Every day was a little bit less awful than the last.
Ana had decided that after her parents' house had been cleaned out, and after the funeral was done, she'd become a landlady and get some tenants. She didn't think she had the mental strength to move in. Every room would slowly kill her. She very carefully read all the landlord/tenant laws and even took some advice from a attorney just in case. Vlad teased her a few times about it. "Now we're both property owners. We have more in common than before!" He also reminded her to hire a good property manager.
Mihai was still often quite busy, but he made time to hang out with his "tiny family," which was what he sometimes called Vlad and Ana. He had dinners with them, watched movies with them, and still invited them on outings at the Fair Orchard Country Club. Exactly what he was busy with? Mihai didn't always give sharp details, but meeting with business owners for current or potential investments was his most common explanation.
Mihai also seemed to look at his phone more often. Sometimes, he seemed so distracted and stressed that Ana wanted to reach out and comfort him. So she'd put a hand on his shoulder and say something to the effect of, "Hey, have some ice cream with us," or "Whatever's going on, we got your back." Then Mihai's eyes would crinkle and he'd tell her everything was fine.
When Ana met her uncle and aunt at the airport, she hugged them for a good while. Or rather, she hugged Uncle Daniel while Aunt Tomomi looked on with sad eyes. Then she drove them to the townhouse. Her landlord knew about the guests. No problems there.
At this time, Vlad thought Ana was much better than before, and she was living in her home again. Ana still hadn't unpacked yet, though. He just hated unpacking things when she thought she didn't need to. It felt tedious. What she didn't hate was showing her guests to the spare bedroom and giving them chamomile tea before the jet lag won their bodies over. They were a sweet couple. They deserved a clean bed and a caring host.
In the morning, Ana made a stack of blueberry pancakes and chatted with her guests, answering their questions, mostly in Japanese. As gentle and well-meaning as Aunt Tomomi was, she gave the most probing questions.
You have a boyfriend now? He's so much older than you. Maybe you'll get married? You don't plan on having children with him, do you? Are you the type to not have children? Maybe you could adopt a child?
Ana wasn't irritated. Those questions were only proof of her aunt's concern.
After breakfast, Ana took her guests to a local museum, then for a walk in the nicest park. Lunch was taken in a restaurant. Uncle Daniel mentioned how he'd missed a good old fashioned, local style burger. Then there were light discussions on the changes that had happened in the neighborhood over time. Poor Tomomi was lost there, completely out of anything resembling her depth. She was happy, though, and she loved the "exotic" and "foreign" world she was visiting.
Back at Ana's townhouse, they relaxed and watched silly stuff via Netflix. Ana hadn't watched used traditional television in years, and didn't plan to in the future. Streaming was her source of casual entertainment. Tomomi was disappointed at first. She'd been looking forward to watching American television, but she was quickly satisfied by the streaming.
Mihai and Vlad visited for a time, and they brought gifts with them. Candy and snacks, plus cheese and wine, for the visiting couple. For Ana, a bouquet flowers and more wine. They all charmed each other, talking about their different cultures and life experiences, comparing and contrasting social norms, those sorts of things.
Tomomi later helped Ana cook dinner. Stir-fry noodles with green pepper, cabbage, and chicken. Ana couldn't remember if she'd ever had so many people in her home, let alone so many happy and warm people.
"Ana-chan! Chi ga!"
Ana! There's blood!
Ana stopped cutting her chicken and looked at her aunt. Tomomi looked down at Ana's hands.
Ana followed the trail and saw that she'd made a tiny slice in the length of her thumb. She hadn't noticed it before. How silly. "Mondainai," she said to Tomomi.
No problem.
As Ana washed her hands and got out some first-aid supplies, Aunt Tomomi gently lectured her about how she needed to pay more attention. How could she take care of a man, especially an older man, if she couldn't even take care of herself? That sort of thing.
"EΘti rΔnit?"
Are you hurt?
