Unfaithful

Home At Last

~~Angela~~

The next morning, we let Michelle sleep in and went down to get some breakfast. When we returned, she was already up, watching cartoons on the TV. 

We gave her the bagel we had gotten her and began packing. Well, James packed and I explained to Michelle that we had to leave. She wanted to stay in the hotel.

Within an hour we were on the road. It only took a few hours to reach the address Aj had given us. It was just a house. But it was a HUGE house. You know the Smiths' mansion? Almost that big.

I drove up the driveway and stopped just in front of the garage door. The gate at the entrance closed. We were stuck. 

James and I cautiously got out of the car and walked up the walkway to the front door. I was about to ring the doorbell, when the door suddenly opened. Standing behind it was a butler, not unlike every butler in every movie, ever.

He was short and balding with a pasta belly and carrying a silver tray. 

"We've been expecting you. But, I thought there were three of you," he said tentatively. 

"I'll go get Michelle," I offered.

"I'll get your bags," the butler said in reply, "Oh, and just so you know, my name is Walter, but you can call me Walt."

"Nice to meet you Walt," James said laughing, "Michelle's going to think she met Walt Disney!"

She actually did. That's how we discovered he does a wicked impression of Mickey Mouse.

He showed us around the house, said it was Aj's and she rarely ever used it. He went on about how nice it was to actually have someone in the house giving him something to do. He sent one of the other servants to prepare our rooms while we went to the dining room for a late lunch. 

After lunch, he commented on how tired we all looked, so we went upstairs to our rooms. Michelle went down the hall with her new nanny, Marie, while James and I followed Walt to the master bedroom.

"Just hang this over the doorknob when you'd... rather not be disturbed," he said, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Thanks Walt," James said, taking the tiny "do not disturb" sign from him. Without another word, Walt turned and headed back downstairs.

James immediately hooked the sign on the doorknob, picked me up, and shut the door behind us.

Later that evening, Walt called us on an intercom we had only recently discovered we had, to let us know that dinner was ready.

"Tonight, the chef has prepared a variety of foreign cuisines to get to know your tastes. Do not hesitate to tell him what you like or don't like. He will adjust his menus accordingly," Walt explained before we entered the dining room. 

Michelle was already there, sitting next to Marie and shoveling down a bowl of corn and peas.

"I've never actually seen her eat vegetables before," I commented.

"Well," Marie began, "I explained to her how nutritious vegetables are and how they an help her grow."

"And she started eating them to shut you up?" I asked, stifling a laugh.

"No," she replied, "But I told her that Cinderella ate a lot of vegetables, and before I could say anything else, she started eating. This is her third helping!"

"Wow," I said, nodding, "I must say, I'm impressed."

James took my hand and we sat down. I couldn't bring myself to relax. There was something about her that I didn't trust.

Dinner was served and we ate in silence. After dinner, Walt suggested a walk in the garden to calm down after a long day.

Marie put Michelle to bed, and we out for a walk. 

"So," James began, "What do you think of this place?"

"It's... nice," I replied.

He stopped and looked down at me. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just... I don't really trust Marie. I don't know why. She acts like Claire," I answered.

"Our Claire?" he asked, "My old sister Claire?" 

I nodded. I heard something move behind me and turned around, but nothing was there. I really needed to get to bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

"Nothing," I said, putting my hand to my head, "I just think I need to get some sleep. I'm really tired."

He didn't respond. We walked back to the house in silence.

James praised Walt on the gardens, telling him how wonderful it was kept, then excused himself, saying I wasn't feeling well.

I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, and for the first time in months, I woke to the sound of a gun shot.