The next morning, I awoke to a smell that I hadn't smelled in a long time. Eggs and bacon. There was a warm aroma of it, wafting throughout the entire house. I threw my legs off the side of the bed and yawned once. I'd never known Aickman to cook himself breakfast… he was more of a cold cereal, or a sandwich kind of person. If he did anything fancy at all, he heated himself soup. But a hot breakfast? My stomach growled as I took in another whiff of the food. Don't kid yourself, Jonah. He isn't making it for you. I told myself. I indulged in the smell as I got dressed in trousers and a cotton shirt, with suspenders. I barely wasted time fixing my hair or splashing my face with cold water before jogging down the stairs. Even if I wasn't getting a part of the hot breakfast, the smell made me starving. I was willing to eat about anything, as long as it filled me up.
I was surprised by who I saw standing at the stove. It certainly was not Aickman. For a moment, I thought that I was looking at the swaying form of Eloise Burns, cooking breakfast at the stovetop; but on closer inspection, the two women didn't look very much alike at all. This lady was taller, a bit thinner, with blond hair pulled back into a bun and a headband across the top of her head. She must have been somewhere in her thirties. She wore no makeup, but she looked pretty enough without it. She wore a baby-blue blouse, with a long flowing skirt and a white cotton apron tied around her waist. As she cooked, she hummed an infectious happy song.
I stood there for a few seconds until she noticed me, and when she did, she spun around. The surprised expression only lasted on her face for a fraction of a second, and a splendid smile replaced it.
"You must be Jonah. I'm sorry if I've startled you, I suppose Mr. Aickman must not have told you I was coming." She said. I shook my head back and forth, unsure of what to say. When she realized I wasn't going to say anything, she continued. "I'm Mrs. Doris O'Connell; the new maid for Mr. Aickman's house. And also the cook, clearly." She laughed a motherly sort of laugh as she regarded the sizzling bacon in the pan. "I'm sorry, you must still be a little balled up from sleep. Take a seat, young Jonah. I've just finished breakfast."
I was still in a bit of shock as I sat down at the table and pushed my chair in. I glanced around a few times, trying to find Aickman, but he was nowhere to be seen. And then I remembered that it was Saturday, and nearly every Saturday morning, he went to go about errands in town. He wouldn't be back for a while. It felt odd, having someone else but Aickman in the house at such an hour, but I couldn't deny how good the breakfast smelled. I didn't have to wait long before Doris set a warm plate in front of me, with steaming eggs, and bacon that was still popping.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Doris." I said in almost absolute astonishment. How long had it been since I had a hot breakfast? I couldn't even remember. I picked up my fork and was about to dig in when Mrs. Doris cleared her throat. I looked back over my shoulder at her, and she was in the middle of pouring a glass of milk.
"Did you forget your prayers, young man?" She asked, and suddenly I felt abashed. I hadn't been reminded of that since I was in Eloise's care. I nodded and turned back to my meal, dropping my fork and bowing my head. I said a silent prayer, so quickly that I could barely even make out the thoughts, then my eyes flew open and I took the first bite of eggs. They burned my tongue, but tasted so delicious that I hardly cared. Mrs. Doris set a glass of milk next to my plate, and I hurried to swallow in order to thank her. "Thank you so much." I said, again, and she waved her hand dismissively.
"Enough thanking, dear! Dig in." She smiled, and then wandered off toward the sink to wash up a few dishes that had piled up from Aickman's meals. I finished my whole meal in a matter of minutes, then washed it down with the glass of milk.
