The Half That You See by Rebecca Rowland (best summer reads .TXT) 📕

you not paying attention to the road? Were you drinking? I hate myself for asking these questions, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to hate you. I’m afraid that if I stay, eventually I will.

Love,

Susan

Jeff didn’t wait long before he returned to the cabin again. He entered and headed straight for the kitchen. “Hello?”

The woman glanced up at him. She looked tired, older than he remembered. She moved slower, more mechanically. There were stains on her dress, and it didn’t seem to fit her quite right. “You again, huh? Guess you’re feeling sorry for yourself?”

“I…” he hesitated. “Are you alright?”

She waved a hand at him in dismissal. “Go on. I’ll be out in a few minutes. As soon as I finish up here.”

He left the kitchen and walked back into the den. He glanced over the fireplace and noticed the rack of antlers missing, a dark stain on the wall outlining where it had hung. He stepped closer to the mantle. A fine layer of dust covered everything.

He took his usual seat by the fire. There were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. He pulled the handle on the recliner, and the chair fell back, fully reclined, with a loud pop. He tried to pull it up at least part way, but it seemed to be stuck.

He was still pulling at the handle when she emerged from the kitchen. She pressed her knee into the back of the chair, and then tugged the handle. The chair jerked back into position, sending up a cloud of dust.

Jeff erupted into a sneezing fit. "Thanks," he said, once he was able.

“Mmhm.” She placed a plate and mug on the table beside the chair. The plate had sugar cookies tinged with black. She filled his mug with tea. “So, what brings you back here, Jeffrey?”

He took a sip of tepid tea. The mug was stained and cracked. "After Susan left, I couldn’t keep myself together. I fell back into bad habits, missing work. They told me not to come back. And now…now, I have nothing.”

She nodded. “You never told me about Zack’s accident. What happened?” Something about her tone brooked no argument.

“I was driving. It was late. I ran a stop sign. I didn’t see the other car, not until it was too late.”

“So you blame yourself.” It wasn’t a question.

He felt a familiar lump in his throat and tried to swallow it down. “What happened to the house? It looks like some of your things are broken. The antlers are gone.” He motioned vaguely to the empty spot over the fireplace.

She shrugged. “Things break. Stuff gets dirty. But, you ain’t here to talk about me. Have you talked to Susan?”

Jeff could feel the pressure in his jaw from grinding his teeth. “A few times.”

“And?”

He exhaled sharply. “And, I liked it better when you didn’t ask so many questions.”

She placed her mug down hard, jarring her saucer. “You’re the one that came to me, mister. You’ve got no right to be so grouchy.”

“You’re right. I apologize.” His face burned with shame at her rebuke. “I think I’ve forgotten how to talk to people…how to be in the world.” He glanced around the cabin. There was a draft blowing in. He picked up the moth-eaten crochet blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. The air had a chill. A certain gloom had settled over the place. He didn’t remember it being this way before, so dreary and bleak.

She leaned over and patted his shoulder. “That’s all right. You’ve been in quite a state. Quite a state indeed.” She smelled like air freshener, sprayed to cover up something under the surface. He couldn’t place the scent. It was a smell he associated not with people, but with damp.

He got up and walked across the room to the bird clock. The images had faded, and it was hard to tell one bird from another. It should be chiming two o’clock, but the room was silent.

Local Man Arrested in DWI

By: Chronicle Staff

On March 3, local police officers conducting a routine patrol observed a car driving erratically, unable to maintain a lane. Officers initiated a traffic stop, and made contact with Jeffrey Grant, 35 of Hillside.

While speaking with Grant, officers observed signs of intoxication. After failing standard field sobriety tests, he was placed under arrest for DWI.

He was processed and charged additionally for driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, and failure to maintain a lane.

He was released into the custody of a friend pending an initial appearance in municipal court.

Winter passed into spring. It had been a while since he’d gone to the cabin. Each time he visited, it was a little less like the first. Thunderstorms threatened on the horizon, and he hesitated on the front porch. Part of the roof was collapsing. I’ll have to offer to fix that up for her. He opened the door and stuck his head inside. The house was dark. He wasn’t sure if she was home.

“Ma’am?”

He heard a wheezing cough from the direction of the kitchen, and went to find her. Inside the house was freezing. I should offer to cut some wood for her.

He peeked into the kitchen. “Hello?”

She was sitting at the table. Shadows lingered around her eyes, making her look like a raccoon. Her dress was frayed and torn. “Hello, Jeffrey.” She smiled, and her teeth were as brown as the gingerbread she’d made on his first visit.

The house was wrong. She was wrong.

“It’s cold in here. Aren’t you cold? I can make a fire if you’d like. Do you need me to cut some wood?”

She cackled, the sound grating and unpleasant. “Cold house, cold heart.”

“Are you alright? Maybe I could fix up the place a little. Should I turn on a light?”

Outside, the wind picked up, and he noticed a puddle on the floor where the roof was leaking. He grabbed a dirty pan from the counter and set it down to catch the drip. The place reeked with