Chapter 2 #2
Blair nodded, then pointed to an older man.
“You mentioned survivor’s guilt,” he said.
“That’s exactly how I feel. I was the black sheep of the family.
My twin brother was the golden boy, good and kind and successful.
I should’ve been the one to die. Not Byron.
” Now he burst into loud sobs, which were followed with kind comments and motherly hugs and encouraging advice.
More members were tearing up now, including Riva.
All in all, the intimacy of the meeting caught Riva off guard, but perhaps most surprising was the level of care and concern she witnessed among the odd mix of grievers.
And when the meeting ended, she was almost sad to exit the library.
Plus, it was raining cats and dogs outside.
She decided to hang around a bit longer to peruse the new books section after all.
Hopefully the rain would let up while she browsed.
Finally, not finding a title she cared to tote home, she decided it was time to face the weather. She was barely down the street when she heard someone honking and then hollering, “Hey, Riva!”
She turned to see an orange VW Bug with Windy’s head poking out the window, her purple scarf flapping in the wind. “Need a ride?”
“I’d love one,” Riva called back. She jogged over to the passenger’s side. “Thank you so much.”
“I just remembered you saying that your feet brought you to the library.” Windy grinned as she put the car in gear. “So I figure you must live nearby. I’m guessing you’d be soaked before you got there.”
“I’m nearly soaked now.” Riva told her to turn left at the stop sign. “I live on Periwinkle Avenue.”
“Swanky side of town, eh?”
“Swanky?” Riva chuckled. “It’s the old section, that’s for sure.”
“The expensive old section. There are a lot of historical homes over there. Is yours on the register?”
“We didn’t think it was a good idea at the time.”
“Yeah, it can be a bit restrictive. But it’s got some benefits too. If the fit is right.”
“You seem to know a lot about it.”
“My husband had a real estate business and I helped him in the office. Learned a lot from him . . . before he passed.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Riva remembered now that Windy had described her husband’s death as traumatic and she’d admitted to still getting over some PTSD. “How long has it been?”
“Bill’s been gone about seven years now, but I still miss him. Don’t get me wrong, the man had his faults, especially when it came to business, but underneath it all, he was a good guy.”
“Do you mind if I ask how he died?”
“No, that’s okay. It was a car wreck. He got T-boned going through an intersection. A drunk driver ran a red light going about eighty miles an hour.”
“Oh my.” Riva sighed. “That does sound traumatic.”
“Yes. I had nightmares for a year. Still do sometimes. But mostly I’m better. I just feel like I should participate with the grief group in support of Margaret.”
“Is Margaret a good friend?”
“She counseled me the first couple of years after losing Bill.” Windy put her car in a lower gear to climb the hill, revving her engine as she went up.
“Margaret seems like she’d be a good counselor.”
“She was. And now she’s a good friend.” Windy stopped at the Periwinkle Avenue intersection.
“Go right,” Riva said. “And you’re a friend of Laurel’s too?”
“Yes. We’re not very close, but we live in the same building downtown. Although it won’t be for long from what I hear.”
“Is Laurel moving?”
“Not that I know of. But they raised the rent again and now I’m looking for something else.” As Windy kept driving her little car up the hill, Riva hoped they wouldn’t have to get out and push it.
“I thought Laurel said they just raised the rent last year.”
“They did. They claim it’s to cover increasing costs of maintenance, but then they never fix a thing. Have you ever seen the place? It’s a real dump.”
“Laurel says the same thing. I know she wants to move too.”
“There’s a deplorable shortage of affordable housing in Greenwood.”
Riva pointed to her tall Victorian house. “That’s mine there. Go ahead and pull into the driveway.”
“Oh, I adore this house! This is really yours? I’ve always admired it.
I used to drive by here, wishing it would go on the market and dreaming I could talk Bill into buying it.
” She laughed as she parked. “Not that we could’ve afforded it.
Bill kept sinking all our funds into his business and a few other shaky investments, ones that eventually landed us in bankruptcy.
Eventually, after he was gone, I lost the house I thought we owned free and clear. ”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I keep hoping I’ll get a great big insurance settlement for Bill’s accident, but thanks to the courts and a zillion appeals from the insurance company, that probably won’t happen until I’m a very old lady.
