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“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you liked coffee,” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“It’s okay, Rebecca. I’m just glad to see you up this early. The breakfast is a bonus.”
I go back to flipping the omelet.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.” I move the first omelet to a plate and hand it off to him.
“Thank you. This looks delicious.”
When his eyes linger on me a moment too long, I start putting together the second omelet. “Will you get garden supplies today?” I ask boldly, hoping that my quick exit last night didn’t ruin my opportunity for my new hobby. I loved gardening at Niko’s, and if I’m going to be living here now, I’d love to have something to do.
He looks out the window across the table from his chair. “It looks like rain today. I might get the supplies, but we’ll have to wait until it stops to get started.”
I plate my own food, grab a glass of milk, and walk to the chair I sat in last night.
“You can sit closer, you know. I don’t bite.”
A shudder runs down my spine. “I’m okay here.”
We continue to eat our food in silence. As soon as my uncle finishes, he rinses his plate and grabs his keys.
“If I go quick, we might be able to get started before the rain comes.”
“Okay. I’ll clean up here.”
He pauses in grabbing his keys from the counter. “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?” Nervousness colors his tone. “Maybe you should come with.”
“I’ll be fine. I woke up pretty early, so I might just take a nap.”
He gives me a nod, and then he’s gone.
I go about finishing my food and then do the dishes. As I’m wiping the table clean, the exhaustion hits and I decide to take that nap. I drop the damp rag off at the sink and walk back into my bedroom.
“Rebecca? Rebecca!” My uncle’s shouting wakes me from a dreamless sleep. It must not have been a very deep one because I wake feeling tired instead of refreshed. His rushed footsteps sound near my door before a panicked knock rings out.
“Rebecca, are you in there?”
“Yes. I’m waking up.”
A pause. “I got some supplies if you want to come out back.”
“I’ll be right there.”
The sound of his footsteps retreating slow my heartbeat, and I climb out of bed.
My uncle didn’t do a bad job of gathering supplies for my gardening. I can tell he tried to make me happy. He bought paving stones for the outline to delineate it from the rest of the yard. Bags of soil and various flowers lined the garage when I stepped outside. It was nice. It just wasn’t the same as going to the nursery with Niko. But I would make do with what I had.
It took hours to prep the area, mostly because he had to mow the grass around it first so we weren’t working in the weeds. We dug out the perimeter and set the stones. All that took hours before I could even begin the fun of gardening.
By the time it starts to rain, it’s well past five o’clock in the evening. My uncle calls for me to head inside, and he’ll finish putting everything away, so that’s what I do.
Once in the dry warmth of the house, I think about texting Niko and telling him about the garden. It’s because of him, after all, that I enjoy the hobby. I reach in my back pocket for my phone, but it’s not there. I pat the other one but also come up empty. What did I do with it?
The bedside table is empty except for the lamp, the clock, and the crossword book Niko gave me. The bed is made, and the dresser only holds my toiletry items. Dropping to my knees, I check beneath the bed and table but come up empty.
I rack my brain as I walk out into the living room and scan the surfaces there. Besides the television remote and a few magazines, the tables are empty.
