Franck
Vicky caressed Franck’s forehead while he was still asleep, he was startled. She whispered to him to wake up. Today he was starting his new job. He opened his eyes painfully, maybe he should have avoided drinking 7 cans of Bourbon (Whiskey Coke) last night. He was so stressed too, he needed that to fall asleep and stop thinking about all the things he shouldn’t do.
Since his release from prison, he had tried in vain to find a job as a gardener. After almost a year, he was desperate when he finally got an interview at Riverside Gardens Estate. The boss didn’t seem very convenient, but no matter what, he got the job.
Plants, especially trees, were his passion. How he had suffered from being locked up for two years. He wasn’t even allowed to take care of his bonsais. So to finally find a job as a gardener was a wonderful surprise.
Okay, he had left out a few small details about his situation. Vicky had encouraged him, too. He hadn’t mentioned his time in jail or that he didn’t have a driver’s license. And they hadn’t asked him about it either. Is a lie by omission a real lie?
The stress rose suddenly, and Franck left his bed in a hurry. He rushed to the shower, got dressed in a hurry. He was already panicking, feverishly looking for anything he needed to take with him. Fortunately, Vicky patted him on the back and pointed to the cooler, the pocket with the administrative documents, and the clothes waiting for him on the kitchen table. He sighed with relief. What would he do without her?
He hurried to take everything away, and after a last kiss to Vicky, he started his car.
When he arrived at the parking lot, he stared at the office door for a moment before deciding to get out of the car. Pfff it was necessary that he blew, that was going to go well. Oh, but what if she found out that he didn’t have his license?
And his papers, where were his papers? Had Vicky filled them out properly? Yes, yes, she always did it right. Should he check? No, it was already late. Or maybe? Paralyzed by anxiety, he hadn’t seen the minutes go by. He was almost late. Franck jumped out of his pickup and went to the office.
In front of the door, he hesitated for a moment. He knocked. An authoritative voice shouted at him to come in, and he was not begged.
Sue was facing him, her impeccable suit, her varnished pumps and her hair pulled up to four pins gave him an even more severe look. She looked at him from top to bottom and led him to her desk. Without a preamble, she checked the administrative documents. She had a dubious pout, everything was in order. Almost disappointed, no reprimands for today, she began to give him an inventory of the post.
Bill, the chief gardener who will be retired within few months, will be his supervisor. If they were happy with his work, he could stay and take Bill’s place. Sue insisted on the time schedule, looking Frank in the eye to make sure he understood its importance.
Then she went on to talk about the issues of the day. The pruning of the 300 houses would soon begin. Ah, and for the past few weeks, a wild cat had been threatening the tranquility of Riverside Gardens.
At the sound of the word “Wild Cat”, Franck lost track of the conversation. There was a feral cat, there was a feral cat, and he had to be caught. He was going to make a trap. Oh yes, a nice trap, and then he would catch this wild cat. He was all excited just thinking about it. The hero of the wildcat, we would call him!
Bruce
Bruce still couldn’t believe it, his van had been stolen! He was desperately contemplating the empty lot, no trace of his van. Gone!
It wasn’t going to be like that! He had already contacted the office, they were busy contacting the police and solving the case. A stranger had come in, in the middle of the day too! The stranger already knew where the van was, and he had just helped himself, that’s it! It was gone!
A tear fell on Bruce’s cheek. There had been so many hours, so many drops of sweat, so much trouble with repairs. It was his jewel, his escape route. And now the van was gone.
Goodbye dream of space and travel, we had to start all over again. A bitter smile passed over her lips. Rita was almost delighted. She, who was beginning to make a place for herself in this cursed residence, was happy to stay.
A vice tightened his chest. The boredom would be even heavier without his van. The prospect of staying a few years in this improved old people’s campsite depressed him in advance. He had tried everything to acclimatize, he had tried to get interested in the boules club, but their polo shirts were awful and he was playing rugby. The boules, pffff, and moreover they were mixed teams, and what else! Then he tried to join the DIY club, “The Men Shed”. Besides, he was a bit the leader of it, with his van project. But now, what was he going to tinker with?
His only reason for getting up in the morning had been taken away from him, he sighed and left the field to go back to his shack. Rita was waiting for him for lunch.
When he saw the moving truck, he made a detour, curious to see the new resident.
The truck stopped in front of number 296. Three movers got out and started unloading modern, lacquered furniture and designer decorations. He contemplated the spectacle, looking for the owner of this unusual furniture in the residence.
