gate to come and go as they pleased. I had really begun to rely on them. But not just that, I valued their friendship, their company.
I was truly happy for the first time in ages. And, as if by total coincidence, I hadn’t received any more anonymous texts. No drones, either. No Facebook banners. It was wonderful to have Dan, Kate and Jen come and go. The buzz of their presence, the warmth of their laughter. Jokes. Clever banter. Discussions. And I felt much safer no longer being alone. The triplets were almost like my protectors. Especially having brawny Dan around.
One afternoon, Sam, the contractor, came to visit. I had forgotten all about him and the whole retreat thing. The retreat was obsolete now—I had the triplets.
“Hey, stranger,” he said, speaking through the video intercom. “It’s me.” I buzzed the gate open and went to meet him outside.
“Wow, looks like you’ve been working hard. The windows look great. See you oiled the front door—brings out the wood real nice.” He got out of his pickup and stood tall and muscular, his razor eyes surveying the house and the new terracotta pots of hyacinths that flanked my front door. He raked his hand through his buzz-cut hair. He could have been military he looked so upright and well kempt.
Dan strolled up by my side. “How can we help you?” Dan said, shaking Sam’s hand and introducing himself. The “we” made me feel good. I was glad Dan was here. I didn’t want another pushy invitation from Sam to have a drink or discuss architectural plans.
“Just came by to see if you wanted—”
“All plans are off,” I interrupted. “Can I get you a glass of water for the road?” I had never told the triplets about my retreat idea, and I wasn’t about to explain now.
Sam took a step back, rebuffed. “No, I’m good, just thought I’d drop by.”
“Thanks for the thought. Great to see you. I’m so sorry but—”
“It’s okay, I’ll be on my way.” He smiled a polite but rejected smile, turned on his heel and got back into his car.
I smiled back, feeling a little mean but relieved. “Thanks for coming by, Sam,” I called after him, trying to be nicer.
Kate strolled up beside me and Dan, wiped her dark bangs from her face and whistled. “A handsome admirer of yours?” she asked, after Sam had driven away.
“I don’t think he’ll be back,” I said, and then it occurred to me. Was it Sam who’d sent the roses and the note? The text?
Having the triplets around was a definite plus.
Kate brought her laundry over one morning. It was funny how at first the three of them seemed so alike, particularly physically. But now their mannerisms, their facial expressions, the planes of their faces, and even the sparkle in their eyes were all as different from one another as summer is to winter. While Jen was willowy like a silver birch bending in the wind, Kate was grounded like a solid oak. It was these differences I grew to love. Jen wrote songs, and strummed away on her guitar. Kate loved to talk about politics and current affairs, Jen ecology. Kate was the practical one, Jen the dreamer. Kate and I could be silent together for long stretches of time without feeling we had to fill in the gaps. She was the sort of person I knew would save me from drowning. She called a spade a spade, chose her words carefully before she spoke.
“Why do you love this house so much?” she asked me as she stuffed the darks into the washing machine. She added soap powder and switched the button to ON. The old thing roared to life—even this had come with the house. Another reminder that made me feel more like a guardian than an owner of this property. But I was aware of a tinkle of a thrill by the silly fact that our clothes—Kate’s and mine and Dan’s and Jen’s—were mingling together in a sort of dance inside the drum of the washing machine.
The family wash.
“Why do I love this house so much?” I pondered. I was surprised by her question. It was usually Jen who asked me stuff about myself. “Wouldn’t anyone who had any taste, an appreciation for beauty, fall in love with Cliffside?”
Kate swept her hand through her dark bob and narrowed her sea-green eyes. “Yeah, I mean, of course it’s an amazing house, but what is it in particular that makes