Coincidental Happenings

-unedited

It was a Tuesday afternoon in Seattle when I had taken the For Sale sign off the wet, green lawn. Droplets of water from the sprinkler had splattered atop like paint. Before I headed inside the newly built white Neoclassical mansion, I heard a soft yet crisp sound. Tap. Tap. Tap. I stopped dead in my tracks like a deer in headlights, but I never looked back. My eyes were fixated on the brown 'Welcome' mat that rested on the teal-painted doorstep. As the old saying went, "it must have been the wind."

Speaking of the devil, a gust of wind had blown by and slapped me in the face. With confidence, I turned around to see not a single soul other than the two other identical white Neoclassicals in the cul-de-sac. The once azure summer sky slowly faded into gray when, suddenly, a chill went through my entire body. I shivered, producing heat between my hands as I rubbed them together. Despite wearing a blazer and dark-wash jeans, the temperature greeted me from my head to my feet.

Genuinely, I had no recollection of today being cloudy. The last time I checked the weather app, it was supposed to be eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit. Right now, I felt as if I was standing in the middle of the North Pole. Followed by the wind was thunder. I was perturbed and determined to get inside when a thought crawled in my mind. That was strange. I'd better get inside before I get baptized with God's tears.

After receiving a bad omen from Mother Nature, I was safe inside from the rain that had begun to pour down like waterfalls. It was music to my ears. The sound resembled rice being poured into a pan. Thank God my last client left in time before the showers.

I watched from the kitchen window while I was on the phone with my fiancé, Nam, coming to an agreement on whether we should get take out or cook something small on the first night of our new house.

"Okay, fine. Butter chicken and rice it is, but only because I love you." Nam surrendered.

"Aw. Look at you being a gentleman."

"When am I not?"

"Oh, you call forcing your fiancé to kill a bug being a gentleman," I asked, chuckling.

"Hey. You know I have a severe allergy to yellow jackets," he stressed.

"How can I forget? That's how we met." I averted my eyes down to my diamond engagement ring that I had the pleasure of wearing for two years. "Did you forget? You were acting like a big baby because your face swelled up like a balloon." I joked, holding my cell phone up to my ear as I turned the faucet on to check if the water was working correctly. Once I was satisfied, I turned the water off and dried the sink to prevent the attraction of insects.

"Don't remind me. That was the worst day of my life, but also the best because I met the woman of my dreams."

"I wish you could see my face right now," I grinned ear to ear.

"Well, your wish will be granted in twenty minutes once I stop and get some gas on the way there."

Tap. Tap. Tap. There it goes again. I snapped my neck back in alert, and you guessed it, nothing again. I was the only one there, encircled by indigo cabinets and drawers in a dimly lit transitional kitchen that was about the size of a high school classroom. I was beginning to believe that I was going delusional. For the love of God, I could not figure out where the noise was coming from. Was it all in my head?

"Jane, hello? Did you hear me?" Nam's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I furrowed my eyebrows inward, touching my forehead in puzzlement, "Huh."

"I said, 'it's a good thing we paid off the seller and made them increase the price of the house. I didn't think that they would be fully on board with the idea.'"

I dropped my hand from my forehead and leaned against the sink from behind. "Well, no one would refuse half a million dollars. Besides, it's not every day that your real estate agent purchases your home." I heard him snicker at my response. "The whole thing seems iffy to me. I never did something like this before. I feel like I committed a crime."

"Listen, you have nothing to worry about. We were both safe about this from the start. No one will find out because I won't let anyone stop us from getting this house. We've both wanted a life together in our own place for two years now. This is our home."

"No, you're right. We should be happy and grateful that everything worked out for us."

"Thank you, finally some sense! Now that that's out of the way, did the package come today?" He shouted joyously.

"Yeah, it's on the counter. This morning, it came to the loft, which reminds me, I need to change the address." I glanced at the medium-sized brown box on top of the island counter.

"Well, are you going to open it now?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I wouldn't be asking you to open it now if I didn't want you to."

"Give me a second," I said, walking to the center of the kitchen where the island was. I drew out a small, sharp knife from one of the kitchen drawers, slicing the top of the box open. It was a tall blue vase wrapped in bubble wrap with a receipt at the bottom. "A vase?"

"It's not just any vase. It's an antique that cost five grand."

"Jesus, Nam. Why would you buy such a thing?" I scolded, transferring the wrapped vase on the countertop.

