Grandfather Robert's Will
Chapter 23

Rachel shook her head. “I don't want you to think about that. I'll call Mrs. Zephaniah and explain this. Maybe he can do something. After all, it's an emergency. If he can't understand..”.

Jenson takes a step that could eliminate billions from Rachel's grasp. Billions of money and the home he loved. Torn, Jenson approaches her and puts her hand on Rachel's shoulder. The woman was so slender. Jenson had forgotten how a strong woman could become so fragile. “I'm sorry, Rachel. If only there was another way..”.

“Jenson, I've already said that I don't want that money. I mean it.”

Jenson watched him for a while. Yes, the power was there, the stubbornness and kindness he often forgot. “I believe,” murmured.

“Next yeah, we'll see. Now quickly depart before you miss the flight.” Rachel waited until Jenson grabbed her bag and walked with the man to the living room. “Call me if you have time and tell me about your mother.”

Jenson nodded, began to step towards the stairs, then stopped. Put down her bag, then turned around and grabbed Rachel. He landed a kiss on Rachel's lips, a kiss full of embers that were not covered up at all. Suddenly his embrace was released. “Bye, Wife.”

“Yeah” Rachel swallow. “Bye.”

Rachel remained glued to where she stood until she heard the sound of the front door closing.

Rachel had plenty of time to think about the kiss, all through the quiet dinner, during the moments she tried to read with the light of the carefree fireplace in the living room. The kiss happened because he was sympathetic, to Jenson who was confused.

And for the second time he found himself alone in the house, and to his astonishment, he felt lonely. Though there was already a bright fire, his book was comforting, and brandy that he was shredded to warm his body in the swift rain that fell.

But he was lonely. After a month less, he began to depend on Jenson's whereabouts to accompany him. Even he was enthusiastic about living it, even though it felt strange. He enjoys sitting opposite Jenson at mealtimes, arguing with her. He loved watching Jenson fight with him, it felt like he was going to explode when Jenson teased him, calling him a wife, as if he were a real wife.

Rachel wondered when she might see Jenson again. And he wondered if now they should cancel spending six months of marriage with him. If the terms in the will were violated, there would be no more reason for them to stay together. They had no right to live in Robert's grandfather's house anymore. They would return to their respective homes, and because in that place their lifestyles were different, they would never meet again with each other. Only this time, when it was possible, did Rachel fully realize how much she did not want it to happen.

He didn't want to lose Robert's grandfather's house. There are so many memories in this place, so many important memories. Will those memories fade away when he can no longer enter his spaces and bring them back? She doesn't want to lose a husband like Jenson. Losing a friend, she immediately.

Jenson's presence nearby turned out to be beyond his expectations. Jenso was able to add passionate splashes to his days. While waiting, Rachel closes the book and decides that going to bed early will be more productive than just speculating on Jenson. When reaching out to turn off the lights, the lights had already turned off by themselves. All that was left was the flame from the fireplace.

Strange, he thought as he grabbed the light switch. After advancing and rewinding it, he got up, turning on the wrong light bulb. But as he stepped into the living room, he found it covered in darkness. The lamp he left to light was dead, along with the lamp that was always left to light at the top of the stairs. Once again Rachel grabbed the light switch and once again found it not working.

The lights off, he said. For a few minutes he waited for the emergency lights installed in some corner of the house to light up, but apparently not, the house remained pitch black. Rachel never thought about how dark her sister's house was. Slowly he began to walk to the guest room to pick up the candle, at once something else occurred to him. The house was warmed with electricity. If the electricity does not come back on soon, soon the house will be very cold and dark. With two seventy-somethings in the house, Rachel couldn't stay silent.

Finally, he found three candles in the silver container and lit them. There was no point in disturbing Nyoman's sleep and dragging her down to the ground floor. This power outage may only be caused by one or two severed fuses. Carrying the candle in front of her, Rachel made her way through the winding room to the cellar.

He was not upset that he had to go down to the cellar in the darkness. That is what he said to himself as he stood glued to one hand on the door handle. After all, it was just an ordinary room. And a room, as he remembered, was filled with relics of some of his grandfather's odd hobbies. The fuse box is right there. He had seen it while helping his grandfather move some boxes of photographic equipment to the warehouse after he decided not to continue his idea of becoming a photographer. Rachel will go downstairs, check the severed fuse, then replace it. After the lighting and heating is done, he will take a warm bath and go to sleep.

He took a deep breath before opening the door.

The stairs he was riding on rattled. That's something that can be expected before. The stairs were steep and narrow like the stairs of a cellar in general. The light of the candle made the shadows dance in the boxes and chests that his grandfather kept.