Mrs. Doris dropped a few pieces of buttered toast on my plate as soon as I finished my milk, and I thanked her again. I felt her eyes on me as I hurriedly ate the first piece. "We aren't going to run out of toast, you know." She teased lightly, but I could sense no admonishment in her tone. I was about to answer her, and apologize for being so rude, but the kitchen door that led outside swung open at that moment. I quickly wiped the crumbs off of my face with the cloth napkin next to my face and stood up from my seat, expecting with every fabric of my being that it would be Aickman, home early from errands. But again, I was surprised. A young girl, about my age, stood in the doorway. She looked a little bit like Mrs. Doris, but just enough to tell that they were somehow related. She was skinny, but not scrawny, wearing a white blouse and a pair of tan trousers and white sandals. She had light brown, long hair that was tucked behind her ears and held back with a thick black headband. She had undaunted hazel eyes that shone with curiosity. I tried not to stare, so I looked down almost immediately.
"Sorry," She said in a clear, melodic voice. "I must have startled you." I shook my head and sat back down, feeling mortified.
"Nonsense. I just thought you were someone else." I answered. My voice sounded so awful in my ears when compared directly to hers.
"Jonah, I'm sorry once again! I forgot to mention that my daughter came with me today. School is out for spring, you see. My husband is at work all day, so she had to come with me. I do hope that's okay."
I looked up at Mrs. Doris and managed a smile. I hardly felt like I had any authority to tell her it was okay. I just wondered if she had already told Aickman… Would he approve of it? She must not have known how things were around here if she was making sure it was okay by me.
"It's fine by me. You'll have to ask Mr. Aickman, though." I tried to say it as politely as I could. She nodded as if she expected that, and then she turned her head to look at her daughter.
"Virginia, dear. Introduce yourself." Mrs. Doris said and motioned toward me with her hand. I felt my stomach take a dive as her daughter looked at me with those intriguing eyes.
"Sure, Mama." She told her mother, and then gracefully crossed the kitchen. I stood up from my chair again and bowed my head to her. She curtseyed playfully in response, then offered her hand to shake mine.
"My name is Virginia." She told me with a contagious smile. I smiled back.
"I'm Jonah. It's a pleasure to meet you." I shook her hand, and she waited a few seconds before pulling away. Her forehead puckered as if she were deep in thought for less than a second. Then she lifted her eyebrows and opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but seemed to think better of it and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast. Do continue." She said, and then quickly made her way out the back door before I could tell her that it was more than alright.
I sat back down and finished my toast a little less hurriedly, chewing each bite with care now as I thought. Mrs. Doris continued happily at the dishes, humming a song as she did so. After a few minutes, I stood and handed her my dishes. I thanked her again for the breakfast, and she shook her head.
"You needn't thank me so much, dear! Do you know if Mr. Aickman will be back before lunchtime?"
I shook my head. "No, ma'am. He's usually gone until early afternoon on Saturdays." She nodded in agreement and glanced out the window at Virginia, who was climbing one of the oak trees toward the back of the yard.
"She is quite an explorer, huh? Most girls would be powdering their noses or reading a book in the grass." She murmured, but didn't seem like she was saying it in a way like she was dissatisfied with the way her daughter was. I didn't know what else to do, so I just nodded.
"Is she bored? I don't have any work to do until Aickman gets back. I could find something to keep her busy, if you think she'd like that." I offered.
"Work? Horsefeathers!" She scoffed, seeming surprised. She got over it quickly though and replied; "If you aren't doing anything, of course feel free! Don't bother yourself, though, hon."
The idea that spending time with Virginia was a bother seemed more like 'horsefeathers' to me than work did, but I let that slide. "Thank you, ma'am." I told her and went out the back door, wandering through the backyard toward the tree that Virginia was in. By the time I got there, she was way up in it. I squinted in the sunlight as I looked up at her.
"Hello, Virginia." I called, and she jumped a little. She settled down onto a thick branch and looked down on me, beaming.
"Jonah! Did you enjoy your breakfast?" She asked, and I nodded a yes. "Good. My mom's a great cook, huh?" She jumped down onto a lower branch, then grabbed one and swung down with just her arms. With a little bit of difficulty, she swayed until her legs touched a branch that would support her. By then, she was only a few feet above the ground. Her face was almost level with mine. She sat down on a branch again and held onto one above her head with both hands. "Something I can help you with?"
