The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven novel Chapter 5

The next time Teddy appeared around the corner of the house I knew it was time to go. A brown tweed newsboy cap rested comfortably over his head. I thought he looked like a true Englishman then, reaffirming he was born and bred on this island. He stopped some distance from me, and took his time observing my precise trimming of the top of the hedges to ensure it was perfectly straight.

“We should go.”

“One more minute,” I begged. I felt his presence encroach upon mine, and soon enough I could see his towering shadow in the corner of my eye.

“It is too high for you,” he observed, before he unhanded the large hedge shears from me. Teddy took it upon himself to cut the top of the bushes. He was most careful not to get anything on his nice suede jacket, moving back a tiny step to create some distance from the high green hedges. “I don’t know how Daphne does it. She is smaller than you.”

“I imagine she uses a ladder.”

The man beside me chuckled with amusement as he continued to snip at the prickly bushes. “It would take twice as long with that.”

“Has she ever asked you for help?”

“No, she is far too independent for that.” I crossed my arms, unsure if he was implying that I was not an independent person. Teddy must have caught my body language from the corner of his eyes, for he laughed lightly with a hint of endearment. “It bothers you that I am helping?”

“No, it is too high for me to reach.”

“I was saving you time,” he noted. “How about you clean up the rest of the gardening supplies while I finish this up?”

“Alright, I will be back.”

“I’ll meet you at the shed,” he quipped, before he continued with his attentive trimmings of the hedge.

It must say a lot about Teddy that he was willing to assist me with the gardening. He was very attentive towards me, almost intent on pleasing me in some way. It was evident he was going out of his way to make me feel more comfortable in his home, though it made me suspicious as to his motives. Was it the kindness of his heart or something more than that? And what could he possibly gain from it?

I worked hard to clear up the shed until it was nice and tidy. I knew Teddy was very particular about these things, so I had to ensure everything was to his liking. He returned to my side a few minutes later, wearing almost a smile once he caught my eyes. I watched him stride over to me with confidence, chin held high to maintain his noble position. “Are you all set?” he smoothly inquired. He leaned his body into the shed, placing the gardening tool on a small ledge where it would be perfectly safe. “Did you forget anything in the house?”

“No. I am ready.”

He plucked up a key off the hook and made sure I stood far enough away from the swinging door for him to shut it closed. I watched him lock the shed door with particular care, and then pocket the key in the inner flap of his suede jacket. “I parked my car a little further down the hill.” He took the lead, determined to show me the way. “How was your first day so far?”

I decided to take a more enthusiastic route, so I exclaimed: “It was just lovely! You have such a nice garden, and this area is so quaint and quiet.”

“Yes,” he drawled out with suspicion.

“And it is such a nice spring day,” I pointed out. “Perfect weather to go for a walk.” The man beside me nodded his head as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. “Or to paint, as you say. The sea is not so far away, do you ever go sunbathing?”

“No,” he chuckled.

“I suppose you can’t swim in it.”

“Oh, I could,” he assured me. Teddy let his leather boots strike the hard pathway of carefully chosen stone slabs, while motioning with his hand for me to follow the exact route. “But it isn’t safe going out into the ocean alone.”

“That is true,” I mused aloud. “Why there is no one out here for miles?”

“I have no neighbours,” he conceded, after he looked over his shoulder to take in the house. “There is a lighthouse further up north along the rocky coast, but I doubt my body would stray there.” He turned his gaze to me with care. “If I should die.”

“A terrible thing to say,” I chided, which earned me a sly smirk. I shook my head at him in disapproval, and then looked straight ahead where I could see the outline of his navy-blue car. “Do I detect a hint of dark humour from you?” I lightly teased. “Or are you being completely serious?”

“I do have some darkness to me,” he responded with an easy air. “But it is nothing to worry about.” The hill became significantly steeper, forcing us to slow down our steps. The dampness of the morning rain made the grass slicker, and unfortunately for Teddy it became a perilous journey. He reached out to touch the side of my arm, hoping to have some support as he attempted to regain his balance. He was a tall man, and I could feel his immense weight leaned against my upper arm to the point that his large hand was gripping into my flesh. “Sorry,” he quickly apologized once he regained his balance. “These shoes have no grip.”

“It’s alright, Teddy,” I softly replied, which compelled him to slow down his steps. I got the sense that he was watching me, and when I turned around, he gazed into my eyes intently. I cast him a nervous smile and continued onwards, feeling the need to distance myself from him. The hill continued to go downwards, though the steepness was not as severe as before. His car was parked over a patch of dirt, and to my surprise the outside of his car was not as clean as his house. I stopped at the passenger door, letting my eyes trail over the older car that could have easily been twenty years to date. Teddy came over and walked around the vehicle to unlock the door. He slipped inside with ease, settling down into his seat before he outstretched an arm to unlatch my side of the door. I propped it open and took my place beside him. “Thank you again.”

