Joan:

My first impression when I walked through the living room was that nerdy grandparents lived here. There were hand knitted blankets on the ottoman and a comfy looking armchair and love seat set. Star Trek posters, Dr. Who knick-knacks, and a hand-carved Firefly spaceship served as the main décor. Family photos were placed and hung amongst the Sci-Fi paraphernalia.

“Wow, your house is awesome,” I let slip.

Hank laughed behind me and Kamal beamed at the compliment. There were three dog beds along one corner of the wall. Maya walked over to her bed and situated herself in it.

Hank went over to her, “How’s she been?” he asked Kamal.

Kamal grimaced and shrugged, “Well you know, she’s not as spry as she once was but she seems to be doing better.” Hank rubbed Maya’s back and began looking her over.

I looked back and forth at both of them, “What happened?”

“She managed to get a hold of some rat poison I think,” Kamal explained, “I got her to the vet in time, luckily she’d vomited up most of it already. It’s weird though, I don’t know anyone around here that has a rat problem or uses that stuff. Most of our neighbors have pets.” Kamal’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“That’s awful,” I said, turning to look at the dog in question, “Poor Maya.” Maya was thoroughly enjoying the attention from Hank at the moment.

Hank stood up, satisfied with his check, “She’ll be alright.”

“Let me show you the guest room so you can set your stuff down,” Kamal said, gesturing towards the hall.

The bedrooms were to the right of the living room; the second door was where I’d be staying. The room was plain and neat, the bed looked tempting.

“You have your own bathroom right next door,” Kamal explained. I placed my bag at the foot of the bed and looked where he pointed. “This is the master bedroom,” he said, walking towards the first door, “the kitchen is through the front of the living room. I’ll start on dinner soon but let me know if you get hungry before then.”

I nodded and smiled, “Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate it.”

He waved away my comment, “think nothing of it. We’ll give you a chance to rest and wash up before dinner. Come out whenever you’re ready and if you need anything, just ask.” With that he and Hank disappeared towards the kitchen. Link and Maya followed them but Bernie hung back to see if I was coming.

I went over and patted his head, “I need to get clean now, boy. I’ll play with you in a bit.” He seemed to understand and padded off to join the others. I turned on the shower and sat on the bed to wait for the water to heat up. I took a deep breath and stared at the periwinkle walls. For the first time this week I could feel myself relaxing.