightly in it. “Might as well go spend time with a fellow insomniac,” She muttered as she tromped down the stairs. On her way out the back door she grabbed a bag full of Butterscotch Snips from the counter and a thermos full of coffee, “Should probably bring gifts in case he is in one of his moods again” Of course Anna knew that Mr. Pullman wouldn't mind her visit, the elderly man treated Anna like a granddaughter. When Anna was a little girl he would often watch her while her mom went to work. He was practically family. Within minutes she was at his flat on the 2nd floor of the apartment building next door and gently rapped on the stained door. She was about to knock again when the door flew open and revealed a wild eyed old man with just as wild hair glaring at her through thick spectacles. Anna gave him a sheepish smile and eagerly extended her arms revealing the gifts, “ I brought your favorite, Butterscotch Snips!” Mr. Pullman frowned, “You say everything is my favorite,” he grumbled, pretending to be very upset. Anna laughed and gave him a hug, “Only things I make,” she teased and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I will let you in on one condition...that better be hazelnut coffee you got there and no sissy decaf either.” Anna laughed, “Wouldn't dream of bringing anything else” she said walking in and plopping herself down in a massive red reading chair. Mr. Pullman waggled his finger at her, “Ah, ah, ah you forgot to hand over your offering” he joked. Anna let out a gasp of mock surprise, “Oh I am terribly sorry oh Lord Pullman, forgive me for not tithing you properly” she said tossing the cookies his way. Mr. Pullman deftly caught them in his left hand and began to idly snack on them letting out loud purrs of enjoyment. He sat in a chair opposite from Anna, “So what's up kiddo?” Anna let out a loud sigh and dramatically lifted her hand to her head, “Oh you know, the usual. Abandonment issues, crazy brother, crazy grandmother, who by the way showed up tonight baking cookies while I was sleeping. She just let herself in, can you believe that? I bet she escaped from the hospital again, no way would Dr. Gordon let her out without phoning first. Oh and I can't pay my bills so all my dreams are beginning to swirl around the toilet bowl preparing for their voyage into the depths of despair and hopelessness. Did I miss anything?” Mr. Pullman laughed and tossed the bag of cookies at her, “Here, you need this more than I.” Anna nestled deeper into the plush armchair and casually snacked on the cookies, “So what are you doing up at this hour?” she inquired. Mr Pullman snorted, “Did it ever occur to you that I was sleeping and you woke me up?” Anna laughed and flicked a piece of cookie at him, “Liar! I saw that your lights were on, you were up to something my fellow insomniac.” Mr. Pullman frowned, “It's personal, none of your business really.” he said with a distant look in his eye. Anna leaned forward in her chair, “Come on, we tell each other everything” she said with a wide smile. Mr. Pullman stood up abruptly, “Well I am not telling you about this so deal! It ain't none of your business!” He shouted. Anna's smiled ran away from her face and was replaced with a look of a puppy that had just been kicked. Mr. Pullman's heart sank in his chest, she didn't deserve that. He sat back down in the chair and folded his gnarled hands, “I am sorry Anna, I didn't mean to shout. I just,” he looked away into the distance, “I just don't want to talk about it.” In truth though Ben Pullman did want to talk about it, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell her. “It would break her heart,” he thought, “She has already lost so much, it wouldn't be right for me to worry her with this” Ben had never married or had children; but he loved Anna like she was his own flesh and blood, “You and your mother were the best things to happen to an old man” he thought wistfully. They chatted until Anna nestled her head onto the throw pillow for the last time and fell asleep just like she used to do when she was a small child. |
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