Roseville was a nice enough town, Helen thought, but it would be nicer still if it had more choices. Two theaters, a handful of restaurants, a few grocery stores, a book store, a few things for kids, like a couple of parks with swings and such, and that was about it. Roseville didn't have much, but it mostly had what she wanted. Mostly. For a woman starting over in her mid-thirties, it didn't have quite everything.
The streets were safe enough, with little in the way of traffic, and she didn't feel threatened when she walked home at night. The high school, where she taught biology, was on the other end of town, far enough away that she had to drive to work. For most other places, a short walk was all that was needed. That suited her just fine. Even with only a few cars on the road, she really didn't like driving. She felt she saw more walking to wherever. In a car, you had to watch the road; it was only as a passenger that you got a chance to look at things. And when you were walking, you could stare at whatever you wanted and take in the calmness that seemed to rest on the town like a warm blanket on a cool fall morning. It was a big change from the frantic pace of the city, a change she embraced with gratitude.
Today, she decided she'd walk to the grocery store. All she needed was cereal, so there wouldn't be anything unwieldy that she would have to lug back home. It was a good day to walk. The air was cool, especially welcome after the hot summer they had had this year. The leaves weren't changing color yet, but she could tell in the air that change was coming. She relished it. Fall was her favorite season, although she had no idea why. Perhaps it was the cool mornings, or maybe the rains that came and washed the streets clean. Or maybe it was the knowledge that fall lead to winter, with the ice and snow, something of a last gasp before the world wound down to start yet another rebirth in the spring. Whatever the reason, she liked fall.
She grabbed her purse and made for the door of her modest home. It was small, as most of the houses in the area were, but it was big enough for her. And small meant less cleaning, always a plus. She smiled as she opened the door, looking out at the quaint neighborhood that became her new home a few years ago. All the houses looked like comfort to her, something she never got in Chicago. They were mostly two and three bedroom homes, most of them shielding young families from the elements. Small children played ball in the street, an amazingly safe thing to do. They were always on the lookout for cars, but rarely had to stop a game because of traffic. Another pleasant change from Chicago.
"Hello, Mrs. Grant!" yelled a small boy, Tommy, from across the street. She smiled and returned his wave. She hadn't been married for several years, but she never corrected the children when they called her "Mrs."; it felt good, even though it was no longer accurate. Tommy was a good kid, although he was known to get into trouble on occasion. Nothing serious, really, just a bit of mischief. She thought about her own youth, noting the differences between the world Tommy knows and the one she knew. She was Tommy's age about twenty five years ago, but what she grew up with was nothing like what Tommy had. She would never have dreamed of playing in the street, there were no woods to explore, no frogs in the pond, and, even when the sun dropped out of the sky, there were few stars to dream about and wonder at. Tommy would most likely spend the day playing with his friends, wandering around the streets and streams, dreaming of a future that held so much promise. For Helen growing up, the future was uncertain, but she didn't know any better, like most kids, so she took it all in stride. Now, she realized what her childhood missed. Too late to do anything about that, she thought.
She turned down Ash Street and headed for the store. She was used to the neighborhood now and didn't marvel as much at the quaint homes as she did when she first arrived. It's funny how you can get used to things, she thought. And it's sad how some things stick with you, no matter how hard you try to forget them. Things like the death of her son.
A jolt of pain hit her as she thought of Danny. Such a cute kid, always with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. Danny was her only child, and now he was gone. He was only five when death claimed him. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the thoughts that served no purpose but to remind her of what she had lost.
As Helen walked up to the grocery store, she noticed it looked like it was about a century old. Fitting for this town, Helen thought. Everything here seems like it's a century old. No one was in the grocery store except for the clerk. "Hi, Sam," Helen called out as she entered the store. She waved at him and he smiled at her. Sam was the owner, about sixty or so, with a lanky build and a shy smile. Maybe, if she were at least twenty years older, she would ask him out to dinner or a movie, maybe both. But she wasn't, so she didn't. Still, as a widower, he was one of the few available men around. It would be nice to have a companion again, someone to share the day's events with, and someone to share a bed with. But Roseville didn't have everything, and available men her approximate age was one of those things Roseville just didn't have. It wasn't clear what she could do about that, though. You had to take what you could and feel lucky you got what you got. Right now, though, she didn't feel all that lucky.
