A Nice House on a Napkin

“Listen. We need to talk to your sister about the house,” said Leon to Ash, his fiance. She had on flowery perfume potent enough that he could taste it, especially in the car. She was gorgeous, pretty, stunning, but he would forget that under stress. They were getting married in the spring, the best time to marry. Flowers, rain, dresses. The venue was set, the cake picked out, tuxedos fitted. But they still needed a place to call home, a place to sleep at night, a place to prepare and eat Japanese food Leon couldn’t pronounce, a place for Ash to clean, and a place to have the kind of loud sex only newlyweds could achieve. None of that was doable where they were. Leon lived with his parents, old people, catholic as hell. They wanted him out so they could move to the countryside. Ash lived in an apartment complex behind a greasy restaurant with roommates. He looked at her in the car and said:  “We need to talk to her soon. If it doesn’t work out, I have to find an apartment. For us.” 

“It’s fine,” Ash said, “I told her we were still looking for a place.” 

“And did you ask about the house?”

“She knows we need a place,” she said. 

“Obviously,” he said.

“Can we just have a nice dinner? And then can we stop at the grocery store? I need stuff for breakfast,” she said, “And can we stop at the mall? I need a new bikini before the trip.”

“I guess. But, can we please talk to Sophie tonight?” said Leon. 

“I don’t want to tonight,” she said. She looked at herself in the drop-down mirror and brushed her thumb across her bottom lip. Lipstick. 

“Is there a lot of crime in that part of town?” he said. 

“I don’t know,” she said, “but crime is everywhere,” she said.

“Are there drug addicts or homeless?” he said.

“I can’t remember,” she said. 

Leon drove them up to the restaurant, parked, and sat back. He put his hand around his forehead and squeezed, pinching his fingers to the middle of his head. “When does your sister get home from work?”

Ash hit the mirror into place and said: “Let's just go.”

Leon got out of the car and closed the door and walked in the parking lot. Ash was still in the car. He looked back through the windshield and he saw her mouth say, “What are you doing?”

He opened the door and leaned in.

“I said, let's go,” she said.

Leon said something about her being unclear.

“I’m saying let’s go talk to her,” she said.

He got in the car and said: “I’m sorry.” 

They drove off and when they got to Sophie’s house they stopped on the road. The house was like a castle. The top story jetted out to make a round skylight that looked like a lighthouse. The front door was taller than anyone alive and the windows were big enough that you could almost see the floor from the road. There were different trees in the yard, the grass was perfect, and flowers were abundant from the driveway to the front door. But the lights were off and Sophie’s white SUV was gone.

“I thought she would be here,” said Ash.

“It’s okay. I just want to eat,” said Leon.

They drove back and went in and ordered sushi and sashimi and sides of rice and miso and ate. Ash talked about the wedding and complained about her bridesmaids being fat and Leon tried to listen but he was thinking about the house. When they were done he got a napkin and the pen from paying the bill and gave them to her and said: “Draw out the floor plan of the house for me.”

She took the pen and napkin and drew squares and rectangles within bigger rectangles and then wrote down the name of each room. She gave it to him and he looked over it and then said: "Is it nice?"

Ash shrugged and chewed on the end of the pen.

“Well, what should we do to it?” he said.

She didn't think long and said: “I want a big fridge and a kitchen island and I need the middle room for my clothes," she said.

“No, like, colors and furniture and stuff,” he said.

“Mauves and greens,” she said while twirling her chopsticks around, “And creams in the kitchen. A big couch and few chairs, like at Sophie’s. And there is this painting from a friend of Sophie’s that would look great with our colors," she said.

“Where can I put my desk and books?” he said.

“Here maybe,” she said and pointed to a different room, “Or next to the cleaning closet.”

“I need to see the house soon,” he said. 

“You’ve been very clear about that,” she said. 

“Listen. I understand you don’t want to be there, but it could be nice for us,” he said, “Can we please go?”

“I guess,” she said.

They left the restaurant and drove back. The houses they passed were beautiful and had clean walls and rooms for doing laundry and more bathrooms than residents and light fixtures worth a weekly paycheck.

