Page 27 of Words Unspoken

FenLei stared at him. “What? You think you some gangster? Start rap club?”

He smiled despite himself. He supposed he looked like a bum with the hat and beard. He should shave. He gave the little Vietnamese woman a one-armed hug.

She pushed him away. “Go away. Drink coffee. I start clean kitchen, must finish. Make breakfast after. Shoo!”

Michael followed her suggestion, settling himself in a deck chair, watching the waves and the sun.

Life was good.

∞

Ann yawned. It must be nearly eight in the morning. She had slept in, and Michael was already up. She blamed the stress of everything that had happened since Michael’s surgery. Grabbing Michael’s robe from the bathroom, she padded her way to the kitchen but was surprised to see a small woman humming and scrubbing the counters.

“Hello?”

The tiny woman stopped. She must be just under five feet in height. She was dark in color and of an undeterminable age. She stared at Ann. “My goodness! He finally bring woman home. I beginning to worry he always be bachelor.”

Ann blinked.

“You pretty. Come closer, I make coffee. You want some?” She peeled off her rubber gloves and grabbed a cup out of the cupboard. She used a step stool to reach the bottom shelf. Ann wondered what she did when she wanted something off the top shelves.

“Um, yes please,” Ann sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar. “My name is Ann. You are?”

“FenLei. I cook, clean, run errand. Take care house and Mr. Michael when he here,” she put down a cup of coffee in front of Ann. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Please,” Ann watched as the efficient little woman grabbed the requested items. “How long have you worked for Michael?”

“Ten year,” FenLei gave Ann the sugar and cream. She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Tell me, Mr. Michael good in bed?”

Ann stared at her in shock and blushed furiously.

“Oooh! Blushy, blushy,” FenLei wiggled a finger. “I thought so.”

“We didn’t… We aren’t romantically involved,” said Ann, flustered by the housekeeper is insinuation.

“What? No sex?” FenLei gave her an unbelieving look. “He big man. You pretty lady.”

“No,” Ann said firmly. “Michael had an operation. I am here to help take care of him.”

FenLei harrumphed. “What sort operation? Take appendix?”

“No. He had a couple of tumors removed from his brain.”

“He okay?” the little lady turned serious.

“He is okay. He is just…” Ann sighed and then explained about the speech aphasia.

“So, he no talk no more?” questioned FenLei.

Ann nodded. “Not much, no.”

“He no gonna call me bossy no more?” FenLei looked upset.

“He calls you bossy?” Ann asked, surprised.

“All the time. It okay. Mr. Michael don’t mind my bossy,” FenLei resumed wiping the countertop. “If he no like he would have fired me many years ago. You want breakfast?”

Ann struggled to keep up with the conversation. “Okay.”