The sound of a humming engine made him turn around. A yellow convertible was speeding down the street. The speed limit was 8 kilometers per hour here, and the driver didn’t care.
Finally the lady driver… Bruce’s eyes rolled in their sockets as he saw the owner get out. Molded in leather pants, she undulated her ass ostensibly. At first he believed a visiting nurse, or the daughter of one of the residents. But when he saw her face, her beautiful face marked by the years, he couldn’t believe it. She was the new resident.
Her long white hair seemed to sway on her shoulders, so silky. A slight bump was beginning to form in her pants. The newcomer definitely did not leave him indifferent. Her curves, this so feminine way of moving, this croup, this cleavage, this woman had a bewitching sensuality.
Bruce smiled at her, she had already bewitched him. She waved her hand and turned towards the movers.
Paula
The truck was almost empty. She signaled to the movers to meet her inside the house. A small snack and beers were waiting for them. They seemed happy for the attention.
If they knew that nothing was free with Paula. She was only doing this to spend a little more time with them. To contemplate their beautifully carved bodies, to see the sweat gleam on their tired, protruding muscles. Hmmm to smell them too, to smell that beautiful male smell…
Pretending to fetch more beers from the fridge, she slipped in between the two older ones, grazed the crotch of the older one with her buttocks. She then turned to him to apologize. But if her lips uttered a flat apology, her pupils shouted to the tall man, “If you want me, I’m yours, right now, in the kitchen. ».
But he did not follow her, she was disappointed. She had to face the facts, she had to lower her standards, or rather raise the age of her conquests. In fact, that was why she moved to that horrible place. She was already regretting it… its plastic walls, its streets with improved bungalows, and all those old people everywhere, all the time. She almost had a heart attack.
Except that staying in the city was like running away from her sex life, and that Paula would never accept. Rather die than not feel the weight of a man on her at least once a week.
Sex had always been a part of her life, and she wasn’t going to give it up! Unfortunately, the older you get, the less easy it is to find prey, men to seduce and men to drag under the sheets. When nightclubs were no longer her age, when she had become too old for bars, she started installing dating applications. It was much less exciting, and her power was more limited, but it still worked.
But it didn’t last, by the time she was over 80, dating sites were getting boring, and few men were willing to have adventures with a grandmother, or… they were monstrously ugly, and she was better than that. Or worse, they weren’t looking for a sexual adventure, but for a good woman who would cook dinner for them and walk beside them on the beach. She still preferred to bang an ugly guy.
So there she was, she had heard about these residences for people over 50 years old. A beautiful hunting ground in perspective, she thought to herself. She had already seen a few treats on her way. Moreover, some had not remained insensitive… The eyes of this big guy from earlier had literally devoured her. He was well built, he had a lustful look in his eyes, he had potential. Tomorrow, she would go on the attack.
A foreign hand on her hip made her come out of her thoughts… She still had years ahead of her…
Rita
Rita closed the door behind Bruce. She stroked the plastic door jamb. Ah his little house, she loved it, memories littered the shelves, the photos of their little family, their three children, their six grandchildren. Smiles, joy that were displayed in small and large. She caressed each image with her gaze.
She needed a little break before going back to the kitchen. The guilt was eating away at her, and she poured a glass of whisky to try to calm her down a little.
Bruce had just come out. He seemed troubled when he came home. Confused and overwhelmed with sadness. She blamed herself. But she had no choice. She had to sell the van, or else she would continue to be burdened with debt, over and over again. No, she didn’t have a choice, really.
Of course, she knew that the van meant everything to him. He would never have resolved to sell it, so she had orchestrated a theft, a fake theft. It was her son who had helped her. And then Sue had covered for her. Sue, she owed her. It had been easy to convince them all. The van was already on a boat by now.
Yes, she had done it to save them from bankruptcy. For that, but also to stay. Yes, she loved this place, she loved being an important person here. She enjoyed spending time with women her own age, swapping, playing cards, having a little brandy on the porch with Susan. Bruce knew she loved it here, but he still wanted to leave. Now he couldn’t.
Come on, she had to get back on the stove. This afternoon she had a committee meeting and if she wanted to be the chair, she had to charm them. Nothing better than her three chocolate muffins and homemade scones!
Oh well, she was also going to prepare a plate of them for the new neighbor. She and Susan would bring it to her to welcome her. Who knows, maybe she would become a new friend? And even a new support for the presidency?
She opened the cupboard, grabbed the flour packet and set to work.
Susan
Susan walked slowly, up Irwin Drive, up Avron and around to Fitzroy Road. Her feet trampled the asphalt mechanically, she advanced without even realizing it.
