When Stars Intertwine

Chapter 36

Nick woke up besides Rose, a dream come true. He smiled and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He had heard Michael leave early that morning, so he knew they were all alone now. Well not exactly alone, but, the deaf old woman, Michaels grandmother, never left her room as told by Michael, and she was completely harmless, so there was nothing to worry about. After they discovered that Michael was over charging them for the room behind the clothing store, Michael offered a room in his quiet isolated house instead where he lived with his deaf grandmother in a bid to keep them in business.

Nick got out of bed and stretched, then decided to take a tour of the house naked.  The house was small, organized, and neat. Michael was a very clean man, he concluded. As he walked around, he heard a noise behind him. He turned around quickly but saw nothing. A rat maybe, he thought. He yawned lazily and walked back to the bedroom and closed the door. But before he could jump back in bed, he heard the door open behind him slowly. He turned around and found a very skinny pale skinned woman standing in the middle of the door with a large stick raised up in the air ready to attack. She looked like a ghost in a white chemise. When she took a few angry steps toward him, he raised his hands up in surrender.

She signed something at him angrily with one hand.

"I mean you no harm," he said and called Rose, "Rose, Rose!" She wasn't waking up, "Rose!" He shouted.

"What?!" Rose jumped. Nick tossed his head toward the old woman. The old woman didn't even glance at Rose, her focus was on Nick.

"She's angry," he said.

"Well, I would too if a found a naked man standing in my house, why are you naked, can't you cover up?" Rose asked rubbing her eyes heedlessly.

The old woman wasn't too close to Nick, but the stick was long enough to hit him if he made any sudden movements.

"Does it look like I have a choice here?" Nick said.

"It's a stick Nick, you can...."

The woman interrupted by signing at Nick.

"Do you know anything about sign language?"

"A little," Rose replied.

"What is she saying?"

"I think she's saying you are either sleeping with her grandson or you're raping him I can't tell the...."

"Well tell her I'm doing neither of those things, tell her I'm with you, lie about something," Nick interrupted.

The old woman looked angrier.

"I think she can read lips, and knows you asked me to lie," Rose said now standing next to Nick.

"Well do something Rose!"

"Relax she's a harmless old woman," Rose said before signing something to the woman with a smile.
The woman didn't smile back, she dropped the stick and walked out the room angrily.

Nick sighed in relief. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her we are Michaels friends and that I'm your wife." She smiled.

"That didn't seem to please her either," Nick said.
Rose paused thoughtfully, "Wait I think I mixed up the signs, I think I told her that I'm your whore."

"Really! Really Rose?"

"Relax, she's harmless."

"Harmless? She was trying to hit me, Michael said she barely moves, I for one think she moves faster than most old people I know."

He lowered his voice, "I can tell crazy when I see one, we need to get out of here."

"Oh my God, you're scared of a ninety-year-old woman with a stick?"