The grease stains clung stubbornly to Ted’s glasses. No matter how many times he wiped them with his shirt, the situation refused to improve. In fact, it only got worse. The lenses developed streaks that distorted the light in an irritating way, which annoyed him even more than regular dirt. Finally, he stuck them under the kitchen faucet and poured dish soap over them. He didn’t even notice how much time he had spent cleaning—his thoughts were elsewhere.
Carlos was once again pacing by the poolside, talking loudly on the phone.
“Bernard, my dear friend, you know I’m happy to take care of your house. It’s absolutely no trouble at all.”
Ted could have sworn that the old Canarian glanced toward his house multiple times.
“You want to know if I can hear you, you scoundrel?”
But Ted wasn’t about to give Carlos the satisfaction of catching him eavesdropping with envy. He watched his cunning neighbor from the kitchen, the same man whom the Dutchman had already called three times this week. Thanks to the ajar window, he could hear every single word clearly. Carlos was engaged in a long conversation with Bernard about the chili peppers on their terrace, which he was diligently watering, and about the state of the pools.
“Something’s not right here,” Ted muttered, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on, Bernard, my dear neighbor,” Carlos bellowed in an unnaturally exaggerated tone. “You know I keep an eye on everything,” he added, once again sneaking a glance at Ted’s window, “and everyone!”
The man, now wearing sparkling-clean Coke bottle glasses, groaned.
“Screw you, Carlos! I’ll get you by your wrinkled balls!”
For a while, he continued watching the old man, who strolled around with his hands in his pockets and chest puffed out, speaking loudly with the smug confidence that Ted was sweating with frustration while hanging onto his every move.
The two young men sat in the back of the taxi, looking troubled.
“Isn’t it too early?”
“Don’t start, Noud.”
“I know we’re only doing this because of me…”
“All the more reason for you not to bring it up now,” Bernard snapped impatiently.
“It’s been a month. It should be fine by now.”
“Let’s not make predictions,” he hissed curtly.
Noud leaned back in desperation. He hated tension—especially the kind that tangled professional and personal relationships into a mess. He wasn’t even sure in what capacity Bernard wanted to drown him in a teacup. Was it Noud, the colleague, he wished to send to hell? Or Noud, the reluctant life partner who had somehow ended up becoming his lover?
He tossed the sports bags onto the living room floor with reluctance. For a brief moment, the idea crossed his mind to grab his own bag again and storm out of the house. But before he could properly consider his options, Bernard’s excited voice interrupted him.
“You won’t believe this,” he rushed down the stairs, then clapped a hand over his mouth, signaling Noud to stay quiet.
They sneaked into the kitchen. Bernard carefully cracked the window open. Noud could hardly believe his ears.
“We can’t miss this,” Bernard whispered excitedly.
“Your peppers are growing beautifully, my friend. I watered them again today,” Carlos said slowly, enunciating each word, unaware that the man he was speaking to on the phone was sneaking up behind him.
Ted, grinning widely, hit record on his phone’s camera. He wanted to remember forever the moment when the smug smile melted off his mischievous neighbor’s face.