The news hammered her brain. Nothing could chase away the few words Rick had just spoken to her. She should have stayed with him, comforted him, told him that she would be there, that they were going to face this together. But she didn’t have the courage, she ran away, pretended she had to welcome the new resident with Rita and ran away.
“I have lung cancer. I start chemo next week. “That’s how her Rick told her, without any preamble, without “Sit down my darling”, without “I have bad news. ». No, just like that, off the top of his head. That was good Rick, he was getting to the point. Even the tone of his voice had been neutral, he could have said, “I’ve bought some more milk and filled up the car. “That would have been the same.
Except that it wasn’t the same, no. He was going to die, she knew it, she could feel it. Maybe not tomorrow, but this cancer, this cancer would take him before any disease would take her. She would have wanted to be the first to die. No, she refused to become a widow. He had better fight this cancer! He who was such a fighter in his youth, she hoped he would put out his fists and not let it happen.
She would arrive in front of Rita’s house. She noticed the three new ceramic Meerkats on the left side of the stairs. Rita had gone crazy again! She didn’t have time to knock, Rita was already taking out a large plate of muffins and scones in her arms. After blaming her for being late, she pointed to the new resident’s house with her chin.
It was one of the most spacious houses and she was curious to see inside. She tried to concentrate on the excitement of the newness to get the six letters that were turning in her head, C-A-N-C-E-R, out of her mind.
After a few steps, they arrived in front of the house. Susan glued a fake smile on her face. They waited a few seconds, and repeated with a ring of the doorbell and short knocks on the door.
Finally, they heard footsteps echoing. The door opened. They were stunned. The woman facing them was tall, her long white hair tousled, and falling nonchalantly onto her black silk robe. If she hadn’t had a wrinkled face and wrinkled hands, you would have thought you were watching the first scene of a bad erotic film from the 80s.
Susan looked for Rita’s look, and when she found it, she repressed a laugh. But who was this new resident? There was no doubt about it, she had just had a good time…
Her dark eyes gazed at them with a mixture of benevolence and judgment. Rita spoke first, they had come to greet her. And they had brought sweets. But they could come back.
Paula smiled at them and asked them to come in, she had finished anyway. Uh, she had finished what, Susan wondered? Did she talk so openly about what she was thinking?
The living room had been completely renovated, the walls had been repainted white, and the wood floor had replaced the carpet. Susan was overwhelmed, the bungalow was unrecognizable. She was equally impressed by the look on Rita’s face.
Paula asked them to sit down, she would be back in a moment, just to do something more suitable. She and Rita commented on the decoration, the modern furniture, the absence of pictures, the coldness and beauty of the place. A handsome man in his sixties interrupted them, he passed quickly from the room to the entrance, finishing to button up his shirt. He smiled embarrassedly at them, and left.
At the same time, Paula shouted from the room, “Goodbye, Brad, see you soon, I hope. ».
Susan laughed. Decidedly, she felt that with Paula, they were not going to be bored …
Sue
Franck had joined Bill at the Workshop, Sue gave them a last look in the rear-view mirror. They were still talking, they had better get to work quickly. Yes, she would send Martha around the workshop and through the residence. Martha would be her eyes, it was just to make sure the newcomer wouldn’t make Bill any lazier than he was.
This morning, Sue had contained herself, this new Frank was getting on her nerves. His lost eyes, sloppy clothes and multiple ticks made him unbearable. She had a crazy desire to shake him up.
But hey, with such a tight budget for recruitment, it was not surprising to have such phenomena. Well, as long as he cut the bushes on time and without too much damage, it would pass.
The new owner was arriving today, so she had to get back to the office quickly, make sure everything was in its place. The anxiety grew inside her, as long as he didn’t come and stick his nose in her things. With the previous one, it had been trivial to set up a few schemes without him noticing. The old one didn’t care about anything, and was only interested in sales and profits.
But the profits had gone down and he had sold. The second one, on the other hand, had to be careful. He had already reduced the budget for gardening and was already tending to be a little too interested in accounting.
When she arrived at the office, she glanced over her shoulder, rushed to her desk and locked the door behind her. The curtains were drawn, she opened the first drawer of her desk, emptied it and accessed the double bottom. She put away the blue pocket and put everything back.
There, it was in a safe place. The anxiety never left her, however. If Rita had already found out and blackmailed her to orchestrate the theft of the van, who else would have had access to it? How could she be sure that her secret would remain safe?
One reply on “Chapter 2: New to Riverside Garden”
[…] A few days after the macabre discovery… […]