Suspended - Part V

“Suspended” is a fictional story about a New York family — husband, wife and college-aged son — who’ve become disconnected from one another and lost their sense of purpose until a beautiful young woman who claims she’s a hands-on-healer enters their lives and shakes everything up.

THIS IS PART 5 of a FIFTEEN-PART STORY

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

 

Image: Caroline Hernandez

When Danny came home from his shift at the restaurant, a strange woman was sitting in the kitchen. She had her back to Danny, but he could see the supple indent of her spine beneath her T-shirt. She was bent over the table, writing something. Behind her on the stove, the kettle shrieked. She stood to get it, giving a start when she saw Danny in the doorway. She was older than she looked from the back, perhaps forty, with clear blue eyes in an unlined attractive face. "You're Danny," she said softly. When he didn't answer, she held out her hand. "I'm Fee Davis. Your dad was nice enough to say I could stay here for a few days."

She held his hand a moment longer than she had to, staring deeply into his eyes and smiling. He smiled back like an idiot and mumbled something about how nice it was to meet her. Was this woman, Fee Davis, the reason his father had suggested he take a few days off and go to the country? 

“Want some tea?” she asked, releasing his hand.

“Oh, no thanks.” He wanted to eat, but not with Fee in the kitchen. He went to his room, closed the door, lay down on the bed. Who the hell was this person? His father hadn't said anything about her. He kicked off his shoes and wriggled out of his pants. He was ferociously hungry, but decided to force all thoughts of food out of his mind and sit for awhile in meditation. In the Dao tradition, there were monks who starved themselves for weeks on end in order to achieve states of enlightenment. But try as he might, he couldn't relax. Somehow Fee seemed to be there in the room with him, watching him take deep slow breaths, impeding his entry to the mindless, floaty space he craved. After twenty minutes he gave up, angry that he couldn't feel at home in his own room. He pulled a pair of jeans over his boxers and marched into the kitchen. The woman was still there, hunched over the table, sipping tea. She smiled as he walked in. "Hungry?"

He didn’t answer, annoyed that he couldn’t have the kitchen to himself. Was Fee having an affair with his father? His face turned red as he tried to imagine this, Fee in Marcia’s place in his parents’ bed, her smooth blond hair spread over the sheets. His mother, by comparison, was ungroomed and overweight and didn’t seem very sexy. Did she even know this woman was here in the apartment? He could feel Fee’s eyes on his back as he took carrots, broccoli and cauliflower from the fridge and placed them on a chopping board. She seemed to suck at him, drink him in. Why hadn't his father said anything about her?

Cover Image: Cottonbro (Pexels)