Chapter 18: Domestic David

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

Saturday morning dawned bright, clear, and cold. Hath woke before David and with a light kiss on his temple, went to get dressed. If today was Hath-the-Domestic-Goddess-Day, she had lots to do. There was laundry piling up, shopping lists to make, and a full acre of leaves to take care of. She looked back at David, who was snuggling with her pillow and smiled. He was in for quite a day.

Hath brought a load of laundry down to the basement and got that going. She took stock of the pantry and fridge, and made out her lists. They were going to have to hit a couple of places to get the larder full again. She made some of Stephanie’s coffee and sat by the French doors to watch the morning. There were squirrels and birds looking for seed, and the seed and suet feeders were empty. The birdbath needed to be cleaned and plugged in and filled as well. Sighing, Hath got her coat and work boots on, left a note for David, and headed outside.

Getting the birdbath ready for the winter only took a few minutes, once Hath found the cords in the garage. The garage is the one place she couldn’t seem to keep organized. She went into the cellar to get the buckets of mixed and sunflower seeds, and went out to the back yard – the back 40 as her brother called it. The acre lot extended back to a stone wall in the woods that separated her property from her neighbor’s. It was an expanse of lush-green-now-turning-brown, but you couldn’t tell for all the leaves. The entire backyard was full – inches thick. Smiling gleefully, she thought about getting David up so she could start, but decided to let him wake up on his own.

Filling the feeders took only a couple of minutes. Birds lined the fence and trees, and were waiting patiently for her to be done. Feeders filled, Hath plunked down in the leaves with some seed in her outstretched hand and waited. After several minutes, some of the bolder birds, the Jays and Cardinals, approached the feeder. Hath didn’t move a muscle, and the birds accepted her presence. Several minutes after that, the titmice and wrens came. Finally, the little chickadees started by. They buzzed Hath on their way to the now crowded feeders. One little bird landed on her hand and quickly snatched up a seed and flitted away. Hath smiled. She loved the fall.

David was watching her from the kitchen window. He had woken when he heard the cellar door close, and smiled. Hath was getting a jump on the day. Why didn’t that surprise him? He dressed in yesterday’s jeans, and found a man’s shirt in Hath’s closet he just had to put on. It rivaled anything he had ever worn on stage. It was predominantly purple, and was covered with confetti and zig-zags in an array of bright colors. Chuckling to himself, he followed his nose to the kitchen, where he found the coffee, a mug, and a note.

Hey Sleepyhead! If you’re reading this, I’m outside doing stuff. Come find me, and I’ll put you to work. There are hats and gloves in the mudroom closet if you want them. It’s a bit cold out here, so dress warmly! There are muffins in the breadbox, and coffee in the pot. Fuel up and get that sweet ass shakin, bacon!

-- H

David laughed and poured some coffee. He took his cup to the window and watched as Hath filled the feeders and sat on the ground. He admired her patience in waiting for the birds to accept her, and chuckled when her face lit up after a little black and white bird landed on her hand. He could see her breath on the air, and went back upstairs to grab one of Hath’s heavy sweatshirts – he hadn’t brought any of his own with him. He looked in the mudroom closet for a hat and gloves, like she suggested. He found her stash, and selected what he thought was an appropriate hat – a blue and red Patriots Joker hat. It had the three long cones that hung down around his shoulders, each with a pom-pom on the end. Laughing to himself, he donned it and checked out his reflection in the door. He looked ridiculous, but it would make Hath laugh, so he left it on.

Hath knew the minute David rounded the corner of the house. The birds all swooped off at once, making a wind she could feel. “Hey you,” she said, and got up from the ground. Her ass was cold, and she rubbed some warmth back into it.

“I’ll get that for you,” he said.

“I’ve got it thank—” she broke off when she turned to see the hat David was wearing, and burst out laughing. “Nice hat,” she said.

“And what’s wrong with this hat?” he asked.

Hath ran over to him for a kiss. “Not a damned thing, baby; it’s perfect on you. Sleep well?”