Putting on a bandage, Ana turned around to see Vlad peering into the kitchen with burning eyes. Ana told him she was fine. There was only a tiny cut. His eyes cooled and he sighed as he seemed to realize there was nothing horrible going on.
Then they heard a vehicle's tires outside. "I'll see who it is," Ana said. She nodded towards Tomomi. "Please manage the food while I'm gone."
Vlad chose to walk with her to the door, and although Ana wasn't sure why he did that she was happy to have her hand in his. Behind the door, they saw Brun, of all people. Ana hadn't invited her. She'd barely even thought of her.
"Uhm ... hi Brun." Ana gave Vlad a surprised and questioning expression. With a tight jaw, Vlad shook his head as if he wanted to say he didn't know but he probably did know anyway. Looking back to Brun, Ana asked, "What do you need?"
Brun's face seemed so curious but also oddly colored in the outdoor light. She wasn't in an aggressive stance, but her presence was still quite disconcerting. Her hands were in the pouch/pocket of her hoodie. She almost smiled as she said to Ana, "I'm intruding. I know. I'll leave soon. I only want to know, are your loved ones here?"
Folding her arms, nervously licking her teeth, Ana gave Vlad another look. Vlad's eyebrows were high. He asked Brun, "Are you feeling well?"
Brun didn't react to Vlad, didn't even glance at him. She only focused on Ana. "You've cut yourself."
Ana knew she didn't have anything to hide, but she put her hand in a pocket regardless. Just how observant was this weird woman?
Brun continued. "Hey, Ana. Listen to me." Her head moved to one side under her hood. Her voice was quiet but pleased. "There are so many people in this world. Plenty of blood. You have room to be stingy. Do don't donate your blood to blood banks. Ever."
The redhead whirled around and left immediately after giving that ... creepy bit of advice. Ana started to say something, but Vlad gripped her arm and shook his head.
While Brun got in her jeep and drove off, Ana asked Vlad, "The hell's her deal? Did she just threaten me?"
Vlad exhaled and shook his head again. "She doesn't really think like other people. Please don't take offense." He put on an unnatural, embarrassed smile. It made Ana want to cringe because it didn't suit his features at all. His face looked like it was trying to resist the smile, threatening to crack from the pressure.
Eyes narrowing, Ana asked, "Why are you even friends with that woman?" She closed the door. "She makes me think you're involved in some shady stuff."
The smile became more realistic then, calm and familiar. Vlad kissed her cheek and said, "I'm a very shady person. I watch alt-right videos and donate money to Christian organizations."
That did it. That got her to laugh. Vlad gave up religion years ago, according to what he'd once told her. As for alt-right stuff, they both had once agreed that they didn't even know what alt-right was. When they were in the hallway, closer to the kitchen, Ana said, "Try to keep Brun away from me. I don't want to call the cops on her."
"I'll talk to her. I promise." He gave her butt a small tap as she went back into the kitchen.
***
A double funeral and a double burial. Two coffins, two graves. Two portraits of two different people. A happy couple taken away from the world too early. It was appropriately solemn. When everything was over, when the deceased was buried and Ana's uncle and aunt left for their home in Japan, Ana felt like her insides had been scraped out and her eyes would fall out. Her home felt similar, painfully empty.
She hung around in all the rooms, already missing the morning greetings from the guests. She thought she could still hear soft echoes, though. Her head turned one way, then the other, as she listened to the ghostly voices. English and Japanese bounced around the quiet house.
Her heart ached, her hollow belly too. Wanting some form of attention, she texted Vlad. He didn't answer. Then she texted Mihai. He also didn't answer. Silly night-owls.
Ana went to her desk to work on her comic. She was almost done with a chapter. It was nearly pornographic, really. She preferred mature, adult audiences. She thought that targeted audience would give her more freedom. Plus, dicks were fun to draw. She'd learn to appreciate them even more after starting her relationship with Vlad.
