Page 2 of Morning Wood

“Yeah,” I say, nodding even though I know she can’t see it. “I could use a distraction.”

“Uh-oh. What’s going on?”

I sigh and rest my back against the nearest wall, sliding down until I’m sitting on the floor with my knees tucked up. It feels a little safer like this. Not as big and overwhelming.

“Bea?” Aurora asks, her voice softer this time.

“I’m fine,” I promise my friend. “Just a little… out of my depth here.” That’s an understatement, I think to myself as I scan the entryway I just walked through. The hardwood flooring is worn thin, the door is one good sneeze away from falling right off, and everything is covered in at least an inch of dust.

“What’s going on? We may live in different states but I will find a way to get to you if you need me. You know that, right?”

“I know. I love you for that. I don’t think you can help me this time.” Aurora doesn’t say anything, she simply gives me space to think and put the right words together. She’s always been good to me in that way; patient and understanding instead of annoyed. “So, I kind of… inherited a mansion,” I start.

"Wait, what?!" she exclaims over the phone. "Like, a mansion mansion? With multiple bathrooms and fifty bedrooms and a library like in Beauty and the Beast?”

I can’t stop the sarcastic laugh falling from my lips as I think of all the things that I need to fix and clean before this place is even livable. “No, it’s definitely not a fairytale. The place has been abandoned for years, though apparently my great-great-aunt who lived across the country or something had been paying property taxes on it, so… it’s just been sitting here, untouched, for over a decade.”

“A great-great-aunt?” she asks, intrigue and disbelief coloring her tone. Aurora and I went to school together from kindergarten through high school, and she knows better than anyone the kind of hell I went through in the foster care system. I’m sure she’s nearly as shocked as I was to hear I had a living relative this entire time. Well, not anymore, but still.

“I know. Crazy, right? I had no idea she existed until her attorney tracked me down and told me I inherited a piece of property.”

“You could have been living with her the whole time instead of…”

My friend trails off, probably not wanting to remind me of the past. “I try not to think about what might have been, you know? Who knows if my life would have been better or worse if I lived with her? Besides, I probably wouldn’t have met you, and that would’ve been a tragedy, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” she replies. I can hear the smile in her voice, and it warms me up from the inside. God, I miss her. I’m about to ask what’s new in her life, but then something that sounds like plastic crunching fills the other end of the line. “Oh, crap!” Aurora squeaks out.

The line goes dead and I try calling her again. It goes to voicemail, which should have me worried. However, I know my bestie. I love her with all my heart, but she's about as accident-prone as they come. I wouldn't be surprised if she dropped her phone in the sewer or a vat of hot oil or something equally as baffling.

Sure enough, a few moments later, I get a text.

Sorry! Dropped my phone. I’m good. I’ll call again soon!

I smile and hold my phone against my heart as if it will somehow magically heal my wounds. I miss my friend, but I had to leave our hometown. There was no way I was going to have a successful adulthood by hanging around the town that beat me down, chewed me up, and spit me back out in horrible foster home after horrible foster home. Good riddance, I say. My only regret is not taking Aurora with me.

I take another fortifying breath and heave myself off the floor, wiping away any dust from my clothes. I'm pretty sure I still have at least half a pound of it on me, but I think that's just how it's going to be until I tackle all the cleaning that needs to be done.

Wandering in and out of the dozen or so rooms, I get a sense of the scale of this place. It's gigantic and has a few stained-glass windows in the attic-slash-spiral thing that probably has a fancy architecture name. I bet the sunrise is outright miraculous to see with all those colors sparkling in the light.

By the time I get back to the main floor, I can’t stop yawning. As much as I’m not looking forward to stripping the bed of its sheets, I’m thankful I thought enough ahead to pack my own. Obviously, it’s just a Band-Aid for the deeper problem of a lumpy, ancient mattress, but it’s all I’ve got right now.

As I make up the bed in the room across the hall from the bathroom, my mind wanders to the woman who lived here before me. My great-great-aunt, Mary Leavenworth. What was she like? Why didn’t she have anyone else to give her wealth to after she passed?

I peel back the comforter I bought for just this occasion and slip inside the covers. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep with everything going on and the house being in such disarray, but as soon as my eyes close, I fall into a deep, dark slumber. Maybe tomorrow, this will all be better. Yes, tomorrow…

2

BECK

Ibreathe in the early morning air, closing my eyes and turning my face toward the sun so I can soak in its warm rays. A cool breeze combs through my hair, making me smile. I didn’t know how much I would miss my hometown until I left to serve in the Army. After a decade in the military, I knew it was time to retire and get back to my roots.

Winifred, Kansas isn't on anyone's bucket list to visit, nor does it pretend to be. With a population of just under nine thousand residents, this is the kind of town people are born in and stay their whole lives.

I thought I wanted to break away from that, but now that I’m here with my own carpentry business, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Plus, my aunt and mother are getting older, and with that, more mischievous and meddling. They need someone to keep them out of trouble.

Opening my eyes once more, I continue on my way to work. Nearly everything in Winifred is within walking distance, including my carpentry business, Against the Grain. I turn down Main Street, intending to walk the two blocks to my office when I get the sudden urge to stop by the Leavenworth estate.

The old property is only a short distance down the next road, and I really do enjoy visiting the place. I should get to work, though. I’m hoping to finish up the last of a custom cabinetry set today, which means I need to get an early start.

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