I had plans to mow the backyard today. It was going to be extra hot this afternoon, so I planned to start early so I could get it finished and edged before the worst of the weather hit. As a kid, my dad insisted I mow the lawn every week, and I felt compelled to continue that tradition now that I had inherited the house after his death. I was pacing the yard, drinking a cup of coffee and surveying the task at hand when I noticed Mary Stevens was out in her yard as well.
Mary's yard abutted my neighbor Vicki's yard at the rear of each other's yards. I never had much contact with her growing up, I'd occasionally hit a ball into her yard and have to hop both Vicki and then hers to retrieve; before he passed, her husband Charles spent a lot of time in the backyard just hanging out, so usually he'd toss it back over for me. Charles had passed when I was away at college from a heart attack, a pretty sudden event from what I gathered from my dad.
Mary and Charles had lived there my whole life, they raised their kids in that house and I knew she had grandchildren now because I could see into their yard when they visited. I remember both her and Charles still being pretty active playing with their grandkids in the backyard. I didn't know Mary's kids so she was always just 'old' in my head, although my parents were both 40 when I was born so it's very possible she wasn't much older than them in reality.
"Hey Mary, good morning" I hollered out, and waved over. She was just sitting out on the back patio in the shade, no doubt drinking coffee herself.
She waved a bit, and then rose from her chair and started walking over towards me. I wasn't too excited to get dragged into a 20 minute chit chat with the neighbor lady, but I took a sip from my coffee and put on my bravest face.
"Just out enjoying the beautiful morning?" I asked her, as cheery as I could be.
"Yeah, just out drinking some coffee and watching the birds before it gets hot. It's been so darn hot lately, I can't stay out past about 10:30 or 11 right now." Mary was wearing a basic white sundress with a white sun hat.
"You're not wrong there. I was hoping to get the yard mowed this morning before it gets too hot, I hope I don't disturb you too much with the noise."
"Oh no, won't be a bother for me, give me something else to look at" she said smiling. "But before you start that, I have some boxes in the basement I could use your help with. Your dad was very sweet and would help me from time to time, Roger can't come over and help me today."
I assumed Roger must be her son. "Yeah, of course I can help you out, Mary. Anytime. Let me put my coffee down and I'll be right over," and I walked over to the table to set my coffee down. I easily hopped the two chain-linked fences between our yards and did a quick jog to catch-up to Mary who had started to walk back towards the house.
As she opened the patio screen door for me, I was thinking that I had never been in their house before. The steps to the basement were directly in front of me as I entered, so I confirmed it was the right direction and descended the short flight of stairs as she flicked on the overhead lights.
The basement hadn't been touched in years, decades maybe even. Shag carpeting and wood paneling on the ceiling, it was everything a stoner in the 1970s would have loved. She led me into a room off the main area where the washer and dryer were located, and then further into the depths of their storage area. She pointed out a couple of boxes she needed me to move upstairs, and she asked me to join her for a cup of coffee and a pastry when we were complete. We sat at her kitchen table together, and before I had even taken a bite of the pastry, she got on with the real reason for my visit.
"I see you and the neighbor Vicki together. Out in her hot tub. I've told her before that I can see her out there, but she ignores me. Or gets off of knowing I can see her. I don't know what's true anymore. But I've seen you out there with her."
I was shocked, a little nervous and scared of the accusation and where she was going with this. It wouldn't be great if all the neighbors knew we were fucking.
"What are you talking about?" I asked her unconvincingly, trying to come up with some type of excuse or something. "Vicki and I drink together a little bit out in the back, is that what you mean?"
"Well I mean that, too. But you know what I'm really talking about, I'm talking about the two of you kissing in the hot tub. You two nude in the hot tub. You sitting on the edge and her taking you in her mouth...I can see you two out there when I come outside at night. I can definitely hear you two back there"
I was shocked into silence. There were no other words for it, I was frozen with my mouth open, my mind unable to process or force my mouth to say anything.
"And let me tell you, you're not the only guy she's had back there. That's for certain."