That Slow Sweet Walk

Chapter 4

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Sandy woke alone and stiff. She'd dreamt the transparent man was chasing her through the graveyard. She rubbed her temples trying to ward the nightmare away.

    "It was a hallucination. Just a hallucination," Sandy said to herself. Her body felt as if it'd been stretched out and put through a meat grinder. Every part of her hurt. Sandy wanted to shudder at the thought of what she must look like but she suspected it'd make her feel worse. Groaning inwardly and outwardly, Sandy dragged herself out of bed and trudged to the kitchen. She could smell Janet's exquisite cooking and her stomach rumbled like a beast to get a piece of it.

Unfamiliar men were walking to and from the foyer, carrying tools and hauling out the plastic tarps the girls taped over the broken windows. Sandy waved and nodded at them in greeting and after an awkward second they returned it. They started whispering as soon as she turned her back, but assuming it was was regarding their work, she went on. Laughter from the kitchen made her flinch slightly as she got nearer to the volume.

"Danny! You're doing it wrong," Janet's voice chastised. "The cupcakes aren't supposed to be frosted until they've cooled completely!"

A smile graced Sandy's face. Danny was many things but a patient cook wasn't one of them. Danny went to college for engineering, he had a masters degree in the science but after working in the industry for a few years he sunk into a depression. Danny quit his job on a whim and moved back to Montana to indulge in his passion, snowboarding. Now he had ambitions to be a professional snowboarder and dreamt of going to the Olympics.

Maybe it was the love of zooming down a slope at top speed that fed into his impatience in the kitchen. He could barely wait for dough to rise and his eyes glazed over reading the long list of ingredients needed to make his favorite soups.

"Hey guys," Sandy called in a somewhat gravelly voice as she pulled open the door. A chorus of greetings made her head rattle but she smiled through the pain. Everyone was gathered around the kitchen island where a breakfast tray sat. The kitchen was huge, even the six men who arrived last night couldn't make the room crowded with the five women.

Betty offered Sandy a glass of juice from the tray. "We were about to bring you breakfast in bed."

Nick put his hand on her Sandy's forehead. "No fever, that's good. Chills? Blurred vision? Anything?"

"Just a headache and soreness," she assured him.

"Give the woman a break," Paul said. "She says she's fine."

"That's what she said before graduation too, and she gave us all strep throat," Nick reminded them.

Sandy rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

Danny shot her a goofy smile at the memory. He had orange icing dripping down he fingers from the still hot cupcake melting the stuff, making a mess. "You look beautiful, baby."

Janet glared at the increasing mess he was making on the island. "Danny Zachai, if you keep trying to frost that cupcake and ruin my kitchen you won't be able to perform on your wedding night." Everyone laughed as Danny pretended to look cowed at Janet's empty threat.

"Sorry Jan." Timidly Danny put the knife down and handed Sandy the runny cupcake. "Here you go, babe. Sorry about the frosting," his cheeks a bit red. Danny grabbed a paper towel and started to clean the mess he'd made. Everyone went back to their breakfast and started chatting softly.

"Thanks, honey," Sandy smiled before taking a bite. "And thanks for coming for me last night. I heard you yelling for me through the storm."

Danny stopped his cleaning and gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about, Sandy? You were already on the porch when we got here."