16. The visitor

Chloe forces herself with difficulty to open her eyes slowly. They are thick with sleep and drowsily she starts to observe her room. It is still darkish inside because she hung sheets in front of the blinds, but the many rays of sun that shine through the openings of the guest room and kitchen reveals that it must be late in the day. She suddenly realizes what has awoken her because the sounds come again. There is a knock on the front door. Last night she plunged into bed dead tired and naked and covered her with the sheet. She takes her smartphone and it shows it is twelve-o'-clock. Well, Isaac's tablet did their thing because she has slept right through until now. She climbs out of bed and gets her gown out of the cupboard. Someone knocks again and she shouts: "Just wait; I'm coming!" She is itching to phone Rene at the hospital to inquire about her family. Could it be Robert or Isaac? Maybe it is Isaac with news. It can only be one of the two. Barefooted she walks to the front door while she pulls her gown straight and fastens the strings. She desperately hopes that it is Isaac with good news. She unlocks the front door and opens it and looks up right into the attractive face of Leo who smiles at her and winks. "I tracked you like a bloodhound because I will go to world's end to find my Chloe. Don't you also miss me? What about a little kiss?" Chloe frowns and her eyes narrow against the bright sunlight. Again it is a beautiful, sunny and cloudless day. "I have just awoken, Leo, and my mouth stinks. Kiss me on the cheek if you must, you mad cock. How on earth did you manage to get to me?" He bends forward and lands a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I have just chased you out of bed but your natural beauty is overwhelming. I miss you awfully! You're not playing the game with us, Chloe. The farm is dead without you. We are all down in the dumps and Batista en Buddy howl all day." "Oh no, man. You are exaggerating hopelessly. I don't believe you!" "Those two watchdogs are used to following you all over and guard you. When you're inside, they wait outside. When you walk out, they follow you like shadows and when you ride your bicycle they run along. And when you ride the one with torque you must race away from them quickly or else they will run themselves to death following you. You don't realize how much they love you! Sis Chloe!" Chloe smiles. She envisions the two lovely, giant boerboels. "Come in, you scoundrel, you're really succeeding in letting me feel guilty. I have forgotten how fond they are of me and I haven't been away from the farm in the past for long times. I shall spoil them rotten when I see them again. So, thanks for the information. They don't know how huge they are. When they jump up against me and put their paws on my shoulders, they lick me dripping wet." She laughs happily when she remembers: "However, I don't enjoy my slimy hair and the smell of them and the wash of my body in the shower after they have cuddled me" Chloe tries to wipe the sleep out of her eyes while Leo enters. "So, how did you find me?" "Well, I nagged Hayley and then got your address from Mrs Kennedy. Now you can tell me in detail what happened yesterday." Chloe turns and walks to the kitchen. "Follow me to the kitchen, Leo, but leave the door open. I want to invite the fresh air of the woods inside. I'm simply mad about the aromas of this forest. This place has a unique atmosphere." She pulls out a chair from under the dinner table in the kitchen. "You sit here while I get dressed and make myself presentable in the bathroom. This house has no inner doors; only bead curtains in the door openings, so we will be able to chat while I'm busy." Chloe hears Leo from the kitchen while she sheds her gown and opens the shower. "This place is eerie. Why not any inner doors? Hayley told me it spooks here and no one wants to stay here and she can't believe that you are so stubborn to stay here alone. Aren't you afraid so alone here in these desolate woods? Those portraits in the sitting room give me the creeps. They stare at you when you enter through the front door. This place is hair-raising." Chloe begins to shower while she speaks: "I can look after myself very well; and by the way, I'm not alone. Robert, the caretaker, has his own wooden cabin deeper in the woods. In case of emergency, I just have to pull the bell at the well and he will be here to help and also a new neighbor has arrived and moved into the opposite house." "Chloe, this place is well known as a ghost house. It's only a matter of time and then queer things will happen to you. It simply doesn't make sense to me that you want to stay in this spooky place instead of on your own farm. Has anything strange happened yet? Hayley told me that tenants in the past could endure this place for no more than two weeks before they made off." Chloe wonders whether she should relate her strange experience of last night to him. No, maybe it is too early to be jumpy as you frequently don't see the reasonable explanation right in front of your eyes and then out of the blue you find the logical explanation. "Leo, only a few rats sometimes visit me and make strange noises, that's all. I'm going to put rat poison all around. The previous tenants knew about the farm murder that had taken place here and this negatively affected their imaginations. When they heard the noises the rats made, they believed it were ghosts." "Have you seen any rats so far? Chloe, did you see any droppings?" "Leo, this place was empty when I moved in without any food that enticed them. Then I came with groceries and they smelled it. I think they came in through the windows in the attic. I surprised them before they could leave any evidence, that's all." She deliberately withholds the fact that the rats would not be able to open the windows from outside. She also doesn't tell him about the photo of the children that more than once landed face down on the floor. She also doesn't enlighten him about the footsteps like small children's that awoke her. A shiver runs down her spine when she thinks back while she is drying herself. "Chloe, may I make breakfast for you or lunch because it is in the middle of the day. Do you have something in the fridge that I can prepare for you?" Chloe smiles. "I've never seen you prepare food before; you are going to make a mess. Let me do it." "Oh, I see you have bacon and eggs and sliced bread; also onions and tomatoes. Relax. I'm going to make breakfast for you quickly. Should I make it as you enjoyed it on the farm?" "Leo, do you know how to bake eggs?" "Just tell me what you want to eat today. Usually, you enjoy baked eggs with onions and crispy bacon on brown toast with tomato relish." "Oh, what do you know ..." "Of