C18 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ethan looked at the portrait of Mildred that was directly in front of him. It felt as though all he did nowadays was look at her picture and think of a thousand ways he could have handled the situation that dreadful night. In the portrait, Mildred was smiling her brilliant smile and her white, even teeth seemed to shine. She wore her medium-length blonde hair in a bun and was wearing an off-shoulder green dress. The picture was so full of life and vibrant that it made one think of stepping into it and sharing in the laughter of the beautiful lady in it. Ethan remembered the day that she had taken that picture very clearly. They had gone to a park to hike and have a picnic. Mildred had wasted so much time getting ready that Ethan had to remind her that she was going for a hike and not a ball.

"You do know that we're going to hike, don't you?" He had asked her, somewhat indulgently.

She had laughed that twinkling laughter which he loved to hear so much before replying. "And so? What is your point, young man?"

"My point is that we should get going before it becomes really hot, otherwise, your makeup is going to make a mess on your face. Not that there is any need for makeup since we're going to get all sweaty and dirty, old woman."

"Sweaty and dirty? Oooh, I like that." She replied and batted her lashes at him, causing him to shake his head in amusement.

When they got to the park, flowers were in bloom and she squealed happily. She had always been a lover of nature, so she made him take a photo of her lying down beside the bloom. She looked like a model in that picture. Her red lipstick matched the red flowers in the bloom and her green dress matched the stems of the flowers. The result was this picture and many others that he had stowed away in his cabinet. He had framed this one because of her radiant smile and kept it in his living room, a gesture that had delighted Mildred to no end.

He supposed that it was high time he took down her pictures, but he just didn't have the heart to do that yet. He missed her so badly and the ache was still as fresh as it was on the day that she died. The melancholy that he was feeling was becoming so great that he decided to take a stroll and clear his head. So he got up, put on a t-shirt and joggers, and then left the house. As he strolled down his neighborhood, he nodded and greeted a few people, then headed in the direction of the supermarket to get a carton of milk and a few toiletries. He didn't really need the toiletries, but he got them anyway. The crisp evening air was a bit strong. It ruffled his hair and caused goosebumps to break out on his strong arms, but he was enjoying it, and little by little, the melancholy that he was feeling vanished with the wind.

There was a little line at the supermarket, so by the time Ethan got back home, he had spent more than an hour away. As he opened his door, he suddenly paused. As he made to put his key in the lock though, he paused. The aroma of food was wafting from his house and he could hear someone tinkering about in the kitchen that he hardly ever used.

"What the hell?" He wondered, as he cautiously entered the house.

As soon as he entered, he began to hear a female voice that he did not recognize singing. Ethan wondered fleetingly if it was stupid of him not to call the police as it was clear that there was an intruder in the house. Before he could decide if he should call the police or not, the female voice which he could now recognize, spoke.

"Ethan? Is that you?" Madison asked, as though she had every right to be there.

"Um, what are you doing?" Ethan asked in turn as he appeared at the kitchen door. From his position, it was very clear what she was doing. She was cooking heaven knows what and was dressed only in a shirt of his, one of his favorite ones for that matter.

"Oh. I'm just cooking you dinner." She replied and smiled gaily at him before turning to stir the contents of the pot in front of her.

"When did you get here? And how did you get inside? I can remember that I locked the door."

"I got here just as you were going for your walk and thought that I would surprise you, so I did not call out to you. Did I do something bad?" Madison asked and raised one eyebrow at him.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." He said in exasperation. What part of the fact that he said that he did not want a relationship did she not understand? She kept doing things that people who were in a relationship did. "You did not answer my other question."

"Oh? I wasn't aware that you asked one." was the evasive reply. She refused to look at him but rather continued to stir the contents of the pot with much more force than necessary.

"I asked how you got inside the house," Ethan repeated sternly.

"I took one of your spare keys last time I was here and I used it. I just wanted to surprise you, so stop looking at me as though I'm crazy." She said, finally turning to look at him.

"You did that after I changed my lock to prevent you from coming here as you wished? Ok. Thanks for the surprise, but it was not necessary. May I have my key back please and you may leave too."Ethan said, as politely as he could, even though he wanted to yell at her and shake some sense into her. He watched her face crumble at his words.

"Ok, fine. I lied. I'm in love with you. That is why I'm doing all this and always wanting to be close to you. Ethan, please, you don't need to say you love me too. Just let me love you. I can do that for the both of us."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair in exasperation and wondered how on earth you had gotten himself into this kind of situation. What on earth was he going to do to get Madison to leave him alone and stop seeking a relationship with him?