Chapter 5 - Don't Touch That Wall
The vacuum was too loud to think. It rattled my teeth and shook Noah against my back, and the hose kept trying to pull sideways on the rug. I held it with both hands and pushed. Mr. Daniel didn't tell me to stop. He just watched from by the desk, his hands in his pockets. The lamp on the desk made a warm circle and the windows were all blue-black behind him.
I had already cleaned the middle of the rug. I wanted to do the edge by the bookcase because that's where the dust was thick. When I pushed the vacuum that way, I saw it. A straight dark line going up and down in the wood. Not like the other lines between the shelves. This one was skinny and too straight, from the floor almost up to where I couldn't see.
I let go of the vacuum handle a little and stared. The wood on one side was just a tiny bit darker. My eyes kept going back to it even when I tried to look at the books.
Mr. Daniel reached down and clicked the vacuum off with his shoe. The quiet hurt my ears for a second. Noah made a small sound in his sleep and then went still again.
"You missed a spot under the desk," he said. His voice was low.
I nodded and picked up my cloth from my pocket. I wiped my hands on my dress first because they were sweaty. "Okay," I said. I didn't move right away. I pointed with my chin because my hands were full. "Why does that part have a line?"
He looked where I was looking. His face didn't change much, but his shoulders got stiff. He breathed in through his nose.
"What line?" he said.
"That one," I said. "Right there. It's straight."
He didn't answer for a second. Then he walked over fast, not running, but fast, and put his hand flat on the wood like he was covering it.
"It's just how they put the wood together," he said. "Old houses have those."
I knew that wasn't it. At the apartment the walls had cracks but they went wiggly. This was like someone drew it with a ruler. I wanted to ask again but my throat felt tight.
He pulled the chair out from the desk. It scraped loud on the floor. He slid it sideways until it was between me and the bookcase. The back of the chair hit my knee a little.
"Stay on this side to clean," he said. "There's more dust by the desk anyway."
I stepped back. Noah was getting heavy and the shawl was pulling on my neck. I shifted him and felt his warm head against my shoulder blade. His little hand slipped out from under the shawl.
Mr. Daniel bent down to move the vacuum plug. The black cord was stretched tight across the rug to the wall by the desk. When he tugged it, the lamp flickered.
I took my chance and pushed the vacuum handle toward the bookcase again, just a little, to get closer to the line. I wanted to see if cold air came out of it. Sometimes closets do that.
"Hey," Mr. Daniel said. Not loud. Just quick. "What did I just say?"
"Sorry," I said fast. My cheeks got hot. "I just wanted to—"
He shook his head. "Don't worry about that wall."
Noah woke up then. I felt it before I heard it, the way his body got wiggly. He lifted his head and blinked at the lamp light. Then he saw the bookcase. He stared at the dark wood like it was interesting and reached his fat hand out toward it.
"Ah," he said. "Ah ah."
I grabbed his hand gently and tucked it back in. "No, baby," I whispered. "Not that."
He fussed and reached again, harder this time, kicking a little against my back. The shawl slipped. I had to hold him with one hand and hold the cloth with the other.
Mr. Daniel watched us. His eyes went soft for a second, then worried again.
"He likes shiny things?" he asked.
I nodded. "He likes knobs."
"There are no knobs there," he said quickly. A little too quickly.
I looked down so he wouldn't see me thinking. I tucked Noah's hand under the shawl and patted his leg until he calmed down. His breathing slowed against me.
"Can I plug it back in?" I asked, pointing at the vacuum. "I'll stay here."
Mr. Daniel checked the chair. It was still blocking the way. He nodded once.
I pushed the button with my thumb like he showed me. The vacuum roared back on. The lamp on the desk dimmed down low, almost brown, and the whole room went darker for a breath. The windows rattled a tiny bit with the rain. Then the light came back up, buzzing.
Mr. Daniel frowned at the lamp. He unplugged something else from under the desk fast — a little box with a red light — and the vacuum sounded stronger again.
"Old wiring," he said, more to himself than to me. "Can't run everything."
I pushed the vacuum in a slow line by the chair, back and forth, keeping my feet away from the cord. The rug had little lines in it now where I'd cleaned. It looked better. I wanted him to see I was doing good.
When I turned the vacuum off again, my ears rang in the quiet. Noah had fallen back asleep, his mouth open on my shoulder. The rain was louder without the motor.
Mr. Daniel knelt down so his eyes were level with mine. The chair was still between us and the wood.
"Mia," he said. "Listen to me. You can clean in here tonight. Desk, rug, windows if you want. But don't touch that wall. Okay? Don't lean on it, don't push it. Just leave it alone."
I swallowed. "Is it broken?"
He paused. His jaw moved. "It's just off-limits," he said. "Promise me."
I held my cloth tight. "I promise."
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He looked at me for a long moment like he was checking if I meant it. Then he nodded and stood up. He didn't move the chair back.
I kept staring at that straight dark line over the top of the chair. I didn't touch it. But I didn't stop thinking about it either.