course I know! I watched you in the mornings when I did not go out early and we enjoyed breakfast together at the table." "Okay, now you have me curious. I want to see if you know what you are talking about. Why don't you also throw the sausage that's in the fridge in the pan because by now, it can be called a brunch." Chloe hears the crackle of the fat in the pan and then she smells the lovely aromas from the kitchen. It makes her very hungry while he answers: "Will do, Chloe, I will add the sausage and add a little water as soon as the bacon is crispy and out of the way. Must say, I'd rather enjoy Susan's wonderful farm meals in Clea's front garden with the singing of birds. I have everything I need there. Not like you in this desolate ghost house in the bushes. This place gives me the creeps." She smiles while drying her hair. "It smells nice, but remember: it's a gas stove. Don't let the stainless steel pan burns on; it's not mine but belongs to this place." "Relax. I'm used to gas cooking. Much easier to regulate the temperature." "Where did you learn to cook?" "At my previous jobs I had to work outside many times and prepared my meals on a portable gas stove in the veld, but now your farm spoils me with Susan's wonderful dishes." "You are full of surprises, Leo." Her brunch is ready and looks delicious. Impressed she smiles: "You truly know what you are doing; everything is perfect like I always enjoy it." She then looks around: "Where are the dirty pan and the rest of the things? Have you already washed up and put it away?" "Of course, and I'm going to wash your plate and cutlery after you have finished eating." Chloe sits down and takes a sip of coffee. Surprised she looks at Leo: "You even know exactly how I like my coffee!" "Chloe, I know your likes and dislikes like my own and want to make you happy if you give me the chance. I will never disappoint you in any way, my girl." Chloe smiles happily at him: "Leo, you always surprise me in the most pleasant ways and you truly are a very special friend. Sorry that I keep myself apart nowadays, but I simply have to get all my chickens in a row, okay?" Leo smiles comprehendingly: "Come now, Chloe! Make my day. I want to see how you enjoy your brunch." Chloe tackles the food and enjoys it immensely. That is precisely what she needs now. She feels much stronger and ready to tackle the challenges that this day might bring. In her heart, there is a warm feeling for this strong, friendly man opposite her. He really is a true friend. He always goes out of his way for her and he works hard on the farm and he is talented and so successful in everything he tackles. Greedily she enjoys the nice, crispy bacon and brown toast and suddenly feels selfish. Zoey is fighting for her life in the ICU and Lyle must be awake by now and with pain over his whole body and wondering how his mom is. Unwelcome tears unexpectedly run out of her eyes and she tries to wipe it away unnoticed with her backhand. "Chloe, what happened yesterday? Hayley told me they went over a cliff at the top of the mountain pass. How did you find them?" How does Leo always read her so well? "You know I was going to look for them and took the same road they had. You know the mountain pass. At the peak is a sharp bend and then the road goes steeply down on the other side with another sharp bend ahead." Leo's eyes widen: "Good heavens! Don't tell me they went over there! How did they survive? It's a miracle, Chloe!" "I found their brake marks all the way from the top down to the broken boundary wall where they burst through and went over. I yelled desperately and against all logic as hard as I could. I heard my voice reverberates in echoes from the cliffs and in the echoes, I heard Lyles voice. As fast as I could I drove down the pass to where I got a phone signal and phoned the right person who contacted the emergency team directly." "Shame Chloe, you saved them. What would have happened if you had not found them?" "The doctor said they would have frozen to death." Chloe's smartphone rings and she grabs it immediately and anxiously looks at the screen that displays ‘unknown number'. She gets a lame feeling. She just hopes it isn't bad news. "Hello, Chloe Eastwood here." "Chloe, I hope I haven't awoken you by calling. Have you been sleeping?" "Doctor Horn, where did you get my number?" "Why so formal? I'm your neighbor, Isaac. Mrs Kennedy gave your number to me. I should have thought about it yesterday and got your number at the hospital. Relax, I don't have bad news. The swelling on Zoey's brain is detracting and she is now stable and must recuperate by herself while we monitor her in the ICU. I explained the whole thing to Lyle when he woke up and this lad looks strong. He fully understands her condition and that she probably will stay in a coma for a long time and I am impressed. He is very independent and brave." Chloe smiles happily: "Yes, he is our little Iron Man." "Chloe, we want to keep him here today and want to release him tomorrow already. He gave us his father's number but we cannot get hold of him. Do you perhaps know where he is?" "I honestly don't know where Quinn is, doctor. He and Zoey had a terrible fight and he left them and vanished. But it doesn't matter; I'll take care of Lyle. His father is unstable and not reliable at the moment. It will be best if I take Lyle back to school if he wants to go. He's getting further behind with his school work and I think he realizes that. He previously really wanted to come up to date. I will fetch him from the hostel the first weekend after his mother has regained consciousness to visit her." "Please stop calling me ‘doctor', Chloe. Lyle asked about you and I told him about the sleeping pills I prescribed for you to rest. May I tell him you will visit him during visiting hours this afternoon? It's from 3 to 4; not far off. We moved him to the general section and he is in a room sharing it with three other patients in Unit B, room 20." "I will miss it for nothing in this world, doctor. Lyle and I will then work out the road ahead. Thank you so much for calling, doctor." "Isaac." "Goodbye, doctor. Thanks so much for all your trouble." Leo looks curious: "What did the doctor say?" "The swelling on Zoey's brain is down but she is still in a coma in the ICU. Lyle is awake and asked about me and I'm going to visit him at three-o'-clock." "May I go with you?" "Okay. See you there; but please phone Hayley and ask her to phone Ronnie. Maybe they want to come as well. You must only give me a while alone with Lyle, please; maybe he first wants to see me alone." Leo smiles understandingly: "Yes, I'm sure he will want to see you alone to thank you thoroughly. I'm sure you are now his heroin and he will never ever forget what you did to save them."