Lily knew something wasn’t right when her husband started calling her weird about their garage and making up reasons not to go outside. She didn’t expect to find what she did inside, though.
You know how some things bother you but you can’t quite explain why? So that’s how it all began with Mike and our garage. At first, it seemed so harmless—I was just trying to do something so simple as get rid of our old mattress. He then yelled, “DON’T GO IN THERE!” “I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT!” and everything changed.
Didn’t it seem strange? Who gets scared when a mattress goes into the garage? I ignored it, though. He might have been working on something. He’s always been the type to mess around with things, fix them up, or start a new hobby. Soon after, he began acting… strange.
I could just tell him I needed something from the garage, and he’d get it right away. He would say, “I’ll get it for you,” and I couldn’t even move. As an answer, he would say things like, “There are chemicals everywhere” or “I just painted in there, and the fumes are too strong.”
Chemicals? Really? It wasn’t a lab; it was a garage. And drawing? Since we moved in, he hadn’t touched a brush. As a result, my interest level went through the roof. Why did he have to keep me away from that garage? What was so important about it?
I tried to be cool by asking him about it in a normal way. But he got defensive, which made me think less of him. I just couldn’t take it any longer one night after dinner.
I leaned against the kitchen counter and folded my arms. “Mike, what’s going on with the garage?” It’s been weeks and you still act weird about it.
He didn’t look at me; he just kept washing dishes and scrubbed a plate that was already clean. “Lily, it’s not a big deal.” It’s only a project, I told you. It will be there soon.
“Not soon enough?” I gave them a raised look. “When? ” For some reason I think you might be hiding something from me.
He looked very serious as he turned around and dried his hands with the dish towel. He tried to sound honest by saying, “I can’t show you yet.” “A birthday surprise for you.”
When is my birthday? It would be a month after that. And let’s be honest: Mike has never been good at planning shocks. He gave me a book of coupons for free back rubs last year. He’s nice, but why the surprise? Not his thing.
So I said I was going to buy it. “What a surprise!” So, all right then. I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Let me wait.” I didn’t believe a word of it, though.
I couldn’t sleep that night. It was making me crazy to think about what was so important that he had to lock me out of our own garage. That’s when I had the thought. I knew he kept the keys to the garage in the pocket of his jacket, which he always hung over the chair in our bedroom. I would have to find out on my own if he wasn’t going to tell me.
I carefully got out of bed around midnight, while Mike was sleeping next to me. While my heart was beating fast, I squeaked up to the chair and slowly reached into his pocket. As I took the keys out, they made a quiet jingling sound. I stopped and looked over at him. He didn’t move. Wonderful.
Putting on my shoes and flashlight, I left through the back door. The garage was about 20 feet away from the house. It was separate and in the dark because of the moon. It was cool at night, but I didn’t really notice. Too many thoughts were going through my mind.
As I walked up to the garage with the keys in my hand, I had a strange mix of fear and joy. What was I going to find? The bolt slid back with a click as I pushed the key into the lock and turned it. As I reached for the handle, my fingers were shaking.
When I opened the door, the smell of dust and old air hit me. The moment I turned on the light, I couldn’t make sense of what I saw. A bed was in the middle of the garage. A woman was fast asleep on that bed, curled up under a blanket. A little boy, possibly about two years old, was lying next to her on a makeshift mattress on the floor.
I couldn’t breathe. What did they look like? Why did they come here? Why didn’t Mike tell me?
The woman woke up and blink, her eyes getting bigger when she saw me standing there. She quickly sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself more tightly. “What are you?” I asked in a voice that was almost whispery.
She said in a shaky voice, “My name is Sophie.” “I’m…” “My name is Mike and I’m his cousin.”
Are you a cousin? I had no idea Mike had a cousin. Also, why would she sleep with a child in our garage?
Before I could ask more questions, I heard the back door of the house slam. Mike ran toward the garage, and his steps could be heard. He yelled, “Lily!” in a scared voice. “Wait, Lily!”
When I turned around, he was out of breath and standing in the doorway. He looked like he had just seen a ghost because his face was pale.
“What’s going on, Mike?” I pointed to Sophie and the kid and said, “Do what I say.” “Why do they have to be in our garage?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Sophie and then back at me. He began, “Lily, I can explain,” but I stopped him.
