Day Three - Sweet

I’m busy in the kitchen watching my pot of soup boil away when I hear the front door swing shut. The first time it closes, I hear a creak. The second time it closes, the creak is quieter. Then the third time the door closes, there’s no noise at all except for the door’s latch clicking into place.

I make my way to the front to see Theo putting away some supplies into his tool bag.

“What are you doing?” I ask him.

He stands up quickly and turns around. “Just earning my stay. I’ve stopped the door from creaking, see?” he opens the door again and moves it back and forth and to demonstrate that there is no more creak in its hinges. I smile at this.

“Thank you,” I say, “Would you like dinner? I’ve got a pot of soup on the stove.”

“Yes, I would love some. Do you mind if I get cleaned up first?”

I shake my hand and gesture for Theo to go upstairs.

“Great, I’ll just be a few.” He gives me a small smile, grabs his bag, and bounds up the stairs.

I head back to the kitchen and begin doling out our bowls of soup. Not just two bowls for myself and Theo, but four. It may be odd, but Calvin requested he join in on dinner tonight and so has our new guest. The ghosts may not be able to eat but sometimes they still like to go through the motions of it in the company of others.

The bowls of soup are laid out on the table, along with some fresh bread from the town’s bakery. After my blunder with Theo yesterday morning, I’ve placed a request to have sweet pastries delivered fresh each morning for the duration of his stay along with fresh loaves of bread.

I hear Theo come down the stairs again, but instead of turning into the dining room, I hear him go straight out the front door. Puzzled by this, I go to the window to watch where he’s heading. He goes straight to the van out front that has the words “Billy Brothers” painted on the side in a blocky font. He opens the passenger door, grabs a box, and heads back inside.

“It smells amazing in here!” Theo says as he comes back into the room, box in hand.

“Thank you, have a seat.” I say.

We take our seats at the table, sitting across from each other. Theo has his box on the seat beside him, I’m not sure if I should ask him about it or not.

Theo places his napkin on his lap and gestures to the two other bowls of soup. “Who will be joining us tonight?”

Calvin appears and waves at Theo, even though he knows he cannot be seen. “Calvin is here tonight; he’s sitting beside me.”

“Hey Calvin,” Theo says in his direction.

The fourth member of our party floats slowly into the room, looking as sullen as he did yesterday. Now seeing him sit beside Theo, I know that I wasn’t wrong to be startled yesterday when I thought that Theo’s copy had come in to stay.

William looks just like Theo but with shorter hair and a short-cut beard. I didn’t ask him many questions as he filled out his form last night, and I don’t think he would have given me answers. Though I had my suspicions confirmed when he wrote down the same last name as Theo. I put him in the room beside Theo’s.

When I don’t tell Theo who the fourth guest is, he asks me again. “Do I get to know who’s sitting beside me?”

William shakes his head at me, no. I nod in response.

“He’d prefer to stay anonymous.” I smile nervously at Theo. “He’s the new guest that arrived last night.”

“How spooky,” Theo looks beside himself and rubs his arms as if trying to warm himself up. “Am I getting the cold shoulder?”

Calvin shakes his head. Another bad joke of Theo’s. I don’t press William on why he wouldn’t want his brother knowing he’s here, everyone is entitled to their secrets.

We all begin to eat our bowls of soup. Calvin moves his soup spoon up and down as if he could eat the soup, and asks Theo questions about his day while I “translate” between them. I throw in a few questions of my own. William doesn’t move his spoon at all, but I can tell he’s enjoying listening into the conversation as he smiles when Theo talks. Theo devours his soup so quickly in between answers that I worry he may have burned his tongue. Once he’s done his first bowl, he asks for seconds. William is quick to offer up his untouched bowl and places it in front of Theo.

Theo leans back in his chair, looking down at the bowl of soup like it might jump up at him.

“I don’t know if I’ll get use to that.” He says before putting his own spoon into the bowl of soup. “I’m not taking his dinner from him, am I?” he asks.

“No, he can’t eat it.” I say to him.

And once Theo finishes that bowl of soup, he eyes Calvin’s bowl. Calvin lets his spoon fall with a plop into the soup and pushes it over to Theo.

“Calvin, are you sure?” I ask him, even though he can’t eat it, he doesn’t have to give it away.

“I don’t want the oaf to burn his mouth on a fresh bowl,” he says. “The man eats like he’s been starved and after all that work he’s done all day, he probably needs it.”

I nod in agreement. Theo has only just started work on the project up at Gale’s and from what he’s told us, there’s a lot of work to be done by the end of the month.

Once the last bowl of soup has been finished, Theo leans back into his chair, and pats his stomach. “Thank you for the soup, Evelyn, it has warmed me from the inside out.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I say back.

“He calls you Evelyn?” Calvin asks, “I thought you ask everyone to call you Evie.”

“Yes, but it felt rude to correct him. He saw the name on my name tag and has been referring to me as such since.” I whisper back to him.

“Have I been getting your name wrong?” Theo asks, turning his attention to me.

“My name is Evelyn but I prefer to be called Evie.” I say.

“I’m sorry, Evie, if I knew that’s what you wanted to be called, I would have done so from the start.” He holds out his hand to me for a handshake. “Hello, Evie, I’m Theo. And to those closest to me, I also go by Teddy. Which you may call me.”

I grab his hand and give it a shake, smiling back at him. “Nice to meet you, Teddy.”

We linger there for a moment, holding each others’ hands. The warmth of his touch is something I haven’t felt in a long, long time. And I almost get the sense that Teddy feels the same as he doesn’t let go of my hand.

Calvin clears his throat and I’m shocked out the moment, pulling my hand away.

“How sweet,” Calvin says, “Now I’m dying to know. What is in that box?”

“I don’t know.” I say. I am curious about the box too as Teddy hasn’t brought it up this entire time.

“Don’t know what?” Teddy asks.

“Calvin wants to know what’s in the box…” I trail off, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious too.”

Teddy grabs the box from beside him and opens it up in front of us. Inside is a gorgeous looking apple pie with a golden crust and sticky, sweet, caramel dripping out the sides. Calvin does a fist pump and a I clap my hands together in delight.

“Someone from town dropped it off for us today, Gale and the rest weren’t interested in the apple pie so I thought I’d bring it here to share.”

Mrs Thompson suddenly appears in the room, looking over Teddy’s shoulder. “Did someone say apple pie? I love a good slice of pie!”

I let Teddy know of Mrs Thompson’s sudden appearance and he breaks out into a laugh that spreads to all of us.

William drifts out of the room without another word, his expression a bit lighter than before.