Page 14 of Rune
“What’s up, Chip?” I asked as my neighbor rode over on his riding mower—big noise-canceling headphones sitting atop a massive-brimmed red and white baseball cap. It didn’t escape my notice that the drink holder attachment we’d bought him for his birthday was now thoroughly attached, and sporting a sweating beer. “Should you be drinking and driving?” I teased as he moved one of his earphones to the side.
He huffed at that, but his lips twitched a little.
“Got a big spot out back with no grass.”
Yes, because he’d been seemingly strategically placing the mower a few inches over every few days until a big rectangle of grass had died off.
“I saw that.”
“Might be a good spot for a garden.”
So, that was what he was up to.
“It definitely gets good sun there.”
“House down the block, they’re selling tomato, cuke, and zuke starter plants. Cheap too.”
“Are they?” I asked. “Well, maybe I should walk down there and snatch a few up. There’s nothing like a tomato right out of the garden.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Chip said in that surly voice of his. “So, you’d plant ‘em?”
“Sure. I think a little community garden would be nice.”
“I’ll drive on down there and get them before they sell out then.”
With that, he did the widest U-turn known to mankind and drove down the street, beer and all, to get garden plants.
It was a little pick-me-up I desperately needed.
I was excited to tell Sofia that we were definitely getting Chip to warm up to us as I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
“Sof, you’re never gonna believe—”
Then nearly fainted dead right on the spot.
My stomach dropped out. My heart surged up. All my organs seemed to just displace themselves all at once.
Because what?
What the hell was I seeing?
No. Not what. Who?
Because seated right there on the couch with a content Hamster sitting at one side, her block head on his thigh as he pet her belly, was Rune.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
This could not be happening.
He could not be in my house. Petting my dog. Looking like he’d been there for a while, all lounged back and comfortable.
“No.” The sound gulped out of me. The only way I knew it was loud enough for him to hear was the way his chin tilted ever so slightly.
“Never going to believe what?” Sofia asked, coming out from the kitchen in the back of the house with a cup of coffee she passed to the stranger on our couch. “Here you go.”
How had this gone so wrong so quickly?