"Because I wanted to add something of our own to brighten up the place. Something that symbolizes tranquility and will bring peace into our new home."

"That’s very thoughtful of you, but next time, I’d like for you to include me on things that involve money,” I replied, lying the porcelain on its back as I removed the tape.

“Of course, honey. Anything for you.”

“So, I guess I’ll see you when you get here. Please drive safely.”

When we finished saying our goodbyes, I hung up the phone. As soon as I started unwrapping the bubble wrap, the tapping started again. I panicked and nearly dropped the vase on the black and white tiled floor before I caught it in my hands. I panted in distress, wiping the sweat off of my forehead. Even though I disapproved of Nam buying it, there was no way I was going to let the piece of porcelain out of my sight. If anything were to happen to it, I’d be upset, and it’s not even my money.

I ignored the sound, cleaned up after myself, and searched for the perfect location in the living room to place it. I thought the windowsill would suit, but I did not want to get into the habit of being a nervous wreck whenever I opened the window. Not a moment too soon, after I walked down the long hallway, I reached the living room, but something caught me off guard.

A woman dressed in a tan trenchcoat with her legs crossed was positioned on the dark-brown Chesterfield chair. On top of her head was a wide brim black floppy hat, and resting over her eyes were tinted cat-eyed sunglasses even though she was inside and there was no sight of sunlight outside. Her short jet-black hair barely peeked through the sides of the hat. Her arms were sprawled over the armrest, hands snuggled away in tan leather gloves. On the side of her left hand was what appeared to be a guide dog, specifically, a German shepherd, hence the harness fastened on it.

A smirk had formed into the outer corners of her red-lipstick-stained mouth. It was as though she could see me. Everything about this woman’s presence and appearance was unsettling and ripped out of a Gothic novel. And that was not even the worst part. The tapping sound that I had been hearing was from nothing other than her walking stick. God, don’t I feel like an idiot.

She let out a great sigh as if she had just climbed Mount Everest and needed to catch her breath. “My goodness. It feels great in here, don’t you think?” she smiled.

I returned no friendly gesture, not because she was visually impaired and would not have been able to see my facial expressions, but rather she gave me the creeps. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” I clutched the vase tightly against my chest in response to her unexpected arrival.

The woman grappled the arms with the stick in her hand and stood up from the chair. She whispered something to her dog, and the dog sat on its knees, feet tucked underneath. Then, she folded the cane into its original miniature form. I stood there, perplexed at her refusal to use the one thing that helped her with navigation. Maybe, she was not blind after all.

“You know, I was on my way to meet an old friend of mine. Unfortunately, they canceled on me for ‘personal reasons.’ I thought to myself, ‘This is just great. My plans for today are ruined.’ But then, an angel from above had notified me that Xenia was up for sale. Is that correct?” She referred to the first cul-de-sac house, ambling to the green-tiled fireplace. Determined to assist the woman, I hastily sat the vase on the coffee table in front of the brown sofa. It was covered in flyers about the home and refreshments I had left out earlier for my clients. I followed her to aid her before she fell over anything, but I guess she must have heard my footsteps because she turned her neck around as a pigeon does when it hears a noise.

“Y-Yes. That is correct, miss.” I hated to admit it, even if it was the truth. “However, open house hours ended an hour ago. I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave and come back another day.” I lied, knowing there would never be another day because I was never letting go of this house, even if my life depended on it.

She ignored me and swiveled around, brushing her fingertips along with the tiles as a paintbrush does with paint. “Green is not my favorite color, but I can learn to live with it.” From the fireplace, she traveled back towards the coffee table near the vase. I took notice of her steps as she leaned to the left of the table, slowly feeling the edges. I observed her from the opposite side of the table as a teacher does to a student who is up to no good.

“Excuse me—”

“Does this house have central air?” I felt that she was avoiding me since she kept talking more about the features and amenities of Xenia. She was probably behaving this way because she wanted me to give in and give her a tour. But, I was not going to let her walk all over me just because she lost one of her senses.

“Look, I do not want to play the bad guy, but I—"

She gasped, and followed by that came a rattle. I moved my head downwards to catch a glimpse of what made the woman frightened, and to my surprise, it was the tall blue vase slipping through her hands. I ran to its rescue and swooped it up in my arms, practically stumbling to keep my balance. This reflex of mine made her double over, cackling like a chicken. Rage built up in my body as I embraced the object. She did not stop, not once. She kept laughing as her life depended on it. Her laughs were the equivalent of a cuckoo clock that won’t shut up. At the moment, I was a whistling tea kettle that had reached its boiling point. I was dying to speak, and when I opened my mouth, she stopped.

