thought that she noticed a brief pause before his reply came:
‘What about a friend? ’ James asked. ‘And I can think of another one but your neighbor is around and I don’t want to offend her ears, ’ he added smiling now.
‘Hah, ’ Rose said opening the door wider and allowing him to come inside. He stopped in the hall but looked around.
‘I’m on my way home. I just wanted to make sure you are fine, ’ he said. ‘And to remind you about the game tomorrow night, ’ he added.
‘Are you becoming a regular too? ’ Rose asked. He knew what she meant.
‘It’s an interesting group, ’ James answered looking at her provocatively. Rose said nothing but wondered if Madeline’s presence was what attracted him to their bridge group. It wasn’t her business she reminded herself and tried to act like a civilized hostess by offering him a coffee. He might be a popular man with women, a ‘lady-killer’ as they call them around here, she thought. He declined politely, looked at Rose some more and then left wishing her a good day. As she was left there staring after his car she realized that he avoided giving her a straight answer. Was he a Police officer? Does that matter? Probably not! And he seemed to have too much money for a job like that. Hope he is not a drug dealer, Rose said to herself realizing that he was driving another expensive car today. Adele, her neighbor was watching her.
‘Your fella? ’ she wanted to know.
‘I don’t think so, ’ Rose said thinking about Madeline.
Adele smiled at her. ‘You haven’t decided yet? ’ she said. Rose did not have an answer for that and Adele continued. ‘He’s made his mind girl. It’s you and I know what I’m talking about, ’ she reassured Rose with some nostalgia in her voice. Probably recalling old times, Rose thought and turned around to go inside. ‘Ah, to be young again, ’ she heard Adele saying loudly now followed by a big sight while moving away.
‘Hah, people!’ Rose mumbled to herself and went inside. She did not know how to take Adele’s warning and she didn’t know what she wanted so Rose did what she usually does best with such situations she dropped the issue, put it at the back of her mind and went ahead with her day. Leave it to fate!
As Rose opened the USB she came across a file that contained photos. Lots of them! People that she never met and some that she knew. A big family, Rose thought. What a funny place to keep them. Maybe he was travelling a lot and was taking the case with him. There were no photos in the house and Rose wondered if she was going to recognize him when there he was in a group photo taken about 7 years ago. Rose shuddered with the burst of memories. She knew the place. It was in Romania and she was only 18 and about to get married. It was taken in grandma’s garden in the morning of Rose’s wedding day. Now Rose suddenly realized that she knew why Adrian left her the house. He must have felt pity for me, Rose thought. That day, long time ago, was a disaster or so everyone thought and Rose was left with a bit of a shock.
Having the groom running away with your cousin is not fun or common so she had to endure for a while the unwanted attention of the public. All with very good intentions but none the less painful. Although it was an arranged marriage, he was much older and they had nothing in common it was still a commitment that she accepted and thought that was reciprocal. They were not in love, however it was a public humiliation and his letter of apology did not do much good. Awful is the best way to describe the experience.
After the incident Rose’s grandma gave up on pairing her with anyone and allowed her to go to university. Something good came out of it at the end.
In the old photo Adrian was giving Rose her bouquet of flowers: hyacinths, tuberoses, dahlias and Versilia roses. The hyacinths and Versilia, the peach colored roses, came from her grandma’s garden, Rose recalled. The tuberoses were given by Mrs. Potage and the dahlias came from groom’s family. That is the tradition. The bouquet is made from the flowers sent by the various family members and friends. That’s when Rose saw Adrian last but he wrote to them and talked to Letitia regularly.
As Rose was looking at the photos she became hungry and decided to eat something. She could look at the photos more another time, she thought and she closed the computer leaving the USB in. It was time to go for a walk and see new people. That is a sure remedy to a dip in your mood and Rose vouched by it as she tested this while at university. She was still not sure of chewing basil (tulsi), and she did a lot of that while growing up and living with grandma. It helped with inspiration and assurance as it was supposed to. Another tradition in her family!