“Then explain!” I lost it. “Because this doesn’t make sense right now.”
He let out a sigh as he walked inside and shut the door behind him. The girl here is Sophie, my cousin. We haven’t seen each other since we were kids. Out of the blue, she showed up and asked for help. “Lily, she’s homeless and didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
I saw Sophie holding the child close with tears in her eyes. As my anger began to fade, confusion and guilt began to take its place. I wasn’t cold-hearted; I just couldn’t stand the thought of anyone, particularly a child, living on the streets.
“Then why didn’t you just tell me?” With less force, I asked. “What’s the big secret?”
Mike turned his head away. “Because I know how tight things are for us right now, Lily.” We are having a hard time making ends meet. I believed you would not allow them to remain here.
I looked at him and tried to figure out what was going on. He was right; money was tight. Month to month, we were just about making it. Is this being kept from me? They were locked in the garage like it was a secret. It didn’t make sense to me.
“Mike, I would have understood,” I said in a low voice. “There was no need for you to lie to me.”
He sagged his shoulders and said, “I know.” “Just… I freaked out. “I had nothing else to do.”
We all stood there in silence for a long time. I finally let out a sigh and looked at Sophie. “You’re going inside,” I told them in a strong voice. “There should be no need for anyone to sleep in a garage.”
Sophie’s eyes lit up with thanks, and she nodded and started getting her things together. Even though Mike looked calm, I wasn’t ready to let this go yet. I turned to Mike and said, “But Mike, no more lies.” We need to be honest with each other if we want this to work. Did you get it?”
He gave a quick nod. “I’ll keep my word, Lily.” Don’t lie anymore.
Things seemed to calm down over the next few days. Sophie moved into the guest room with her son Leo, and we tried to get used to the new set-up. I had a strange mix of feelings: I was glad I had figured things out, but I also felt uneasy and couldn’t quite shake it.
Then, one afternoon, Mike was at work when the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, Greg, an old friend of Mike’s, was standing there. He was holding a bag and smiling at you.
He held up the bag and said, “Hey, Lily.” “Last night, Mike left this in my car.” I planned to leave it there.
I smiled and took his bag. “Thanks, Greg.” I will make sure he gets it.
Greg looked past me into the house as he was getting ready to leave. When he looked over at Sophie, who was sitting on the couch with Leo, his face changed. He looked shocked and asked, “Wait, what are you doing here?”
Sophie stopped moving and looked quickly from Greg to me. “Do you know her?” My heart was beating fast again as I asked.
“Yeah,” Greg said slowly, his eyes still on Sophie. “She used to work at that bar that Mike and I sometimes went to after work.” It was her job to serve.
I thought the pit in my stomach had finally stopped moving, but it started to move again. Sophia, I turned to you. My voice was steady but cold. “Is that real?”
Sophie turned away from my eyes and looked down at her hands. It was a whispered “Yes.” “I did work there for a while.”
I already knew what you meant. The worry I had been having was back in full force, and it was beginning to make sense. With my mind racing, I quickly thanked Greg for the bag and pushed him out the door.
I couldn’t sleep again that night. I kept hearing Greg’s words over and over again. Why didn’t Mike say that he knew Sophie from the bar if she was just his cousin? There was something wrong.
I chose to do something I never thought I’d have to do the next morning while Mike was still asleep. I carefully pulled out a few strands of hair from a comb that Leo had used. After that, I did the same thing to Mike’s comb. As I packed both samples in separate plastic bags, my hands were shaking. I needed to find out the truth and knew someone who could help me with a DNA test.
After that, the days seemed to last forever. Going to work, going home, and making dinner made me feel more and more afraid. Then, at last, the results came in.
I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me when I saw the words. Leo wasn’t just the child of Mike’s cousin. His name was Mike.
That night, I talked to Mike about the results while my hands were shaking. At first, he tried to say it wasn’t true, but the proof was too strong to ignore. Everything that had been said and done made sense now.
He told her, “I’m sorry, Lily,” with tears in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
It was too late, though. The harm was done. That night, I packed my bags and left, leaving the guy I thought I knew and the life I had worked so hard to make.
The hurt was too great to forgive in the end. Mike took away the thing I cared about most: trust. We had nothing else left without that.
