Two Houses - a short story

I have a story to tell.

In a pine and azalea laden mid-century neighborhood, a woman resides. She looks out her blinds sometimes at her neighbors, and they wave at her, but she doesn't wave back. She is usually dressed in a brief glance what looks like those mumu house dresses people wear when they just don't give a crap anymore. She is older, has big rolled hair and never smiles. One can hear her out back at night calling in her small dog, as others sit on their porch or gather up childrens' toys scattered about before night and humidity reigns.

People have privacy fences, but one always notices neighbor's behaviors. Once a day she gets into her small blue car and drives across the street and down two houses and enters another home. This home is festooned with Catholic idolatry in the yard and also in the front glassed in sitting room one can see from the road. This is not unusual in her city- Catholics rule this place like a priest in a boys' summer camp. Yards are full of praying Marys, Catholic private schools abound, and rosaries hang from every other rearview mirror. (In case of sudden ascension beads will get you in). It's odd that the lady drives about 20 yards and enters a seemingly always empty house. The yard is well kept, but never has cars in the driveway.

Recently there was a city wide yard sale that her neighborhood participated in. One of the participants is a local and like locals from a city, know about bigger news stories of the past. Sort of like how Bay County residents spin tales of old Sherriff Daffin, moonshining, certain bank presidents getting in bar fights at Friday's..that sort of thing. During this recent yard sale, neighbors gossiped among themselves. A few people learned that the solitary bath-robed lady would probably never wave back. here's why:

About this time last year, her older son went missing. His car was found on Scenic Highway on the bluffs. Now, this is a great place for dog walking and stair climbing during the day, but at night is known to be a trolling area for sexual encounters of the anonymous kind. Not judging, just saying it's known for that. His car was empty except for personal items. No body was ever found. It was on the news, and is probably still an ongoing investigation.

A local, realized that she knew this person, in a very round about, not personal way. Recalled to other neighbors him being older yet hanging out with young boys in social situations. For example, when every one graduated and went off to college, he was still hanging with people not age appropriate for a young adult growing into a man. He had many people talking about his innapropriate behavior around kids. Many parents may have gotten suspicious. One can only guess and there is no proof but those were the rumors.

He lived in that house that this sad quiet woman visits every day. She is his mother and her neighbors remember her son living there, closing connected to his mom in distance and then disappearing off the face of this Earth. She owned both houses, and is the caretaker still of each.

Now, when she travels in her little car all of two houses, and across the road, one knows what she is doing.

She is waiting.