The Mysterious Visitor

Admiring the architectural masterpiece that the Worths called a house, he descends the stairs, dressed in the shorts and slightly long tee he had picked out of the closet.

“Please come this way.” A lady meets him at the bottom of the stairs, where se takes him down the hall and then knocks politely on a thick mahogany door. Then she opens it, motioning him inside and then closes the door behind him.

The room is brightly lit and airy, the windows helping with the airy feeling although the day is starting into the evening.

Inside, Bethany lays down two steaming cups of coffee. “Welcome to the tea room, Please have a seat.” She subtly checks out what he chose from the closet and looks away before she is caught staring.

He does as asked and she serves him, her eyes somewhat downcast.

“Hm. These tastes really good.” He comments as soon as he takes the first sip, surprise written all of his face.

“What is so surprising about that? Do I not look like a woman who can make a good coffee? Or even coffee at all?”

“No, not at all. It’s been a long time since I had such good coffee. It reminds me of a time in my life when I had this good coffee almost every day. Those days were fun, spying on a girl I had… I can’t believe I was about to say that.”

Bethany laughs. “I would not mind hearing it though.”

“So your coffee apart from being this delicious is also good at loosening tongues?” He seems to loosen up, seeing that she’s trying as well.

“That is new to me. My mum is a sucker for being elegant and well behaved and frowned on when I did my things myself, but somethings are better done by yourself.”

“You miss her. She might be overbearing and bossy I guess, but you miss her still.”

When Bethany looks up, her eyes are slightly wet. “I miss her and it pains me to hell that I wasn’t here that night. Maybe things would have been different?”

Mandall sets down his cup and pats her on the shoulder. “Look at it on the bright side. What if you were here that night and all three of you ended up killed? Just think of it as you being spared so you can find out the person who did this to you.”

Bethany wipes her eyes gingerly. “You know, you probably saved my life that night. Thank you.”

Mandall chuckles. “That is another way of looking in the bright side. You are welcome.”

“So, I am pretty bored right now. Having the funeral, slapping my uncle in the face, telling the world I am getting married, walking and getting wet in the rain and talking to a known stranger has left me pretty exhausted. I mean, all of these has happened in one day.”

“What would you like me to do?” He asks randomly and Bethany raises her eyes to look at him.

“You could finish the story about how you used to drink good coffee while spying on the girl…”

“Sure. I was a college freshman then when I visited this coffee shop to do an assignment. That’s where first set my eyes on her. Almost every day after that, I went there, hoping to see her. I did not see her everyday of course, but the days I did see her, I had a guaranteed good day. I did this until the time I graduated.”

“Oh my goodness. That was so sweet.” She comments.

“Yes, it was then. Until I had gone there on my graduation day to meet her, finally summoning up the courage that I did not have for four years. When I got there, I found out that she had left twenty minutes before to catch a flight. I was distraught.”

“She was your first love then?”

He nods.

“Well, you know what they say. First loves never work out.”

He laughs. “Took a little while but I got over it. Never even got to know her name, I was so much of a chicken.”

Bethany laughs. “You mean to say, you watched her almost everyday for four years and never summoned the courage to ask her name? Just the name?”

Mandall shrugs. “Like I said, I was a chicken.”

“I didn’t have the luxury of pursuing love, pity.” She reveals, a faraway look in her eyes.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupts what Mandall is about to say.

The same lady from before opens the door and pokes her head in. “Sorry to interrupt but the clothes are ready.”

“Sure, please bring them in.”

The lady drops the neatly folded clothes on a chair and exits, not after taking a good look at the two though.

“I am about to be an object of gossip amongst the staff.” Bethany sighs as she picks up the small pile of clothes, handing it to Mandall. “You can change back in there. It’s a small stall for cloth fitting so itll be perfect.”

“Okay.”

About three minutes later, he returns from the fitting room, back to his complete suit and tie package.

He holds out the other clothes to her. “These were your Dads’, right?”

“He never wore them anyway. Mum never allowed, saying they were too casual for him.” She takes the clothes from his hands and lay them on the chair they had both sat on.

Mandall sucks his teeth. “The day is starting to get a bit dark. I guess I should be on my way.”

Bethany does not say anything except to twirl her fingers, at first. “I spent the past hour with you and I don’t even know who you are. I’m sorry. My name is Bethany Worth.”

Mandall’s face lights up with a smile. “Nice to meet you Miss Bethany, I am Mandall Hall.”

Mandall. A very unusual name.

“I am bored and alone here, plagued by the chilling silence in here. Would you please stay with me for a little while longer?” She asks, twirling her finger in nervousness.

“I don’t mind.”

Bethany’s face lights up into a wide, appreciative smile.

*

“Guys! It is a freaking exclusive.” She rushes into the kitchens where most of the staff staying the house always comes to chill and gossip around this time of the day when there is little to no work left to be done.

“Stop running around like that, you could get yourself in trouble. And why haven’t peeled those cabbages like I asked?” The head chef asks her, hands on her waist.

“I’m sorry. Madam asked me to wash some clothes for her.”

The head chef frowns slightly. “Her clothes? But she knows where to leave them to be washed? Is she alright? Where is she now?”

The younger staff pulls her back as she is about to walk out of the kitchen. “She is in the tea room, she has a visitor. He is a man.”

All the other ladies come and crowd around her.

“What?”

“A man?”

“Who is he?”

“What are they doing?”

—are the barrage of questions fired at her.

“I don’t know who he is but they both came in wet from the rain. He had brought her so they must have met after the conference. Do you think he is the one that she would be getting married to?”

The head chef sighs heavily, her eyes solemn. “Madam Anastasia would have been overjoyed to see how she took charge on the podium during the conference earlier. I hope she returns safe from wherever she is.”

“We all do.”

“Well, stop dilly dallying and get down to dinner. If she has a visitor, we want him to eat before leaving.” Everyone disperses. “Gina?” The head chef calls the younger maid, she turns around. “Is he handsome?”

Everyone laughs, and so does Gina.

Gina raises her hands to her mouth and gives a chef’s kiss, a smile written all over her face.

—About two hours later, the head chef informs Gina to call both Bethany and Mandall out for dinner.

Eager to do so, she sets down everything in her hands down and races off.

In front of the door, Gina presses her head to the door and hears nothing. She raises her hand and knocks gently, before soundlessly opening the door.

“Sorry to…” She starts but keeps quiet as she sees the man looking at her wide-eyes.

“Shhhhh…” He imitates with one finger over his mouth. He points at Bethany who is asleep on his shoulders, her eyes gently closed. “She is sleeping.” He mutters.

Gina nods. “I wanted to announce dinner.”

He shrugs. “I don’t want to wake her up.”

Gina nods. “I understand. I’ll leave now.”

Mandall nods twice, leaning his head down to acknowledge her leaving. And as she closes the door behind her, she sees as he gently adjusts Bethany’s head to be more comfortable on his shoulders.

On her way back to the kitchen, Gina can’t stop smiling for some reason.