“Like a log,” he said. “You and your bed are very comfortable.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Hath answered, wrapping her arms around David’s waist. “Are you ready to get to work?”

David nodded. “Yep, I guess so,” he said. “What’s first?”

“Leaves. There’s a shitload of them.”

David looked around and laughed. “Maybe even two shitloads,” he said.

“Then it’s a good thing I have two leaf blowers,” Hath countered. “You want the hand-held or the walk-behind?”

They went to the shed, and Hath rolled out a professional-grade leaf blower. The thing was massive, and looked like it would blow over a house. She went back into the shed and took a large hand-held from its hooks. Checking to make sure they had gas, she said, “Well?”

David considered the two. “I’ll take the hand-held, I guess,” he said.

“Then you get the front yard,” she said. “Just blow the leaves into the woods on either side of the yard. We’ll come back with rakes and push them further into the woods afterwards.” She lifted the strap of the blower over David’s shoulder, showed him how to start it, and wheeled the other blower out back.

“If the guys could see me now, I’d never hear the end of it,” David muttered. Shaking his head, David went out front. He couldn’t believe how many leaves there were. He worked methodically, clearing one section at a time. Soon, there was a four foot high pile at the edge of the woods. No wonder they were going to need rakes! As he cleared a second section of yard, a car pulled up at the end of the driveway and the driver tooted his horn. David looked around, shrugged, and jogged over after turning off the blower. “Help you?” he said.

“Yeah, I’m trying to find the pahk,” the driver said, clearly a born-and-bread Bostonian. “Is this the right street?”

“I have no idea,” David said. “Hang on.”

He jogged around back, and waved frantically to get Hath’s attention. Smiling, she turned off the blower and yelled, “What’s up?”

“Whey-ah’s the pahk?” David shouted back.

Hath laughed, and pointed behind her property. “Right there!” she said.

“Smart ass, how do ya drive they-ah from hee-ah?” He gestured over his shoulder.

“Drive up the road for a mile, turn right where it says PARK. There is an ‘R’ in there you know,” Hath shook her head and went back to work.

David jogged back to the car. “Sorry, I’m new around here. It’s up the street, about a mile or so on the right. There’ll be a sign.”

“Say, thanks, man,” the guy said. “Hey, anyone evah tell ya that ya look like that dude from Jovi?”

David laughed. “I get that all the time.”

By the time David was done with the front yard, he was sweating. Stripping off the sweatshirt, he went out back to see if he could help Hath finish up. He saw that she was nearly done, and noticed that there was a camera hanging off the bird feeder. He helped with the last little bit, and groaned appreciatively when the roar of the engine subsided.

“Damn, that’s loud,” he said. “What are you taking pictures of?”

“You,” Hath said, then burst out laughing when she turned to face him. “What the hell are you wearing?”

David hugged her. “I found this in your closet, and couldn’t resist. I don’t want to hear you making fun of my stage clothes ever again,” he said.

Hath broke from David and snagged her camera. “I’ve gotta get a shot of this,” she said. David mugged for the camera, and the moment was captured for posterity.

They grabbed rakes and went out front to manhandle the leaves into the woods. Hath let out whoop when she saw the huge pile of leaves, dropped her rake and ran full out toward it.

“Don’t you dare!” David yelled after her, but it was too late. She leapt into the air and landed on her ass smack in the middle of the pile of leaves. She sunk down so far that David couldn’t see her, but he could hear her giggling, and could see the pile moving. “Where the hell are you?” he asked.

“Come in and find me,” she taunted.

David laughed and waded into the pile, but couldn’t find her. Suddenly, he felt her grab his ankles and pull. He went down with a curse, and Hath laughed outright. “You bitch!” he yelled, trying to find her in the pile of leaves. He finally caught hold of her arm, and dragged her under him. Breathless from laughing, Hath pressed a gentle hand to David’s chest. He tenderly pushed a lock of hair off her cheek. Hath looped her arms around his neck, and David leaned in for a kiss that seemed to go on for days. When he broke the kiss and looked into Hath’s eyes, he was a goner. He saw the lust in her eyes turn to mirth, and as he shifted on top of her, pinning her, she started to giggle.

