The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven

Chapter 4

Two full glasses of water were placed over a circular table. A tray of fresh fruits were arranged nicely in a cobalt blue tray. The windows were wide open to let in some fresh air; Teddy was standing in front of them to push back the drapes a little bit more. “I brought out some fruit in case you are tempted,” he said with his back to me. “I know you don’t have much time, but I thought it might be nice to have something in your stomach.”

“I might take this banana,” I mused aloud. “I could eat it on the bus ride home.”

“Bus ride home,” Teddy chuckled. “You’re not serious, are you?”

“It is the same one I took to get here.”

“Yes, but it is hot,” he said as a way of an excuse. “And I have no bus stops around here.”

“I know.” He turned around to face me now, letting his lower back lean against the edge of the counter. “I had to ask the bus driver to stop me at the bottom of your hill.”

“And you walked all the way up here?”

“Yes, but I enjoy the exercise.”

Teddy walked over to his table. A chair was pushed outwards and then he took a quiet seat next to me. “Daphne has a car,” he noted. “I can drive you somewhere.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“I don’t think you should be lingering out there alone.” He licked at his bottom lip. “And it’s hot.”

“Yes, but it’s not summer yet.”

“And you are a woman,” he entreated. “A woman standing in the middle of nowhere alone.” Teddy reached for his glass of water, compelling me to do the same. “I will not stand for it. I was raised better than that.”

“Perhaps…”

He nodded his head, entreating me to go on. His thumb lightly stroked the outside of his glass, while he altered his gaze between the clear glass of water and myself.

“You could drop me off at the main bus terminal.”

“Yes, I could do that.”

I took a timid sip of the water, feeling like I was asking too much from him. Teddy stared at me intently, letting his eyes focus on my hair that was now down to the tops of my shoulders. “I could drive you after every shift this week,” he nervously pointed out. “And if you want… I could pick you up from the station as well.”

“No, that is too much.”

“I only care for your safety.”

I took a larger sip of my water, finding it was the best excuse to fill up the awkward pause. I thought it best to contact Daphne as soon as possible, knowing she was the only one available to shed light on this mysterious man’s behaviour.

“Time is ticking.” Teddy pointed behind him, suggesting I still need to complete the trimming to his hedges at the back. “I suggest you drink your water quickly.”

“I really don’t need you to pick me up at the station in the morning,” I entreated. “Though driving me to the station after twelve will ensure I have enough time to grab a quick lunch.”

“You could bring your lunch and eat here,” he suggested. “Or I could… I could make lunch for the both of us.”

“That really isn’t needed.”

He watched me lay down my glass of water in silent deliberation. “I would like to do that,” he voiced out to my surprise. “You will have to tell me what kind of food agrees with you-”

“-Teddy, this really isn’t necessary,” I cut in. “You are my employer and I don’t want things to get any more complicated.”

“Complicated?” He questioned me in a higher tone of voice. “How so?”

“Well, it’s just that…” His face was suddenly deadpan, hardly expressing any emotions at all. “I feel like I will owe you too much,” I lied.

“I see no harm in sharing lunch,” he fought back. “It will ensure I have something to eat. I can’t remember the amount of times I have forgotten to have a meal.” He smiled at me, the first one I had ever seen spread across his face. “I would like to do it, Sela.”

At that moment, a door in the upper levels of the house slammed shut with a violent bang, startling me so much I nearly dropped my glass of water upon the table. Teddy’s hands balled up together, and his body language displayed a certain tenseness I had never seen before. “What was that?”

“It was the wind,” he coldly replied. “Sometimes the wind blows so strong it slams the bedroom doors closed.” His fists gradually grew less tense, and soon he was laying the flats of his hands against the circular table. “But I think it is time you should go outside again.”

“Let me drink the last of this,” I pleaded. He watched me gulp down the water rapidly. I let out a short exhale once I was done and placed the glass hard down on the table. He visibly flinched at the sound,

making me feel guilty for causing him so much pain. “Sorry.”

“I will take your glass,” he relinquished. The glass slid over the table to be positioned next to his own. Teddy retrieved the two empty glasses and immediately turned his large back to me. I watched him dowse it in dish soap, dedicating his time to clean the glasses out thoroughly.

“Your house is very clean,” I noted. “Do you have a maid?”

“I couldn’t afford one,” he darkly chuckled. “No, I am the one that cleans the house.”

“It is so clean! You would think it is up for sale.”

“This is my ancestral home. I have no wish to sell it.”

“Has it been in your family for long?”

“Three generations. My grandfather on my mother’s side had purchased it just after the war.”

“Which one?”

“The first world war.” The dish towel was taken up to dry the side of the glass in circular motions.

“And then you will pass on this house to your children?” I deliberated aloud. “Do you have any?”

“No.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

I pushed out my chair, deciding it was best to get on with the rest of my day. “I will be outside.” He looked over his shoulder, wearing an open expression as he truly took me in. “Is that alright?”

“I will come outside later.” He turned his head to the open window where the garden was situated. “And then I will drive you to the station.”

“Thank you for that.”

Teddy made no response to my comment, so I turned away from the table and abandoned him in his quiet kitchen.