” Windy gazed up at Riva’s house. “It’s such a beautiful home.
What a blessing for you to have it, Riva. ”
“Would you like to come in and see it?”
“Seriously?” Windy was already opening her car door. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Riva laughed then, running through the rain. She hurried ahead to unlock the front door and let Windy inside the foyer.
“Oh, it’s perfect.” Windy looked around as Riva removed her dripping coat. “I love these center cut oak floorboards. And this original molding and your beautifully carved staircase newel posts. It’s even better than I imagined.”
“Let me take your coat and I’ll show you more.”
Riva gave Windy the full tour, explaining her own dilemma.
“Paul was a self-employed attorney, and our health insurance coverage was very minimal. The cost of his treatments and care and everything else really wiped out our savings. Even though this house was in my family, we put a mortgage on it years ago to afford all the improvements we needed. Electric, plumbing, and upgrades. But after Paul got sick, we were forced to get a second mortgage just to cover the medical bills. Now I can’t really afford to stay on here.
” Riva paused in the library, and Windy literally gasped at the walls of books.
“Wow, this is amazing. I think you have more books here than the public library.”
Riva smiled sadly. “Yes, books are my passion. And my problem.”
Windy turned back to face her. “Problem?”
“If I were to sell my house, what in the world do I do with all these books? My daughter suggested a bonfire, and if I didn’t love her so much, I might’ve thrown her out.”
Windy laughed. “So you keep the house in order to keep the books? That’s a new one.”
“Pathetic, I know. But it’s the truth. I guess I’ll need to get a job.
I’ve only worked in the law office. And despite my experience doing legal research, I don’t really have the credentials.
I’m hoping someone will be willing to give me a try.
” She frowned. “Although I realize my age could be disadvantageous.”
“Your age? Well, that’s just plain discrimination.”
“Yet a fact of life all the same.” Riva shrugged as she led Windy out of the library. “Want to see the second floor? My daughter cleared a lot out last week—mostly her stuff. I still have basic furnishings up there since Kenzie thinks I need to do some staging before listing.”
“She’s right. Staged houses bring higher prices and sell faster.”
“Right . . .” Riva cringed at the thought of what she’d do if her home sold quickly.
“Anyway, I’d love to see upstairs.”
Riva hadn’t actually been up there since Kenzie had cleared it out.
Mostly because she knew it would make her sad to see part of her life and her home vanishing right before her eyes.
But when they got up there, Windy didn’t seem to notice the bare walls or how they were in need of paint.
She simply continued to gush over the spacious bedrooms, especially the ensuite in the back of the house, noting the quality of the roomy shared bathroom that had been remodeled in the 1990s, when Kenzie was born.
“And the view of your yard from the ensuite is charming. Such a beautiful outdoor space. You must love being out there.”
“I suppose I used to. But it was my late husband’s domain. Paul loved being out there and keeping it all perfect. I’ve sort of let it go.” How sad Paul would be to see how neglected it had become.
“I adore gardening. Whether it’s produce or flowers, I love growing things. I used to have a wonderful yard. I think that was the hardest thing to say goodbye to when I lost my house. I keep potted plants now, but it’s just not the same.”
They were back in one of the front bedrooms now.
Windy was looking out the window and gushing about the view from this side of the house.
“I love how these rooms look out over the town. I’ll bet it’s pretty at night with lights on down there.
Such fun.” She turned, a wide smile on her face.
“Your house is a treasure, Riva. Even better than I envisioned.”
“Thanks, I’ve loved it all my life.”
“All your life?”
“It was my grandparents’ home. My dad inherited it when I was an infant, so I grew up here.” She felt a lump in her throat. “It’ll be very hard to leave.”
“I can imagine.” Windy looked at Riva with arched brows. “What if you could keep it?”
“I don’t see how. Short of buying a lottery ticket and getting lucky.” She turned to leave the room that she’d occupied as a child.
“You could take in boarders.”
“Boarders? Like a B and B?” Riva paused in the hallway, then shook her head glumly.
“That sounds like a whole lot of work. Changing sheets and towels and cleaning rooms and preparing breakfasts . . . not to mention booking and promoting and everything else that goes with it. I actually looked into all that last year but, after some research, I realized it wasn’t for me. ” She headed for the stairs.