As Rose was dressing up for going out her tiredness vanished. Was it the perfume or the clothes? She had no idea but she was feeling her mood going up. You don’t need to be Houdini to get a significant transformation these days just by changing your skirt, blouse and jewelry.
It was a hot day so Rose decided to wear a sleeveless linen dress with a floral pattern that ended just a few centimeters above her knees and low shoes with a wedge heel. She wore a silver necklace and white gold earrings. The watch had a silver bracelet encrusted with the mother of pearls. It was an old piece passed down the generations. It was her mother’s before it was given to her. As it was really hot she decided to leave her rings behind. Her grandma would have been shocked.
Rose went to eat something at Stefano’s café. He was not there but the staff were very helpful and efficient as always. It was busier than usual and most people opted to stay inside due to the high temperatures. A storm was expected that afternoon, she was informed, and advised not to drive as flush flooding and hail were also possible and common these parts of the world.
‘How often do you get a storm like this? ’ Rose asked Simon who was serving her.
‘Something like this? Not very often. Once in 5 or 7 years. But we have smaller ones a few times a year, ’ he added. ‘We’re planning to close earlier today, ’ he explained. ‘Sometimes the storm can topple trees and rip up roofs. I saw so many uprooted trees that were impossible to save last time, as they were too badly damaged by the windy storm. The smaller trees have some chances but not the large ones. Quite a pity, you know. Lovely trees, ’ he added.
Rose then overheard someone talking about the large amount of money the insurance companies had to pay after the previous storm. Likely someone working in that industry, she told herself. At a different table they were talking about the magical meaning of seven and the coincidental or not, arrival of the storm these parts of the world every seven years. Rose wondered who was keeping an eye on the frequency of storms; maybe the weather bureau but they would not speculate on the mystical undertones of it.
She tried the lime chicken with tomatoes and basil sauce and a hint of honey, thyme and turmeric and was very pleased with her choice. Now Rose could recommend it to everyone. It was not only light and healthy but also tasty and had a zingy flavor. She left the café without having her coffee as the weather was progressing rapidly towards a storm. As she was walking down the street, struggling to manage the wind and keep on her feet, she felt watched and followed without actually seeing anyone staring at her. When she got home she started the preparations for the storm after getting more advice from Adele. Since moving to this continent, Rose found Adele’s advice quite useful.
‘Are you ready for the storm? All hell will break loose very soon, ’ Adele said with strong conviction and some excitement in her voice as soon Rose rang her. Rose replied with a weak ‘yes’ and heard her saying: ‘Don’t worry girl, if you have any problems just come and stay with me till the thing is over. Now make sure that you secure any loose items of furniture you have in the garden that might be blown over by the wind, ’ she suggested.
‘Nothing expensive, ’ Rose casually replied.
‘They can cause damage to other people, ’ Adele explained the reason behind the need to secure the items. It was convincing to Rose.
‘Oh, I see what you mean. That would be a risky business, ’ Rose admitted.
‘And make sure that you have an emergenc
y pack put together. You know things like a torch, batteries, first-aid kit, blankets, in case we need to evacuate in a rush, ’ she added. ‘If you look up on the net you’ll find a list with the things necessary to cover an emergency situation. The minimum you’ll need at home is going to be a phone, so charge up your mobile, a torch and keep it by your side in case we lose electricity. This happens often during a storm. Ring me if you get into trouble, ’ Adele encouraged Rose.
The next call came from grandma. Rose was happy to hear her but it was not the right time for a chat as she was running behind in her preparation for the storm. As Rose was trying to reassure grandma, while giving her some information about the storm to explain why Rose did not have time for a chat, she saw another call coming on the other line. Her grandma was just saying: ‘Give me a call after the tsunami is gone. I need to know that you are safe’.
‘A cyclone grandma not a tsunami, ’ Rose corrected.
‘They are all the same, ’ Letitia said confidently. ‘They all cause a lot of damage no matter what name they are given. Better stay safe if you can, ’ she advised.
‘That’s my plan grandma, ’ Rose reassured her. ‘I’m at home and charging my phone, in case we lose the power. I’ve got