It was quiet again—silent in such a way that I could only hear the rain. “So, do it then.”

“Do what?” I inquired, bewildered.

“Play the bad guy,” she stated.

I squinted my eyes in disbelief at the type of person the universe had allowed to walk into my life. “W-What?”

“You heard me,” she said, strutting confidently to the Chesterfield as if she knew where she was going. Perhaps, she memorized her steps to and from the fireplace. Or maybe that was not the case because the next thing she did was appalling to my sight. All of a sudden, out of the blue, she took off her hat and her glasses too. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Come on; you know how to play this game. This is so easy for you; this is like stealing candy from a baby.” She glared at me, exposing a healed burn scar on her right eye; meanwhile, her left was perfectly normal. The scar stood out among her entire face as it was darker than her complexion. Her eyes looked cold and demanded vengeance.

“Can you see me?” I whispered.

“I don’t know. Have you ever seen ghosts before?”

Goosebumps spread across both my arms and my heart pounded in my chest. Silence, then hilarity again. She went out into the hallway and motioned me to follow her, which I did after putting the vase on the windowsill.

“Look, I know this is all confusing for you to comprehend, but don’t worry when Nam gets home, I’ll be on the up and up and come clean to you both.”

I was speechless, terrified. How did she know my fiancé’s name? My mind was a children’s playground filled with utter chaos, which was the opposite of what I should have been feeling in my new home. At this point, I wondered if the vase’s purpose was to bring in negative energy.

“But, right now, I think we should catch up like old times,” the woman violently tugs my arm as she speaks in a calm tone. “How does that sound?”

I winced in pain as she forced me to sit down on the stairs adjacent to her.

“So, Jane. How’s work?” she pulled her legs up on the stairs and rested her left arm over the other on her lap. Her right palm was placed on her cheek. “Are you still committing adultery at the agency, or did you hit a turning point in your life?”

I pulled away from her and scooted to the other side, where the railing was. “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

“You don’t remember me?”

I shook my head, and she laughed at me, shaking her head. I honestly did not know who this woman was or why she was here? “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know who you are. Please don’t hurt me; I can give you money.” I was regretting every word I had said because she broke into hysterical laughter.

“You think I want money,” she scoffed, raising an eyebrow in disdain. “I don’t need money; I am money. I’m worth more than that precious vase you’ve been fighting tooth and nail not to break.”

“Then, what do you want?” I cried.

The front door swung open, and the woman and I both looked. Eyes centered on Nam. He was dressed in his daily suit and tie combo with his black hair gelled and pulled back into a ponytail. He was white as a ghost. He looked as if he had seen one too. He frowned under his bushy mustache and gently shut the door behind him. I shifted my gaze back to the woman. She pushed past me, jogging down the stairs, and stopped in front of him, making my blood boil with anger. Pulling away, she caressed his face with her thumb and slapped him.

I gasped in response, covering my mouth. His cheek went red.

“Look at you, quaking in your boots. You must think you’re in the Twilight Zone, huh?” she got close to him, intimidating him. “I bet you’re wondering how your wife of ten years managed to survive a fire. A fire that you started because you wanted her money.”

“How did you—?”

“I mean, don’t you think it was bad enough that I was dying from cancer. I was already dead inside, but you wanted me gone soon,” tears sprang from her eyes through her smile. “But that’s not the straw that broke the camel’s back. No, what happened was you bought three houses in my name and named one after me.”

“Xenia, please. I was trying to honor you.”

“There’s no such thing. You tried to erase me from the earth, and now you want to honor me by naming a house after me. Do you call that honor? Do you think you’re doing me a favor?” she began cornering him into the living room. I trailed behind them, running. This time, I chose not to hold my tongue back. I was going to intervene regardless if I got injured. I only hoped to get a word in.

“You owe me, Nam. You owe me everything that you ever took away from me.”

Nam began breathing heavily as his chest went up and down extremely fast. He fell on the floor and crawled to the windowsill. I wanted to help him, but I was distracted by the vase in the window. My nightmare was becoming a reality because, sure enough, he opened the window for some air. And on his way up from the floor, he grabbed ahold of what he thought was the sill but instead was the porcelain vase that he somehow managed to hit his head. The glass shattered, and as I predicted, the five grand had gone to waste.