“I must obey my conscience,” he slyly replied. The key was thrust into the ignition, signalling he was ready to leave. “And it berated me for letting you wander down the hill all alone, only to stand in a secluded spot in the hopes of waving down a bus.”

“Oh, but we do live in the country.”

The engine roared in front of us, encouraging me to put on my seatbelt. “I dare say we do,” Teddy agreed with me. “But it would not be right for a woman such as yourself, to be alone out here.”

“Will it be a long drive to the station?”

“Long enough.” He pressed down a button to put on his cassette player, an old device that I had not seen since I was a child. “I don’t mind the drive. Sometimes it is best to get out of the house.” Soft piano music came through the speakers, and then Teddy turned his attention to winding down the window with a manual device. His car was very outdated, and I wondered why a man that owned such a nice house would allow himself to be tied to this ancient car. “If I didn’t know any better,” he continued. “I spend far too much time there.”

“Do you ever throw any parties?”

“Heaven’s no!” he laughed.

“Why not?”

He reversed out of the dirt patch that made up his parking lot. “The house must be quiet,” he drawled out slowly. “Always quiet.”

“But why?”

“It has been that way from the start,” he deliberated aloud. “And it must continue that way.” The car reversed sharply to the right and then barrelled ahead to drive us down the last of the hill. “And she would disapprove of it.”

“Who?”

“Oh,” he mouthed out absentmindedly. “My conscience.” He drew a hand upwards to scratch his fingers against the side of his jawline. “A slip of the tongue.”

My voice was soft as I uttered: “I see.”

We left the last of the lonely dirt trail, and finally entered the smooth paved road that would take us back to the village. He turned the opposite direction from which I came, so I rolled down the window just a tad to gaze at the green scenery. The trees were budding, and the long stretch of green grass was decorated with vibrant blue bells that curved downwards into the low valley that Teddy’s car was speeding along. The scenery was calming, undoubtedly beautiful, and I began to love the place as if it were my own.

“You are very quiet.”

My gaze flickered over to the driver of the car, taking in his calm composure. “I was just thinking…” My gaze averted back to the sublime scenery. “You live in such a beautiful place.”

“Thank you, Sela.”

“Do you feel this way too?”

“I don’t think I could ever bear to part with it,” he said in half jest. “It has become a part of me now.”

“You have no reason to leave it?”

“The house is all paid for, but there is still the issue of maintaining the place. I am not as rich as…” He stopped himself, and for some reason there was a darkness to his eyes. “Others,” he breathed out with a look of pain.

“You don’t make enough money through painting?”

“I make just enough.”

“Can you afford Daphne?”

“I can. The house is all I have, so I must invest in it,” he calmly relayed with a wave of his hand. “At the end of the day it is my greatest asset.” He let his hand fall onto the steering wheel. “I sometimes feel it is my fate to live and die there.”

“It could be if you never leave it. Have you travelled anywhere?”

“I’ve been to France,” he rapped out happily. “Germany. I have visited the Swiss Alps.”

“You have?”

“Much of my paintings are inspired by the travels I took as a boy and well into my adolescence.” The road turned smoothly to the right, leaving the last of the towering hill behind. “I dream of seeing Italy one day,” he said with a charming ring to his voice. “Barcelona,” he added. “Spain.”

“You should go.”

“I would need an awful amount of money,” he entreated. “And when I go, I would like to spend a great deal of time there. A few months at least.”

“You could, though.”

“Maybe when I was young and carefree, but I have responsibilities now.” The outline of houses could be seen in the very distance, the pale brown roofs blinding in the sunlight. We were approaching the closest village to his home, an odd sight since I knew we would soon be parted.

“You are not old, Teddy,” I pointed out. “There is still time.”

“It would be unwise to leave my home. I must take care of it.” He gripped onto his steering wheel with more force. “But sometimes I close my eyes and dream of faraway lands. Things that I have not seen yet, and people…” His voice trailed away. “But I am a difficult person to be around, or so I’ve been told.”

“Is it because you are sensitive to sounds?”

“Yes,” he agreed with me quickly. “And the fact that I have certain peculiarities. I had them since I was a child, you see, but as I have gotten older it has become far worse. I think my life and the seclusion of my home is enough to keep me sane.”