Page 45 of Let Me

“I love your house.It’s cozy,” I tell him.

“Thank you.”

The AC is jumping.It smells like cherry incense and everything is neat and in order.And when I say order, even the pillows are sitting up properly in an organized fashion.

I walk to the kitchen to see the large sink, black fixtures, stainless steel appliances and the sage green cabinets.There isn’t a dining room, but the six-chair, wooden dinette suffices just fine.The table and chairs are the same color as the cabinets.

He says, “There are two bedrooms, two full baths, this kitchen, a deck on the back—it’s a simple home.It used to belong to my grandparents.I had it renovated, but I wanted to preserve their memory, so I kept a lot of the furniture.The dinette was theirs.I had it sanded and painted.A few chairs in the living room were upholstered, that tall table in the entryway was sanded and stained…pieces of them are sprinkled all throughout this house.”

“Oh, that’s beautiful, Judah.”

“I thought so.”

Continuing down the hallway, he shows me the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and then says, “That’s it.I don’t need a mansion to be happy.”

“Certainly not.This is perfect for you.”

Heading back to the living room, he says, “Can I get you something to drink?”

“I’ll take some water.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

He goes to the fridge.I take the remote from the table and turn on the TV.He walks over, hands me a bottle of water, sits on the sofa, takes the remote out of my hand and powers the TV back off.

I look at him.“My bad.”

“I don’t watch TV.Besides, you came here to spend some time with me, not the devil’s toy.”

“The devil’s toy?”

He grins.“That’s what my grandmother used to call it.She says the television is a weapon of mass destruction.”

“Did she say why?”

“She did.I heard it all the time.She said through the TV, the devil can effortlessly broadcast his agenda into billions of homes.It brings people a daily dose of panic, commercialism and unethical behavior.”

“Your grandmother was a wise woman.”

“She was.That’s why she never owned a TV.I didn’t want one either, but that space on the wall seemed perfect for one, so I put one there after the renovation.I usually play music on it or display a crackling fireplace or an ocean video.”

“That’s nice,” I say, reclining further back on the sofa with one leg folded beneath me.I notice Judah is sitting close, but not too close where I’d be tempted to slide my tongue between his lips.

I continue, “The only reason I was trying to turn it on was because you seemed a little—I don’t know—notlike your usual self.Well, theselfthat I know.”

“That’s because I usually don’t have people over here.This is new for me.”

“So, what do you do here when you’re alone?”

“Sleep mostly.I don’t like to be alone with my thoughts.They’re not as happy as I would like them to be.Sometimes, I go outside and do some grounding.I sit in the rain—let it wash away my cares.”

“I’ve seen people do that on social media.”

“Yeah.It’s actually a very freeing experience.You should try it.”

“I will, one day.”

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