Two Houses in a Row
By Samantha Tate
She sat curled up on her plush couch in the sunken seating area. Because of the glass doors leading to the backyard, she had no trouble making out the words in the novel sitting propped on her lap. She leaned into the couch and sighed, but paused. “The cookies!” she exclaimed, catching a whiff of the sweet scent drifting from the kitchen.
The book was placed on the couch before she rushed into the kitchen. With an oven mitt firmly planted on her hand, she pulled the tray of chocolate chip cookies out and waved the heat away with an exasperated smile on her face. She set the tray down and glanced up. As the heat rose, so too did the smell of the sweets. She was sure the open design of the house had allowed her husband and daughter to catch the scent as well, and it wouldn’t be long before they were rushing down the suspended stairs to grab a cookie of their own.
She busied herself in the dining area. The table was tucked into the wall to create a cozy reading nook next to the lightwell that stretched the entire height of the house. As she prepped the area for her family’s arrival, she caught sight of the tree swaying gently by the lightwell. Beneath it was a white shape. She frowned—a golf ball? What was that doing there? She glanced towards the stairs. It was taking her husband and daughter a long time to come down. Deciding the cookies needed to cool, she traveled upstairs.
The master bedroom’s ceiling hung high above her as she stepped off the stairs. The lightwell illuminated the room with a soft natural glow, and the skylight overhead acted as a gentle spotlight hitting the corner of a cardboard box tucked neatly beneath the bed. She furrowed her brow and knelt next to the bed, fishing for the rest of the box. Though tattered, she could make out just enough. Mini-golf?
Laughter drew her gaze upward. She continued up the stairs to the attic, which was being used as her husband’s study. Soft light poured in from the lightwell the terrace on the other end of the room. She saw her husband and daughter laughing gleefully and pointing at something in the distance.
“Getting up to trouble?” she asked, stepping onto the terrace with her family. “Mom!” her daughter exclaimed and hugged her leg. “Daddy hit the ball to the tree!”
“He did?” she smiled. Her husband extended his arm—in his hands was a small golf club. “I thought I would surprise her with a mini-golf course. What do you think?”
She laughed at the small course her husband had carefully set up. “I think it’s great. But, you aren’t supposed to launch the golf balls in mini-golf, right?” She asked, motioning to the two white balls sitting nestled beside the tree.
“Daddy, look!” Their daughter pulled on his pants leg and motioned further. She and her husband followed her gaze to the front yard. The house next door was identical to theirs, and in the driveway was their renters’ son. He stepped off his bike and bent down to pick up another golf ball. His face was awash in confusion.
“I’m glad we were able to build another house on the lot,” she sighed. “Their son is a great playmate for our daughter.”
“Don’t forget about all the fine dining experiences the rent has given us, too,” her husband grinned.
“Are those cookies?!” her daughter put her nose to the air and sniffed.
She grinned. “Yep! In the kitchen, waiting for you.”
Their daughter dropped her club and sprinted through the study, a new, more important, objective in mind. Her husband motioned for her to lead the way, and together they followed their daughter downstairs.