I couldn't help but grin, and again found myself staring into her hazel eyes. I looked away, around at the lawn for a few seconds, but eventually turned back to her. "Not really. I just thought you looked like you wanted to say something inside. But maybe I was wrong…" I said, barely able to muster the courage to say it. Her eyebrows mashed together again, that same expression, and I spoke again. "See? Like that. You don't gotta beat around the bush, you know." I told her, then wandered to a low branch on the tree and grabbed it with both hands, lifting myself up. I put my feet on the tree and walked up it until I could pull myself into a sitting position on a sturdy branch. Virginia still hadn't spoken, so I glanced over at her.
"Promise you won't get mad, Jonah?" She surprised me by asking, but she looked genuinely concerned.
"Mad? Of course not." I answered assuredly, picking at the bark on the tree. A few more seconds of silence passed before she finally spoke up.
"Why do you call your Dad 'Mr. Aickman'? What's wrong with Dad?" She asked. As promised, I didn't get angry. But I did feel just the slightest bit depressed, or maybe a little revolted.
"Oh." I said. "That's easy… He isn't my Dad." I told her and shrugged. She turned her eyes away from me.
"Oh." She repeated, seeming embarrassed. "I'm awful sorry. I didn't know."
I hated to see her sad, so I was quick to assure her. "Don't be ridiculous… You can't be expected to know that." I said, and smiled. I was surprised that it came easily. She looked at me and grinned back. For the first time in a long time, I felt whole again. I felt well. For a little while, I was able to let loose and just smile, with somebody who knew how to smile back. Virginia and I sat quietly in the tree for a few long moments, but it wasn't awkward. It was a comfortable sort of silence, like both of us were getting used to being with each other. I looked to the kitchen window, where I could see Mrs. Doris cleaning up the dusty places where Aickman and I had neglected them. And in that moment, I felt normal.
But I'd seen enough in my life to learn that all good things have to come to an end, one way or another. Virginia and I hadn't spent more than a quarter of an hour together before her mother, Mrs. Doris, opened the back door to the house and beckoned Virginia to join her. Her expression was grim, eyes dark. I hardly recognized her as the bubbly maid who had fixed me a nice warm breakfast. Virginia seemed to pick up on her Mother's mood quickly.
"Wait here, I'll be back." She told me, suddenly bleak as she jumped out of the tree and bounded across the lawn barefoot. Her sandals were left behind, sitting beneath the tree where she'd kicked them off from high up. I waited, as she asked, for well over thirty minutes. By then, the sun was higher in the sky, and I could tell it was nearing noon. I awkwardly came down out of the tree and walked toward the house, hands stuffed in my pockets. I could tell all was quiet in the kitchen as I wandered up the back steps. And when I pushed through the screen door, I could see the kitchen lights were off. The table was cleaned off, dishes done and sat aside to dry. The thin linen curtains billowed inward, moved by the spring breeze that came in from the open windows; the only movement in a house that suddenly seemed frozen in time.
After a few seconds of staring around in bewilderment, I noticed a piece of paper on the table. I walked toward it and read the elegant script written on the top corner.
"Dearest Jonah, I'm so sorry that we've left without even saying goodbye. I just can't have my daughter exposed to such witchcraft… I truly had no idea.
Regardless, I wish you all the best.
—Mrs. Doris O'Connell"
I pictured my heart as an empty attic, filled with dusty old relics that really meant nothing to me or anyone else anymore. Then came this morning, with the warm breakfast, Mrs. O'Connell and Virginia. Virginia was a light bulb in that attic. Small, but bright, and hung right in the middle. Shining a little light on things that once meant something to me before, and illuminating old emotions that I thought I'd put away for good. Reading that note, I felt the light bulb go out. The attic was dark and empty again, meaningless and morose. I was judged, once again, for being someone who I didn't want to be and doing something I did not want to do.