The Light Was On

Jennifer called the number again. Still no answer. “Damn,” she swore, slamming down the phone. 1

She had told her nephew she would be in town tonight, where in the hell had he gone? He was the one who had called her, wanted to see her, not the other way around, and he didn’t even stay home to get her call? She had been trying to get a hold of him for the last two hours, and she had heard nothing but the incessant ringing of the phone. He didn’t even have a damn answering machine!2

Furious, she grabbed her room key and purse and left the hotel. Nobody looked up at her as she stalked haughtily through the lobby and out into the street. Walking always relaxed her, calmed her down, and if there was ever a night she needed to be calm and rational, it was this one.3

Jennifer slowed her pace as she left the hotel behind, looking around and taking in the sights. What had been no more than a tiny farmer’s town when she had left had become a developed urban haven. No more little country store with everything from bait to freshly cooked breakfast. Now there was a Wal-mart and an IHOP. The pathetically run down old school house that had been changed into a small hotel for visiting guests was gone. She was staying in the Comfort Inn, which had taken its place.4

There was still activity on the streets, mostly teenagers walking the strip mall and laughing loudly at everything. Damn kids. 5

After walking four blocks, her anger had faded away into a sort of melancholy. So much had changed around here. Had her nephew changed too? Had she? Spying a bus stop, she sat on the bench, wondering when the bus was coming by. Maybe she would just go to her nephew’s house, instead of calling him. She glanced up and down the street. No sign of a bus. 6

As she waited, she looked at the apartment complex across the street. It was a modest place, only two floors, four rooms in each building, with about a half dozen buildings in two lines. A light was on in one of the windows of the upstairs rooms nearest her. 7

“I wish the lights were on at Joe’s house,” she said softly, gazing at the light. “I just want to get this over with and get home.”8

The light went off, and back on again. Off, then on, three times. A car door slammed, and Jennifer jumped. A man had climbed out of his car, parked half a block away on the same side of the street as Jennifer. He stood looking at the window, then jogged across the street. As she watched, he disappeared into the building with the light, now back on again. 9

Two shadows came into the window, the flimsy white curtain doing nothing to hide the activities of the inhabitants. They embraced, and moved from the window. 10

Jennifer blushed and looked away from the scene, even though she had seen all she was going to see, she knew. The two were obviously lovers. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around again for the bus. Seeing nothing, she thought of the lovers and smiled. 11

A movement across the street caught her eye, and she saw another man silently opening the main door to the apartment building, and slipping inside. Moments later, it was his shadow in the window that Jennifer was staring at. The light went off. 12

Uneasy, she glanced around for a payphone, but she was surrounded by apartment buildings and closed businesses. The only phone she could get to was blocks away. Besides, she told herself, she didn’t know what was going on inside. And really, it was none of her business. But she remembered Frank coming home one night, finding her in bed with another man. She still had the scars, and touched the one on her forehead unconsciously, shuddering at the memory. 13

Twenty minutes later, Jennifer laughed at herself for being paranoid and stood to walk back to her hotel. It didn’t seem like a bus was coming. She decided she would try to reach Joe again in the morning. 14

As she disappeared from sight, a man slipped from the apartment building, ran to a vehicle parked nearby, and drove off, tires squealing.  15