Locked Out

The Neighborly Thing To Do

"Autumn! Come on inside, darling!" Karen Spencer ushered Autumn into the foyer of her lovely home. "What on earth are you doing outside in this awful storm?"

"Well, I seem to have lost my house key and I would have just called a friend but my phone battery died and-"

"Nonsense, it's no problem at all to have you here!" Karen took Autumn's coat and scarf and hung them next to the artificial fireplace to dry. "Could I offer you some coffee? Or hot tea maybe?"

Autumn shifted nervously, "Some coffee would be great actually, black with plenty of sugar please." She made herself comfortable on the large leather couch in front of the television.

A short time later, Karen returned from the kitchen with two coffee mugs and handed one to Autumn. The two of them sat in silence sipping their hot drinks.

"So, Mrs. Spencer, are Cole or Celeste around?" Autumn questioned while looking around the room at the dozens of books and records displayed, spotting a family photo. She knew the Spencer children because they had been neighbors since she was four years old.

"They are both visiting with their grandparents this week, as well as my husband Bradley. So it looks like it's just us girls here for the evening!" Karen playfully shoved Autumn's knee with her own, "and you can call me Karen, dear."

Autumn blushed at the sudden physical contact from the older woman, "Okay, Karen," she teased, laughing. A comfortable silence fell over the two as Autumn's gaze drifted toward the window to see how serious the storm had gotten. "It looks awful out there, do you think it's going to let up any time soon?"

"Well, let's just see!" Karen turned on the television and flipped to the local weather station.

"This week's forecast shows heavy thunderstorms with strong winds up to nearly fifty miles per hour for the remainder of today. These storms will last until late tomorrow evening with the rest of the week looking sunny and dry."

Autumn sighed and placed her now empty coffee mug on a coaster, "I guess I'll just have to call someone to bring me a spare key, I can't stay here that long. Do you have a phone I could use, please?"

"Oh but it's no trouble at all, really! Actually I appreciate the company, with the kids and Bradley being away," Karen placed one hand on Autumn's knee while handing her a cellphone with the other.

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Autumn walked into the kitchen to return Karen's cellphone, thankful for the privacy she had given her, "Well, my friend says that it's storming even worse in her neighborhood and she can't get out of her driveway. I tried calling my parents but Dad is on a business trip and Mama is with him."

"Well I doubt that you'd be able to get a locksmith out in this weather, especially with such short notice," Karen crossed her arms and leaned against the white marble countertop, "it looks like you're stuck with me after all!" She clapped her hands and giggled like a schoolgirl.

Autumn smiled and felt her face blush at Karen's excitement, "How will I ever survive?" she joked, rolling her eyes.

"You know what? We should make this into a girls' night! We can watch some movies, have some popcorn, " she placed a hand on Autumn's shoulder, "or anything else you'd like to eat."

As Karen giddily made her way back to the living room, Autumn was left in the kitchen wondering what exactly her neighbor had meant by that, and more importantly why she had licked her lips after saying it.