4.2. The Traveller(Cadence)
I had been staring out the window for some time, pondering everything and nothing all at once and that’s when the sound of the door opening startled me.
“Oh, sorry, I scared you.”
The man of the house was home. Strangely not at all sunburnt despite having spent time in Egypt. If that was what he’d done. I never knew with the Ithacas, even if I felt much more comfortable here after some months.
“It’s okay. Welcome home.”
“Thank you. I- What happened to your hair?”
“It… grew out. As hair does.”
“Oh… that… makes sense.”
“Well, I’d better…”
“Wait.”
He turned as I spoke and looked at me. “Yeah?”
“Look, I’ve been thinking of this for a while. A long while, actually. Iphigenia’s mother. Where’s she?”
A smile played on his lips. “I think everyone will tell you that I locked her in the basement because I’m a horrifying monster.”
“Ah. You… know the rumours. I mean…” Okay, I’d thrown myself into this, so I guess I had to just push on. “I don’t think everyone would say you locked her in the basement that’s… I mean, that’s the rumour they like where I’m from, but downtown they… uh…” He had a funny look on his face now. “Downtown they prefer to think you killed her and buried her in the garden.”
He burst out laughing and I backed away, sure he was going to skin me alive, but he just smiled. “I don’t know whether to be proud or disturbed that there are regional differences. We sure caused a ruckus, Esther and I.”
Then he looked sad, even while smiling.
“Truth is, it wasn’t quite so dramatic with us. Esther and me.”
“I tried to get it to work, even in our teens. She was a nice girl,” he said. “Unfortunately for her, I’m kind of a jerk. I tried to stick it out, year after year, even when I, at best, felt like she was a nice girl. I wasn’t attracted to her, I wasn’t in love with her. There were days when I hardly liked her, I’m ashamed to say.”
“But you stayed together?”
“I’d broken up her and her boyfriend – remember the jerk part? Yeah, that’s what I mean. I broke them up just because… Because I could, I guess. Because I couldn’t have the one I really liked and Esther was as good as any.” He laughed a dark, bitter laugh. “Do you feel like punching me right now?”
“Not really.”
I’ve never been one for violence but even if I had, it would have been like kicking a guy already lying down. He looked utterly miserable; but maybe he’d wanted to tell someone because he kept going like he couldn’t stop.
“I don’t think she knew at first. Esther isn’t dumb, don’t be fooled, but when she gives her heart to someone, she does it completely and I didn’t deserve it. Didn’t really want it, either. I went away, to Egypt, of course, and she became more and more bothered by that. Became more bitter until we started arguing over it.
“She wasn’t always the one to start the fights, either. We became real good at finding a reason to argue about the smallest little things. The big fight, the one where I knew she broke, that was when I told her I didn’t want to marry. We had a daughter and I’d never even considered marrying Esther. I think that’s when she snapped.”
“She started talking to someone else. The guy who cleaned for us at the time… And then she left.”
“She left you?” I asked. This certainly was a lot less dramatic than those rumours.
“Packed her backs, grabbed the cleaner and moved out. Left the both of us, me and Iphigenia.”
“I would have thought she’d bring her daughter,” I said.
“She didn’t want to. She said she wanted a clean slate and well…” He let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know what I would have done with myself if she’d taken her, honestly. She’s the only thing I haven’t messed up.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
He smiled, the crazy Ithaca from the hill. “Well, at least no one’s locked in our basement. That’s a plus.”
“Definitely.”
I smiled and so did he, when suddenly something lit in his eyes.
“Cadence?”
“… Yes?”
“You’re… skinny, aren’t you?”
“I guess I am… but don’t ask for my weight. I’ve heard that would be rude.”
But it was like he didn’t listen, because he went up to me with a big smile on his face. “Will you do me a favour?”
I shrugged, but I wasn’t so sure he wasn’t a crazy man who lived on a hill. “Let me hear what it is first. And no basements!”
He smirked. “No basements. Well, unless musty old tombs count.” Not sure I liked where this was going. “Will you come with me to Egypt?”
“Come with you to where?” I said, even though I had heard him perfectly.
“Egypt. Wait, first… You can swim, right?”
“Swim?!”
“I swear, it’s nothing weird. Well, a little… Can you swim… Dive? How long can you hold your breath?”
“… Hold on, hold on. Yes, I can swim.” He nodded and smiled. “I’m a fairly good swimmer and I can dive. And I’d love to go to Egypt, but it sounds awfully expensive.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that too much.” He shrugged. “I’ll pay. And I’ll pay you extra.”
I opened my mouth to say no way. That he was still a crazy man and I’d worked for him some months and I adored the child but there was no way I’d follow him to Egypt and do whatever it was he wanted me to do. But then there was something trustworthy about him.
If I’d had friends, they would have all warned me away. ‘He’s going to drown you! He’ll leave you for dead in a pyramid!’
I said yes.
And we were off already two days later. He was practically giddy, a mood I’d never experienced him in.
“You’ll love it,” he assured me. “The city’s great, oh, and the tomb we’re going in is one of the biggest there is. It’s legendary. Almost had my head chopped off by a huge axe there once.” Then he giggled like a boy.
“You know, you’re not making a very good job of not being the crazy guy on the hill,” I said, and he chuckled.
“Well, why would I?”
It was like he was a different person in Egypt. He was always a bit moody and mysterious at home – frankly I’d assumed that was just who he was, but as soon as we were there, he kept prattling on about the country, the tombs, his home in Egypt.
And, I had to admit to myself, the house he had there was absolutely gorgeous.
“This is incredible,” I said.
And he smiled a smile so cocky, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Not so bad what the crazy guy on the hill can do, huh?”
“Crazy guy with his own oasis,” I said. “I think I can forgive you.”
“I’m glad you say so. That’s why we didn’t go to the tomb first…”
“… but I think it’s time we went.”
[Author's note: Look! I am alive. I wrote a thing. I wrote two things actually, but here's one. I'm so out of practise with writing these oh gosh. I'm really sorry - this is far from fantastic.]
