Page 5 of Heir to a Curse
“Hey man, I watch porn too,” Jerry said.
“Gay porn?”
“Sure. I’m an equal opportunity horndog.” He made a crude gesture with his hand.
“Gross,” Mike said. “I don’t need to know about your masturbation habits when I have to spend the next week in a camper with you.”
“I’ll put a hankie on the door, promise,” Jerry said.
Mike shook his head and gave him a playful shove. “Anyway, we finished the dets on the kitchen, and didn’t see you back yet, so thought we’d come to help.” He waved a hand at the cabin and shrine. “Wow. Like something out of a movie.”
“The whole house,” Jerry said. “Mismatched though. House from Gone with the Wind, and all this from some Jackie Chan shit.”
“They leveled the original house during the internment, it was more traditional style and sprawling. I think there are still pictures in the den. Ignored the shrine because it was back here on the lake. Rebuilt the house as it is, though it’s had a few remodels over the years. When the family finally got it back, they decided to keep the house as it was,” I said. “Instead of tearing it down again.”
“Makes sense. Wonder why they wanted it back so bad,” Mike said.
“Probably because of that,” Jerry waved at the shrine. “Family is important.” He put his hand over his heart. “The lady who used to own this was the Boss’s family.”
And wasn’t that a painful truth. Not family of blood, for sure. But of heart. “She was. I appreciate the help. It’s more overgrown than it should be. If one of you can haul the debris up to my truck? And maybe one of you work on clearing the windows of the cabin? I’m making good headway on the bridge.” I waved at the path. Had gotten into a groove of cutting along the edge of the planks and lifting up entire sections of ivy. “Never seen ivy grow like this outside of some parts of England.”
“Right? Some fairytale shit.” Mike said. “We got a barrel in our truck. Let me go grab it. Jay, you got the windows?”
“On it,” Jerry promised, heading toward the cabin.
I returned to yanking up patches of ivy, surprised at how clear the water was. This lake, one of the few I’d ever seen that didn’t allow motorboats or even anyone in without a permit, was teaming with life, good sized fish, and enough mosquitoes to eat the average person. “Remind me to buy bug spray,” I shouted to Jerry as he ripped ivy off the side of the house.
“Yeah? They aren’t bothering me.”
Maybe it was because I was standing over the water. Either way it made me move faster. Piling up giant sheets of leaves all intertwined for Mike to haul out. I hoped there was enough room in my truck. Reaching the other side of the bridge and the shore of the small island felt like a minor victory.
I did a little football dance, waving my arms in the air. “And against all odds, he makes it across the finish line.” I cupped my hands over my mouth and did fake crowd noises.
“Boss has lost it,” Jerry told Mike.
“Too much time in the heat,” Mike agreed. He made his way across the bridge and helped me tear up the last of the foliage blocking the path. The shrine actually appeared to be in pretty good shape. Sure there was ivy climbing along it, but I couldn’t see any cracks in the walls or the roof. The door slid open, only sticking in a few spots where I pulled leaves free.
Inside everything was covered in dust, and the little fountain empty and discolored. It hurt my heart a little to see it in such disrepair. Sofia had been sick over a year, but I knew she would have had someone assigned to take care of the space.
“This is going to need more than just a quick clean,” I said digging in my pocket for a lighter. A small wooden box of incense sat near the fountain. I pulled open a drawer and freed a single stick to light and put in a dusty holder.
“We’ve got a team coming up tomorrow,” Mike said. He leaned over the fountain. “This thing got plumbing? Yep, let me find out what’s blocking everything.” He found the small access panel at the base and began fiddling with things.
“I can call my girls up,” Jerry said. “Would take them only a day to clean this up. They’re not in school. School was canceled until the fall. Macy says they are driving her nuts.”
“It’s a long drive,” I reminded him. “But I could pay them a good wage.”
“Course. And they know how to respect a place like this.” He waved at the wall of inscribed names. “Dust without breaking anything. They’d love having the extra money for summer stuff. Always complaining their allowance isn’t enough. Kids these days, right?”
I smiled. Jerry’s kids were in their early teens, both girly girls, and in love with technology. I was pretty sure one had a popular TikTok, and the other an Instagram following. They were also great students, and very respectful of their parents. “I’d love their help if they’re willing.”
“I’ll text Macy so she can talk to the girls. But it shouldn’t be a problem,” Jerry said.
The fountain sputtered to life, choking out discolored water for a few minutes before filling the pool. Apparently Mike had gotten it working that fast.
“Just clogged,” Mike pronounced. “We’ll need to empty it and scrub it down, but seems to be running okay. Might want to shift the small electrical connection to solar, since we’re way out here. Looks like it went off for a bit once and got clogged with gunk.”
“How much of a connection?” Jerry wanted to know, instantly hopping into action. The two of them examined the small electrical section. “Newer addition. You do this, boss?”