“What is so damned funny?” David asked.

“Nothing,” she said, unable to stop the laughter. “You don’t want to know.”

“Spill,” he said, and started tickling her.

“OK! OK!” she screamed, and struggled to sit up. Getting her giggles under control, she said, “I just had a song flash through my head, that’s all.” She cleared her throat dramatically, and crooned, “I want to lay you down in a bed of dead leaves…” She flopped back and started laughing again, tears streaming down her cheeks, and David groaned.

“You didn’t just do what I think you did, did you? Did you just quote us to me?”

“Told ya you didn’t want to know,” she said.

David attacked her again, tickling her until she thought she was going to pee her pants. “Take it back,” he shouted.

“Never!” Hath yelled, and flipped them so she now had David pinned to the ground. They were both weak from laughter, and David let down his guard long enough for Hath to stuff a handful of leaves up his shirt. She tried to make her escape, but David grabbed her leg and dragged her back into the pile with him. They wrestled a bit more, and finally Hath gave up. “Uncle!” she called out.

They lay side by side, gazing up at the light clouds puff across sky, and listening to birdsong. Hath sighed.

“What?” David said, turning his head to gaze lovingly at her.

Hath turned her own head to lock eyes with him. “I am just so insanely happy that you’ve come into my life.”

* * * * *

After the pair wrestled the leaves far enough into the woods that they wouldn’t blow back into the yard, Hath took them shopping. She had a couple of places to hit, the first of which being an Italian Delicatessen where she bought her meats and cheeses.

“Buon pomeriggio Silvio!” she called out as she entered the shop. The man in question, old enough to be Hath’s father, came out from behind the counter.

“Bella Jenna! Buon pomeriggio!” He kissed her cheeks. “Has it been two weeks already, my dear?”

“It has, my friend,” she said, smiling. “Silvio, I’d like you to meet someone. This is David. David, this is Silvio.” The two men shook hands. “I’ve been coming to this shop since I was a child,” she said to David, “and Silvio has always been here.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” David said.

“Likewise,” Silvio said with a smile. “I feel like bella Jenna is my own daughter, I have known her so long. I am glad to see she has found someone.”

“Why do you call her Jenna?” David asked.

Silvio looked at him. “Because she does not like ‘Jenilee’ and I do not like ‘Hathor’. Call it an old man’s prerogative.” He winked, and David laughed. “Now,” Silvio said, looking at Hath. “What can I get for you today?”

“Hmmm, I’ll take two of the rosemary and cheese rolled steaks, a pound each of sausage meat and ground chuck, a wedge of parmesan, a block of mozzarella…” and she was off, filling a basket with meats, cheeses, and breads, oils and spices, and delicate pastries.

While Hath was paying for her purchases, Silvio pulled David aside. “You are her husband, yes?”

“N-no,” David stammered. “I am her, I guess, boyfriend is the right word.”

Silvio nodded. “You know the right way to treat a woman?”

“Of course!” David was indignant.

“Good, then I do not have to kill you,” Silvio winked. “You take care of my bella Jenna.”

“Silvio,” Hath called out, “leave David alone. We’re fine, and he makes me happy.”

“Ok, ok,” the older man said, going back to work.

When they got outside, David laughed. “Should I brace myself for the next shop?”

Hath laughed. “No, Silvio is like family, he feels he has the right to put his nose in. For the rest, we’re just going to the regular grocery store.” She kissed him. “Don’t worry, though, I’ll protect you.”

“Thanks,” David said, laughing.

“Besides,” Hath continued, smiling. “You fuck me over, and I’ll kill you myself.”

David couldn’t tell if she was kidding.

That night, Hath checked in on the boards, and sent a couple of the pictures from this afternoon to the girls. She thought they’d get a kick out of the shirt and hat, and seeing David doing regular things. They made fun of the hat, though they liked it better than the shirt he dug out of her closet. They chatted with the rest of the Harem under Hath’s ID; David elbowing her out of the way when he wanted to say something. They played online for a while, then retired to the bedroom, for some decidedly private games.