Page 1 of Bear
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Lana
“Calm down,Lana. Take a breath. It can’t bethatbad!”
“It’s not!” I rush across my empty living room with a bucket in my hand. I push aside the completely full saucepan and slide the bucket in place. “It’s worse. Much worse.” I slump down on the floor. Sitting crosslegged. My head in my hands, eyes closed. Trying to breathe. Trying to calm down. “The roof has about a million holes in it. I might as well be living in Niagra Falls. I’ve used up all my vacation days to renovate my new house, but it’s never going to get finished in time. Not now the stupid contractor has walked out on me.” I choke on my tears, but somehow manage to carry on. Like the water flowing through my ceiling, the words tumble out of me in one torrential downpour. “All my vacation days! All my savings! What am I going to do, Eddy?”
“It’s okay,” my brother’s voice is deep and reassuring, but it does nothing to calm my sense of doom. “I’ve called a guy. He’ll be with you in the morning. He’s a little bit weird, but he knows what he’s doing. I promise, he’ll take care of everything.”
“A little weird?”
“Yeah,” Eddy says. “Not in a creepy way, or anything. He lives up in the mountains by himself. He’s not much of a people person. But, like I said, he's the right man for the job.” There's a pause. "Well, technically, I guess he's the only man for the job."
“Oh, God,” I moan. “You’ve invited an ax-murderer to my house.” As if on cue, lightning bursts through the sky outside. The thunder follows only a second or two after. Close. So close, it makes the ground shake. Or maybe that’s just me. Shivering. Soaked from head to toe. Wearing a goddamn frigging raincoat indoors.
“He’s not an ax-murderer,” Eddy says, although the way he says it doesn’t fill me with a whole lot of confidence. It sounds like he might, in fact, suspect his friend is an ax-murderer, but is kind of hoping he’s just a guy who likes hanging out in the woods all by himself… with axes. “Either way, he’s your last chance. There’s no way you’ll be able to find a decent contractor now. Not this late in the game. You really shouldn’t have…”
“I know!” I cut him off. We’ve had this discussion a million times already. “How was I supposed to know he was allergic to peanuts. I mean, he should have said something before taking the brownie.”
“At least you drove him to the hospital.”
“Exactly.” Another burst of lightning flickers through the sky. I spot a mop bucket that’s nearly full. With tired legs and achy shoulders, I get back up on my feet and head to the kitchen to find a replacement. “If anything, he should be thanking me.”
“You gonna be alright, then?” Eddy asks.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. I’ve spent all my money on this stupid house. A fixer-upper, they said. A real gem, they said. I should have known something was fishy when they accepted my lowball offer.”
“It’ll work out.” I grab a large, dusty vase from a cupboard and try to figure out how long it will take for it to fill up with rainwater. At this rate, I’m going to be running around all night. Like one for those people at the circus who juggle plates. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“Yes!” I tell him. “You’re always steering me wrong! Remember that time you told me I looked good in that hideous, pink frilly dress?”
“It was your prom! I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Or that time you told me to smother my hand in peanut butter and pet Mr. Wilbury’s German Shepard. I nearly lost a finger!”
“Okay, okay!” Eddy laughs. Apparently, the memory of me nearly being maimed by a peanut crazed canine is still hilarious. I look at the thin, slither of a scar on my finger and count myself lucky. “But, this isn’t one of those times. I promise. Bear’s a good man. Dependable. I’d trust him with my life.”
“Bear!” I wipe my hand across my forehead. Rain. Running down my face. Looking up, I notice another hole. One I hadn’t spotted before. Possibly a new addition to the already sieve-like state of my home. “His name is Bear? And he lives in the woods? And he’s coming to my house? Oh, God, he’s going to kill me. He’s going to chop me up into little pieces and bury me all around town. My face is going to be on cartons of milk. ‘Have you seen this girl? Last seen in the company of a man named Bear. Possibly murdered by Ax.’”
I put my hand to my chest. My ears are ringing. I think I’m having a panic attack.
Another bolt of lightning shoots across the sky outside. I put the phone to my side. Eddy’s still talking, but I’m not sure I can handle any more bad news.
Then, just as I’m starting to regain control of my breathing, there’s a bang at my door.
I check my watch. It’s nearly midnight. I haven’t ordered pizza… although that probably would have been a good idea.
“Eddy,” I say, keeping my voice low. “There’s someone at my door.”
“Don’t freak out on me, Lana, it’s probably–”
“I’m not kidding,” I cut him off, sneaking stealth-like to the peephole in my front door. I take a moment to calm myself down and then look through the glass.
“What’s going on?” Eddy yells down the phone. “Are you okay, Lana? What’s happening?”
“There’s a man,” I tell him, my voice a frightened tremble. “He’s standing outside my house. Call the police Eddy. I think he has a weapon! There’s something in his hand!”
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