Basement
1154 Words
Cara tore her eyes away from his as quickly as she could, then scooted through the doorway and shut it behind her.
She draped her arm across her eye and rested her head against the door. The air was stale and thick as she sucked in a long breath.
This was going to be weird. Very weird.
She waited a few more moments in peaceful darkness before finally opening her eyes.
In front of her was a tiny room that felt frozen in time. The hand-painted wallpaper was peeling at the corners, and the detailed woodwork around the foggy window was worn along the edges where dozens of hands had rubbed the finish off over decades and decades of gazing out over the sprawling green lawn.
She threw her bag on the four-poster bed and walked over to the mirror. The reflection staring back at her was worn, exhausted. She leaned forward, resting her hands on the dresser to peer closer at the black bags drooping under her eyes. She peeled off her mask defeatedly.
This is definitely the most idiotic thing I’ve ever done, she thought to herself again.
Still, she managed to paint a fresh, brave face with numerous layers of makeup before taking off the silly silken top and pulling on a more comfortable tee shirt.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Here we go,” she said quietly to the woman looking back at her in the mirror. She fixed her hair, replaced her mask, then headed out the door.
The dark hallway was even more ominous when standing in it alone. Cara could feel the heavy presence of centuries worth of footsteps that had passed down this corridor before her. She could sense the generations of love and death that these walls must have seen.
She walked down the staircase slowly. She would never admit it out loud, but she was getting anxious about seeing the mysterious doctor again.
Why couldn’t he have been a saggy, graying professor with suspenders and coke-bottle glasses? That would’ve made this so much simpler. She could have focused on the work that lay ahead, not his broad, muscular shoulders.
When she reached the dining room, Gus was placing giant bowls of chili on the long wooden table, all several feet apart, of course. After all, you can’t wear a mask while eating.
“I have no doubt that my grandson will have you working into the wee hours tonight, so you’d best fill up!” He said with a wink as he placed a spoon next to her bowl.
Cara smiled back, “You’re not going to be good for my figure, are you?” She asked with a smile.
“Nope,” the old man said proudly.
At least this charming man could make her situation somewhat bearable. Despite the tragedy this old man had seen, he carried a calming and happy aura that made Cara relax.
Then she felt the energy of the room shift a little. She immediately knew that Bradley had just strode in behind her, bringing with him a cloud of icy air. He blew past and took a seat without saying a word. Gus exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, pulled out the chair at the opposite end of the table and sat down.
Cara followed suit. They all took off their masks and picked up their spoons silently.
She smiled when she could finally see Gus’ weathered face in full. The laugh lines around his eyes were evidence of a man who has seen much joy in his life. The sad lines around his mouth showed just as much grief.
As they dug into their meal hungrily, Gus looked up at Cara. “So, Brady tells me you’re an... influencer?” He asked before shoving another spoonful into his stubbled face.
“Oh,” Cara answered grimly, “Yeah... for now.”
“You don’t like it, then?” Gus asked.
Cara sighed and shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to have any income right now. But it’s... draining,” She explained. “Every aspect of your life is laid bare for the whole world to see... and judge. There’s no room for imperfection. It's exhausting living like that every day.”
Gus nodded in understanding. “What do you want to do? I mean... what would you do if the world was normal?” He asked.
“I wanted to go back to school,” she answered thoughtfully. “Maybe to be a teacher. But the schools closed a long time ago.”
She noticed Bradley’s eyebrows raise in surprise.
“What?” She asked with salt on her tongue.
“That is in stark contrast with the personality you paint for yourself online,” he scoffed.
“Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the internet,” she snapped back.
Gus snorted, almost spitting out a mouthful of chili. Cara had to hold back a smile.
Bradley was not as amused.
His eyes narrowed before trailing back down to his bowl.
She leaned forward, staring lasers at the strange doctor. She had to show him that she wasn’t so easily wounded or intimidated. “I am a marketing expert,” She explained. “And I’m damned good at it. That’s why you hired me, isn’t it?”
He cleared his throat once again, swallowed a mouthful of food, and stood up suddenly.
“Yes. I hired you for your social media expertise, not to lounge around my dining room,” he said harshly as he put his mask back on and picked up his bowl. “Enough chit chat. We need to get to work.”
He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Cara and Gus made eye contact, shaking their heads in commiseration. “He’s a good boy,” Gus said. “He’s been through a lot, and has a hard time understanding other peoples' emotions. But he has a big heart underneath that stoic surface. Just be patient. Please.”
Cara nodded. “Only for you, Gus,” she said with a smile and a wink.
She picked up her bowl and returned it to the kitchen where Bradley was waiting for her with crossed arms.
“Shall we?” He asked impatiently.
Cara sighed. “Fine,” she answered. “Show me what you’ve got.”
He turned around and walked back into the foyer, heading straight toward a beautifully hand-carved door. When he opened it all she could see was blackness, and a few stairs cascading downward into the darkness.
Oh, cool... she thought, this is where I get murdered.
- Writer
