GoT Writings

House of Black and White GoT Challenge Prompt 7: w.c. 1283

7. She held a weapon in her hand but didn't know what to do with it.
[w.c. 1283]
Kate is the self-proclaimed queen of the Rummage Sale Rodeo. Wednesdays, she maps her route, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday she hits as many as she can looking for hidden treasures.
Fumbling through box after box, table after table, she finds a copper pan that is tarnished and horrible. She can clean that up and sell it for four times the sale price. Halfway through the rummaging at the fourth sale, she picks it up – a picture of a soldier, probably from Vietnam by the look of it. The soldier holds no interest, but the frame is silver and looks to be quite valuable. Two dollars? She was not sure. She wants the frame, but the picture is too – too – too something. She put it down and continued to look. Three times she came back to the picture. She did not know the draw, she just knew she was not going to buy it.
“Hi, I see you looking at that picture. It belonged to my mom, I’m just selling it because I have no place for it.”
“It’s not a relative?”
“Not that I know. Mom never said who it was or why she kept it. He might have been an old boyfriend, but she never talked about it.”
“So you don’t know what happened to him.”
“No. I’m not even sure that he’s still alive.”
“Hm, I’m not sure. I like the frame, but I don’t want to buy it. I just don’t know.”
“How about this? I saw you looking at the Fire King set. You buy that and I will toss this in as thank you?”
Kate did not need to think about it. “Yes!” The color rose up her neck and into her cheeks when heads spun to stare at her and the lady hid a smile behind her hand. “I guess I sounded a little too eager.”
“No worries, I will wrap this up for you.”
And that’s how Kate got to be standing in the middle of her living room staring at a picture that had no place in her home, but that was demanding a space on the wall.
Why did it call to her? She could hear it speaking? She could hear the bullets and feel the fear knowing that this might be the end. She put the picture down. She could breathe again. She pulled the towel across her forehead with shaky fingers. She knew how the soldier died. She wiped the tears from her face and set the picture upright. He could guard her home. Her sister, Val would mock her, but that was okay. Val rarely saw the value in anything beyond her selfish needs and wants.
Life did not change much for Kate, although did not like the life she led at all. Even her recurring conversation of her life with mom had not changed. Mom would demand she get into a relationship, she would decline, mom would begin her lists of where not to meet men and where to meet men, etc. When she reached the twenty minute mark, the conversation would end the same way each time.
“Kate all you do is work, eat and sleep.”
“Mom, I have hobbies.”
“You work second shift at a factory, who do you meet?”
“I won’t date co-workers. That’s just dumb.”
“Get a day job so you can meet people.”
“I do meet people.”
“At rummage sales? What kind of life is that?”
And on it went. Kate stayed on the phone for the requisite twenty minutes until mom had to go because “this is costing.” She long ago quit reminding mom that it was a local call and that the only cost was her time.
If the phone did not work, Mom sent Val to mock Kate’s choices.
Val was welcomed into the sparsely furnished apartment.
“Well, I see you have a few more things? What’s this?”
“I found that picture at a garage sale. I got some plates and she gave that to me.”
“You mean a dumpster diving sale?”
“No. I mean a garage sale. It was in a rich part of town and they were practically giving stuff away.”
Val snatched her finger away from the spot where her hand came to rest on the frame.
“What’s wrong, Val?”
“I swear that frame shocked me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Never mind that, let’s cut to the chase. Why did mom send you here?”
“To tell you about Ryan.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing! He’s a nice guy. He just has a hard time meeting girls. I told him I had a recluse sister and he didn’t run. He will be her Saturday afternoon. Don’t screw it up.”
“Why?!”
“It will be good for you. Put that picture away. It makes you look like a weirdo.”
As Val leaves, Kate touches her picture. “Tips, I don’t know why I like your picture, I just do. I feel safe when you are watching the place.” Kate walked away.
The body in the picture turned to watch her move around the room. Had she seen it move, she may very well have done as Val suggested and gotten rid of it.
As it turned out, Ryan showed up at 3:00 Saturday. The outing was more fun than Kate had had in a long time. Hiking, window shopping, munching on hot dogs as they watched the boats on the water.
“Thank you for the lovely time, Ryan. Good bye.”
“Um, do you mind if I use your bathroom?”
“Oh, sure.” She felt like a school girl fumbling with the keys to get the door open, and a bit giddy that she got to spend the day with him.
Kate pulled out her phone to check her text and voice messages while Ryan was on his bio break. But Ryan did not need a break. Kate found herself pinned against the breakfast bar. She could not keep up with Ryan, every time she pushed a hand away, it landed somewhere else. “Tell me you like it, Kate.”
Kate looked twice, ignoring the hands roaming her body. Tips’ eyes moved, then his head, his expression was becoming increasingly angry. Kate pulled the picture close in silent communication with the face in the picture. Twisting the photo so that it face away, Kate turned to face Ryan. Kate shut her eyes tight as she clutched her picture. She saw the surprised look Ryan’s eyes replaced with terror.
“Please, Tips, enough.”
Ryan sank to the floor. Kate surprised herself. She did not bend to minister to Ryan, she just found this situation interesting. And she knew what to do. Shaky fingers released the backbrace holding the photo in place. Ever so gently, she placed the photograph next to Ryan. Kate nodded and left Tips to do whatever needed to be done.
Kate woke to the smell of coffee. Long languid stretches interrupted by her sitting bolt upright. Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, baseball bat armed, Kate saw her target. “Don’t turn around. I’ll split your head wide open!”
The man obeyed, putting his hands on the counter. “Kate, look at the photo. Please.”
Ryan’s dead eyes stared back her. “Do you have a name other than Tips?”
“David Tips.”
“Turn around.” Walking around him, scanning every inch, “You look like Ryan, ‘cept for the eyes and the way you talk.”
“I did what I could in the time I had. I wanted to make sure I was looking at you through my eyes and not his. And I wanted to feel you before I have to go home. Come here.”
Kate held David until her arms were wrapped around herself as David’s essence disappeared into smoke.