“I want a nice house,” said Ash. 

“I want to be safe,”  said Leon.

They pulled up to a stop sign and when Leon pressed the gas they heard a rumbling sound and the car started veering to the side. And then a loud rumble sound came.

“Why,” said Leo. He gripped the steering wheel tight and pulled off to the side and got out slamming the door. A tire was ripped apart. 

“I can’t,” he said. “Why does this always happen to me?”

He got out his spare and had Ash sit on a curb and jacked the car with the small jack that came with it. The nuts were rusted onto the bolts of the wheel. 

“Why? Why does this always happen?” he said. He kicked down on the tire iron until the ball of his foot was numb. After trying for ten minutes, he was sweating, his feet ached, and his knees were sore. Four of the five nuts were off but the one wouldn’t move. He sat down on the blacktop and took deep breaths. Cars passed. A few people stared at him from their passenger seats.

“I can go get help,” Ash said. 

“I don’t want help,” he said.

He got up and tried again, but the nut wouldn’t budge. 

“You need help,” she said.

“I know what I need,” he said.

“You need to talk to me like I'm your wife,” she said.

“But you’re not my wife. And you aren’t acting like one. You barely talk to me.”

“I’m going to the gas station to get help,”

“Why don’t you listen,” he said, “Do you know how to change a tire?”

“No.”

“Do you know how to change a lightbulb,” he said, “Or anything at all. Name one thing you can change.”

He threw down the tire iron and kicked the tire. “Name one thing,” he said. He kicked it again. And again. His foot was stinging with pain but he kicked it again and the rust gave out. The tire moved. He got down and pulled it off and put on the spare and lowered the car and they got back in.

“I didn’t mean what I said.” 

“It’s okay,” she said. 

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Do you still want to be my husband?” she said.

“You are the only one,” he said.

“I’m sorry too,” she said.

“We still have time to go to the mall,” he said. 

“But, we should see Sophie. And the house,” she said.

He took her hand, kissed it, and they drove to her sister’s house.

Sophie was in the garage, doors open. They got out and Ash hugged Sophie and said: “We wanted to ask if we could stay at mom and dad’s house until we find our own.”

“I knew that was coming,” said Sophie, “I actually thought you would want to just buy it. That’s why I kept it in the family, you know.”

“I didn’t,” said Ash, “Maybe I did.”

“Why haven’t you asked for it until now? I would’ve kicked out tenants for you, you know.”

“I just feel weird about staying there,” said Ash, “I don’t think I will like it. We need a place, though. The wedding is close.”

“Don’t feel weird. Mom and dad’s room isn’t the same. Neither is our room,” said Sophie. 

“Is their bed frame still there? I don’t want to sleep on their bed,” said Ash. 

“We replaced it a few tenants ago,” said Sophie, “The walls are still an ugly brown.”

Ash didn’t say anything and she looked at her shoes. Sophie took Ash’s hands and held them together and said: “They wanted you to have that house you know. Mom used to say, 'This house is too small for princess Sophie’ and dad would say back ‘Because she’s spoiled as week-old milk’ and then mom would say ‘Ash will take this place and make it the prettiest old house,’ and you loved it.”

Ash took a moment to think through those words in her parents' voices and then said: “I don’t remember.”

“I do. And the best thing for you right now is to stay in that house,” she said. She let go of her hands and they hugged and Ash thanked her sister.

“Can I show Leon the inside soon?” said Ash, “Tonight?”

“I’ll get the keys. Watch out for mice though,” said Sophie. 

They left Sophie's and went to Ash’s parents' old house. The door was padlocked and Leon struggled to get in and when they did dust flew around and there was trash on the floor and grim on every surface and they walked through it and the bathrooms were musty and the bedrooms were dull and the ceiling was yellow at spots and the walls looked damp but they weren’t and the living room television was broken and the whole house smelled odd but not poisonous. They went into the kitchen and Leon took Ash’s hand. 

“You are beautiful,” he said.

He pulled her chest against his and he breathed in her perfume, sweet flowers. And they kissed and the house could have been any house while they did.