Autumn Showers...Part 1

In hues of orange and Yellow
The leaves, strewn all over the road
Stood a lone aged tree, looking wise and mellowed
“Am ready for the winter” it bellowed!!

It was late in October, the chill started creeping in slowly that people were caught unawares. “Its already winter”, they moaned!! Shelly was busy cooking dinner for the evening, it was her specialty today - the chicken curry with fragrant rice cooked with spices. She had borrowed the recipe from her next door Indian neighbor. She slowly stirred the gravy , the aroma filling the entire house of three bedrooms, a living room and her beloved garden. Her house was just right for her family of three which included her husband and her dog – Lou. Sometimes her daughter who works in Chicago, visits her for the weekends. Otherwise it was just her, John and dear old Lou. Today was special as John was going to bring his friend for dinner, whom he had met few days back at a party hosted by his company. John worked for a security Concern which looked after the security features of major companies downtown.

She let the curry to cook for some more time and looked at the clock over the oven. It showed 7 o’clock. Already it was getting dark. Shelly liked to look at the sunset from her little garden everyday. Today she felt she did not have time for that, as she still had to set the table and get all her special plates and crystals out. Yet she managed to peek just in time to see the huge orange orb ebbing away into the horizon leaving a riot of colors into the now darkening sky. This sight always managed to bring a smile into her lips. She then hurried back to setting the table.

She set the table for three, Herself, John and his friend. John had called up in the morning in a hurry and managed to say that he wanted her to cook something real special as he is bringing in a special guest that evening. When she started complaining how little notice he gave, he cajoled his way through by promising to take her to the new play that weekend, which instantly made her to acquiesce.
Dear Old John she thought. Always knew what to promise to get his own way. She had met him in her high school one summer afternoon. He was then working in small company as a security assistant. It was instant connection between them. They had married that fall. That was 20 years ago. Time flies so fast. Today John heads a small security company located downtown.

Lou was hovering around the kitchen in the hope of getting some bones, always getting in her way. She had to literally drag him to sit in the corner in the fireplace until the cooking is done. She opened her crockery cabinet to take her best plates and glasses out and arranged them tastefully on her table. This done, she went back to check on her curry. Rice was already done with the spices.

During all these time, she kept wondering who might the guest be. John mentioned that it was an old friend and he was excited about bringing his friend home. Now was the time for dressing up for the dinner. She went into her bedroom of 15 years which has undergone so many changes over the years and opened her closet. She was thinking of wearing her cream color dress which she had bought in Wal-Mart at a throw away price. John did not approve her of getting clothes on sale. He is always a designer person who picks up the best that is available at the highest cost. But being the saner of the two shelly knew that they couldn’t afford to spend lavishly on her clothes too and she reasoned that since she was not anyway working she need not need such expensive clothes, though she yearned to possess few of them. She always secretly wished that John would someday surprise her by getting a fabulous dress but every time he ended up getting her time saving devices for cooking or cleaning. She couldn’t fault him as they were very practical and thoughtful. But still she wished………….Rrrrrrrrrng Rrrrrrrrrg..the phone rang.

She was snatched from her day dreaming back to reality. Might be John to check to see if everything is ready. Before she could go into the living room the rings ceased and there was no voice message too. So she went back into her closet and efficiently dressed in her cream dress which was very classy even though not expensive. She looked herself in the mirror. Not bad for a women in her forties she silently thought.

Over the years she had hosted many a parties and given many dinners. But tonight she felt pensive and critical about herself, her house and her cooking. She had a foreboding that something was going to go wrong . She went through the motions of checking everything again, tasted the food, cleaned the kitchen, looked around the house for something out of place. Everything seemed perfect and ready.

She put on some music and grabbed a book and waited for her husband and the guest to come. Promptly at 7:30 the bell rang. Tucking a stray hair into her bun, she opened her door with trepidation.