Familiar

8. | King of Cups

THE NEXT MORNING when I woke I stretched and immediately remembered my bedmate. I turned over and flipped back the covers only to find an empty mattress. With my pulse racing I stumbled out of bed and tore the covers back and even off the bed. Still no sign of my rabbit.

I dropped to the floor and pushed the dust cover aside to find nothing but my memory chest. I padded around the room checking behind the curtains, opening the closet and drawers to only find clothes and shoes. I ran to the adjoining bathroom and checked the tub, the cabinet under the sink and around the toilet to no avail. Going back to the bedroom I opened the armoire where I had first placed my rabbit and found it empty.

Lenny scared me while I was crawling to get a better look under one of my dressers. "Miss? Is everything alright?"

I banged my elbow against the foot of the dresser and from my position on the floor I mumbled, "Everything is fine Lenny, I thought I saw a mouse is all." I sat up and brush a few dust bunnies off my sleeve and sneezed.

"A mouse?" Lenny asked as she helped me from the floor, her face paling.

I was quick to reassure her, "No, no mice. It was only my imagination."

Lenny was fast to recover and let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I hate mice Miss."

"With good reason," I commiserated with a forced smile.

"I think I'll get ready early this morning Lenny." She nodded her assent and began pulling articles of clothes out and laying them on the bed.

I whisked my nightgown over my head and tugged on the forest green sweater and tan slacks, fumbling to get the alligator belt looped around my waist and slip my brown Oxfords on. Lenny has finished setting out everything she needed for my hair and waited for me to sit at the vanity. She carefully brushed and and twisted my hair into a chignon, expertly pinning it into place within minutes. Lenny patted my shoulder and I stood, thanking her and hurrying to get downstairs.

I ran into Boyd in the hallway, still dressed in his flannel pajamas and his hair sticking up on one side.

"Hey," I nudged his arm with my elbow and he grinned sleepily, nudging back.

"Morning Dot, where you off to so early on this fine morning?" He asked, cracking his jaw as he yawned.

"Thought I'd take a walk or something." We descended the stairs together and I could faintly hear the sounds of the rest of our family delving into morning breakfast.

"Or something huh?" He glanced down from the corner of his eye and I ducked my head to avoid his question.

"So how was your night with your university friends?" Boyd gave me an exasperated look but allowed the subject change.

"It was nice to see them outside of a lecture setting for a change. How was your night with the first of many marriage appropriate men?"

I couldn't help the grimace, "It was alright I guess. I mean, he wasn't rude or anything but he did say something that bothered me." We reached the landing and started for the dining room, Boyd slowing his stride so I could keep pace.

"What did he say?" But I didn't get a chance to answer as we were entering the dining room.

"Later," I whisper and broke away from his side to sit at my place.