"Where are my car keys?" Bernard, my partner of two years, asked as he picked his briefcase and headed out the door.
We'd just moved into our four-bedroom apartment, locating our stuff was a little difficult. I grabbed the keys from the coat rack, followed Bernard outside and gave them to him.
It was a beautiful morning and mildly chilly. The sun was barely up but some of our neighbours were.
"Oh, here," Bernard handed me a white, gold embossed invitation card. "I found it on the porch." I flipped it back and saw a handwritten note:
Tea or wine? Come by anytime. Welcome to the neighbourhood.
Signed: Jess Johnson.
I looked around, hoping to see Jess Johnson. Instead I glimpsed an elderly woman on her porch, about four houses away from ours, pretending to read her newspaper.
Her snow-white cropped hair piqued my interest. As our gazes met, she hastily averted her eyes to read her newspaper. Her small eyes behind her eyeglasses betrayed a dark intensity that I couldn't put my finger on. My legs suddenly felt weak and my hands trembled.
Was she Jess Johnson?
Bernard put his briefcase inside his BMW sports coupe, and lovingly drew me to himself. The soft touch of his warm lips on my cheek made me forget about the strange old woman for a minute. I nibbled playfully on his lips before soothing them with a kiss.
"Enjoy your day, babe," I said and waved as he drove off. I turned to see the old woman curl her lips at me like I'd done something abominably indecent and retreated into her apartment.
I walked up to her apartment and rang the doorbell. She parted the curtain of her window a little and peered at me. I waved with a smile.
A few seconds later, she unlocked her door. "Yes, how may I help you?"
I raised the invitation card. "Hi! My name is Zara. I'm your new neighbour and found this on my porch. Are you Jess Johnson?"
The old woman paled instantly as her mouth dropped open in shock. Did I say something untoward or wrong?
"Please, leave me alone," she whispered harshly and slammed the door in my face. Now I was the one left standing, mouth agape.
I shrugged, turned and almost bumped into a young, blond lady with a wide smile and twinkling eyes. "Hey. Don't let old Mrs Parker get you down. Everyone knows she's a killjoy around here," she said. "My name's Jess. My house's next to yours. Welcome to the neighbourhood."
I sighed visibly with relief. "Oh hi! My name is Zara. Thanks for the invitation. I may have pissed Mrs Parker off."
"Pff, don't worry. She'll get over it."
That was how Jess and I became friends. She usually showed up at my doorstep whenever I kissed Bernard goodbye, right after I encountered Mrs Parker's sneers and demeaning look. We would chat over coffee and bake together sometimes.
One morning after my partner drove off, I hoped to see Mrs Parker as usual but was disappointed. It was like she had not woken up yet. Also, Jess did not come by to say hello.
As I touched the knob to open my door, Jess appeared out of nowhere beside me. My heart almost popped out of my chest.
"Jess! You scared me," I exclaimed and noticed she appeared paler than usual. "Are you alright?" Her lips were slightly blue and her eyes sad.
"Zara, you have to check on Mrs Parker. Did you notice she didn't come out this morning?"
"I did but I assume the chilly weather may be the cause."
Jess fidgeted a little. "You know what? I'll come with you. Let's check on her together."
So Jess and I went to Mrs Parker's house and knocked on her door. After many knockings, we heard a low, hoarse voice asking us to come in.
I pushed the door open and we went in. Mrs Parker lay on her big sofa, shivering under many blankets. She started to cry when she saw us.
"Mrs Parker? Are you okay? Do you need us to call the doctor?"
Her eyes bulged in shock. She covered her face and groaned, "No, please. Not you! Tell her I'm sorry."
I turned to look at Jess who stood beside the door crying as well. What is going on here?
I touched Mrs Parker's hands gently. She glanced up at me. "Do you see Jess? Tell her I'm sorry. I was a stupid, old fool," she mumbled in tears.
"Mrs Parker, what are you talking about?"
"Jess is my daughter. Is she with you?"
I turned to look at Jess. She wasn't by the door anymore. Not everyone can stand being around emotional people. Mrs Parker grabbed my hands tightly.
"You look a lot like her—," she mumbled again.
"Mrs Parker, I don't understand."
"Jess passed away some years ago…"
I froze for a moment. I became hot and cold at once when my brain registered Mrs Parker's statement.
"Jess fell in love with that no-good boy and he was going to take her away from me," the old woman continued her confession like she was in therapy. "I begged them to buy your house so we would be close. Jess was all I had. I couldn't let him take her away. They lived in your house for ten years but Jess stopped caring for me like she used to. Like you, she would stand outside her apartment, flaunting her happy marriage for the neighbourhood to see. So I…I…"
Then Jess appeared out of thin air, right before my eyes beside Mrs Parker, tears streaming down her face. My ears echoed as the hairs on my neck and hands stood straight on their ends.
"Zara, I'm sorry about all these," Jess said. "You are the only one who can see me and I need to be free, so I sent you the card. She's my mother and tells you the truth. My husband died by accident because she messed with his car. I couldn't live without my Danny. Zara, I died of heartbreak but still, my mother wouldn't let me go."
Now my hands and legs were shaking terribly. The duo's revelations were too much for me.
"What do you mean "let you go"?" I whispered.
"She has my body in her basement. Zara, you must convince her to let me go. I must be with my Danny. Help me please."
At that moment, Mrs Parker sat up straight like a deranged woman and clawed my hands with her fingers, whispering harshly, "are you listening to me?"
I stood up in shock and fell on my behind. "Mrs Parker!" I reproached her.
She calmed a little. "I'm sorry. Please tell Jess I'm sorry."
I stood up. "Where's her body?"
Her eyes bulged in fear at my question. She pointed to the rugged floor.
"Jess wants you to set her free," I explained.
"I don't want to lose my Jess."
"You are not losing her. She's always with you, in your heart." I pointed to her heart area. "Okay?"
Within the hour, I contacted the funeral home and Jess was taken out of an old freezer in the basement. She was cremated.
I was Mrs Parker's buffer the following morning as she spread her daughter's ashes across the lake.
Jess hovered between her mother and I and placed her hands across our shoulders. "Thank you, Zara. Tell mama, I forgive her."
As I relayed the message, Mrs Parker broke down in tears while Jess smiled widely, waving like an excited child going on a trip as she slowly faded away.