Pen Pal

Kayla notices issues in the house, such as lightbulbs bursting, lights turning off and on, and the doorbell ringing on its own. She calls multiple roofers about the leak in the roof, but none of them call back. She finds a card for someone named Eddie, and he comes out to check out the house. He smells like cannabis, and Kayla thinks he seems nice. While Eddie looks around, Kayla lays down with another headache. He checks through the house and reports that a specialist will need to fix the roof. He recommends seeing a therapist about Kayla’s headaches, saying he had migraines from stress before seeing a therapist, himself. Regarding the wiring, he did not detect any issues, and he implies that Kayla might be hallucinating. Kayla is upset by Eddie’s implication, and she suspects he may not have even checked the wiring. Eddie leaves, and Kayla finds another envelope stamped “LOVE” from Dante. When she sees the letter, the lights get brighter, flicker, and turn off.

In the letter, Dante notes that Kayla did not respond to his last letter, and he says he understands that she does not think they know each other. He claims to know Kayla intimately, both physically and spiritually. He laments that they are separated.

Kayla decides that someone, probably Dante, is messing with her. She suspects that Dante saw Michael’s obituary in the newspaper, and he is trying to scam a widow into sending him money. She notes that she and Michael had a simple life with no enemies, and grief makes her dizzy. Part of her feels bad for Dante, but she thinks he might be dangerous. She smells the letter and notes that it could smell like a man or an animal.

Kayla calls for roofers in Seattle, and she is surprised when a man shows up to look at the house two days later. The man is large and covered in tattoos, and, though he is not Kayla’s type, she finds him sexy. He is rude to her as she tries to explain the issues she has been having with the house, but she snaps at him. They start over, and he introduces himself as Aidan Leighrite. When Aidan remarks that Kayla quickly forgave him, she thinks about how hard it has been to overcome her grief.

Kayla responds to Dante saying that she does not know him or anyone in prison. She says she is not judging him and asks what he did to end up in prison. Kayla retracts her question and threatens to send his letters to the police if he continues to send them to her.

Kayla mails the letter and looks in the refrigerator, noting that she has not had any appetite since Michael died. Aidan finds her and asks if she is okay. They joke a bit until Aidan tells Kayla it will cost $10,000 to fix her roof. Kayla refuses, and Aidan offers to negotiate. When Kayla offers $4,000, Aidan only responds with $9,999. Kayla refuses again and shows him out of the house. Aidan says he knows a guy who could do the job with the electrical issues for $5,000. Kayla suspects this other guy is uninsured or unlicensed, but Aidan says that he is the guy and will be back tomorrow morning.

The next morning, Aidan arrives at 8:00 am, pounding on Kayla’s door. She answers and criticizes his aggressive knocking, but, contrary to Kayla’s clocks, his watch shows that he has been waiting at the door for 10 minutes. Kayla is attracted to Aidan’s body, but she still cannot read his face. Aidan tracks mud into Kayla’s house and comments that it looks like she has not mopped for 100 years. Kayla asks if she should make Aidan’s check out to Godzilla, and he calls her a “dragon lady” with sad eyes. Kayla tells Aidan to leave, and he tells her to call him if she changes her mind. Checking her eyes in the mirror, Kayla finds large bruises around her neck, one of which looks like a thumbprint.

Five days later, the marks fade, and Kayla assumes that stress, grief, and nutrient deficiency are to blame for the spontaneous bruising. She goes to a grief support group meeting, where she meets Madison, a woman in her forties whose daughter was kidnapped six years ago at the age of four. Madison says she scours the internet for child pornography, hoping to find her daughter, who has one blue eye and one brown. Madison identifies the group leader as Jan, an older woman with a large purse. Kayla asks if the group has helped Madison, who has been attending for six years, but Madison gives an indirect answer. Kayla leaves and goes to a bar, where she finds Aidan.

Kayla nods to Aidan but goes to the bar facing away from him. Kayla orders her drink, and Aidan comes to sit next to her. He asks about her husband, assuming she is still married. Kayla avoids a direct answer, implying that she and Michael are separated. Aidan asks if Michael is violent, which makes Kayla laugh. A couple sits next to them. Kayla gets uncomfortable and sad when the couple kisses, so Aidan leads her to a table. Kayla drinks her drink, and Aidan says he wants to have sex with her. Kayla is taken aback, but Aidan persists, explaining that he senses a mutual attraction he thinks they should pursue. Kayla rejects him, but she cannot deny that she is aroused. Kayla says she is confused and uncomfortable, which makes Aidan accept that she will not have sex with him today. However, he implies that he still thinks they will have sex eventually. Aidan kisses her, which Kayla enjoys, but she decides to leave. Aidan tells her he lives above the bar and that she can visit him any day after 6:00 pm.

Dante’s response to Kayla’s letter does not answer her questions, but Dante says he will always tell the truth. He sends her a poem about love moving with a celestial force and asks what Kayla thinks.

Kayla does not understand the poem in the letter, and she laughs at the thought of reading it with Michael before calling the police. At night, Kayla wakes up and thinks she heard someone on her staircase. It is the middle of a storm, so she thinks she is hearing the house settle. Another step on the stairs startles her into getting dressed and grabbing a flashlight to use as a weapon. After waiting for another step, Kayla decides to leave the house, and she drives to Aidan’s home. Aidan lets her in, and she is embarrassed. Aidan dries her off, and Kayla explains what happened. Aidan offers her fresh clothes, but he does not have any sweatpants. Kayla forgot to put on underwear, so she does not want to only wear a sweatshirt. Aidan says he likes looking at her, and Kayla takes off her clothes and says she wants to have sex with Aidan.