She found the cereal she wanted and decided to get a carton of milk while she was there. She brought the items over to Sam to pay for them.
"Another gourmet meal for you, Helen?" Sam smiled.
"Yep, Sam, just living on the edge, like always. How have you been?" Helen replied.
"Things have been going well," Sam said. "We got a new line of laundry detergent in the other day, if you'd like to give it a try. They say it's pretty good." He smiled and raised his eyebrows; Helen assumed he was trying to manipulate her into another purchase.
"Thanks, Sam," Helen smiled, "but I'm walking today and can't carry all that much. Besides, I'm not sure I can take the stress of something new. The excitement might kill me."
Sam winked. "I know what you mean. Excitement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Besides, that new guy moving into your neighborhood is probably enough stress for you. Why add a new detergent into the mix?"
Helen raised her eyebrows. "Someone moved into town? When did this happen? And why wasn't I notified?" she smiled. People didn't usually move into Roseville. In fact, it was generally the opposite. Typically, the kids would move out, usually to the big city, looking for their fortune. The small town of Roseville was too boring for the kids and they hightailed it out of there as soon as they could. Someone moving in was fairly rare. In fact, Helen was pretty sure she was the last outsider, as she was still considered to be, to come into town. At least she wasn't last anymore.
"Yeah, some middle-aged guy moved into the Lancy place a few days ago. I haven't met him yet, though. Sooner or later, he'll come in and I'll see if I can con him into buying some new detergent," Sam smiled. "As for why you weren't notified, well, I think you just were. Had you come in earlier, you would have found out earlier. This one's all on you."
Helen laughed. "I guess I've been too antisocial for my own good. Maybe I'll swing by his place and make sure he's not stealing lawn furniture or something. You can't be too careful with these interlopers, you know."
Sam smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, keep an eye on him, will you? Good thing you're past your probation period or we'd have
two
outsiders to scrutinize."
"Okay," Helen said, "I'll see what I can do. Do you happen to know his name?"
"John Barber, from what I hear. I don't know what this town needs with another barber, though." Sam laughed at his own joke. Then he got serious. "Careful with him, Helen," Sam said, "he's hurting something awful."
"Okay, Sam," Helen replied, "I'll watch my step." She wanted to ask for some details but decided it was none of her business. She paid for the milk and cereal, put the change into her purse, thanked Sam, and walked out of the store, lugging the box of cereal and milk back home. She thought about swinging by the Lancy place, to see if she could get a peek at the only new resident in years, but decided she really needed to get the milk into her refrigerator as soon as she could. Introductions, if there were to be any, would simply have to wait.
She thought about the possibilities as she walked home. A new person around would be a good thing, she decided. She didn't have much of a social life, in part because there weren't that many social things to do in Roseville, and in part because she was single. Roseville was a place where couples did things, like take their kids to the movies or play with them in the park. She wasn't part of a couple anymore, and she didn't have kids anymore. Both of those things hurt, but it was what it was.
By the time she got home, she had decided to make some cookies for the new stranger. Oatmeal cookies, loaded with white chocolate, were her specialty. She sometimes struggled in the kitchen, but she could always make a mean cookie. And who didn't like cookies? Certainly nobody
Helen
would be willing to associate with.
Helen dragged out the ingredients and got to work, creaming the butter, folding in the oats and chocolate, and putting just the right amount of dough for each cookie onto the cookie sheet. Into the oven they went, and she waited for them to turn just the right shade of brown. She ended up with plenty of cookies, more than enough to give to this Barber guy with a bunch left over for herself. A cookie or two was always welcome, even for breakfast.
It didn't take much time to make the cookies and she carefully selected the ones that came out best, putting them into a tin she had. She put on a slightly nicer dress than she wore to the grocery store and headed out. The Lancy place was just a block over, so she figured just a couple of minutes of walking would have her at his front door.
As she approached John's house, she began to have doubts. What the hell was she doing? Cookies for a complete stranger? Really? Just how desperate
