Chapter 5
Alethea woke in a cold sweat from a fitful night of intense dreams, the memories of which vanished the instant she woke up. At some point during the night, Dandelion must have gotten fed up with her thrashing and moved off the bed and onto a more comfortable spot atop a stack of freshly folded towels from yesterday’s laundry. Alethea rolled over and groped for her phone. Phew. It was early yet and she had plenty of time for a nice long shower before heading over to meet up with Priya and Danica at their favorite brunch spot.
The ultra trendy restaurant Buttermilk was in the heart of uptown and had been voted the best brunch spot four years in a row now. It was almost 15 blocks away but definitely worth the hike. She’d need to wear her cute white tennis sneakers with a striped linen skirt if she was going to survive the walk, especially in this heat. It was going to be another brutally hot day with the heatwave still refusing to relent.
Alethea took her time getting ready, cranking up the music and singing along in the shower, much to Dandelion’s displeasure. At the first high note that Alethea couldn’t manage to hit, Dandelion had bolted out of the bedroom, finding refuge under the couch. Alethea continued to belt out the lyrics to one of the more dancy selections from her college-era playlist. Somehow the singing felt cathartic, and Alethea certainly needed to clear her head at the moment. Her thoughts had been in a tailspin since yesterday’s realization that she’d have to go back home to the tiny little town where she had grown up, smack dab in the middle of Nowhere, USA. The thought of leaving the city was so soul-crushing to Alethea that it almost seemed to physically hurt. Yet strangely at odds with this intense feeling was a tiny voice buried deep deep down that told her she had to go. Why is that? she wondered to herself.
And what on earth she was going to do with the house was yet another unanswered question. Selling the rambling Victorian that her great-great-great-grandparents had built together seemed almost blasphemous to even think of, but she supposed she had no other choice. Her great-great-great-grandmother Beatrice had affectionately referred to the generously proportioned Queen Anne style house as “Queenie,” and the nickname had persevered through the generations. Aunt Scarlet had occasionally reminisced about her childhood spent growing up there with Alethea’s mother, how the two sisters would play hide and seek in the back garden for hours until Alethea’s grandmother would have to use freshly picked strawberries as a bribe to get them to come inside. How could she bear to sell it? Queenie was her only real connection left to her lineage. Yet despite the genuine sentimentality that she held in her heart for the old house, she couldn’t bring herself to actually consider moving back home either. If she thought she had felt overwhelmed yesterday by the miserable lack of any promising job opportunities or affordable housing, now she felt as if she had been buried under a ton of rubble.
After giving Dandelion a quick kiss on the top of her head, Alethea walked out of the towering apartment building and turned to start heading uptown. As she walked briskly over the concrete sidewalks she let her mind continue to race, while deftly avoiding blobs of chewing gum and other unknown sticky substances. Despite the heat, she was actually glad for the long walk. Moving her body always seemed to help her sort out her thoughts. At least selling the house would be a solution to her very immediate no-job-and-nowhere-to-live problem, she reasoned. She could take the money from the sale and buy a small condo in an affordable part of the city, maybe get hired at one of the downtown agencies if she was lucky.
But how was she even supposed to go about selling the old Victorian, anyway? Structurally, the house had always been well taken care of and was in great shape given its age. Aesthetically, however, was a whole other matter entirely. The last major interior renovation that had been done to the old house was back in the late 80’s before Alethea was even born. And while Aunt Scarlet had tried her best to decorate the house like it was from this millennium, the salmon colored walls and linoleum kitchen floor said otherwise.
Alethea’s phone buzzed in her purse, and she grabbed it to check her texts without breaking her pace. Priya was at Buttermilk already and had not only managed to get them a table outside under the umbrellas but had already ordered them all bottomless mimosas. Uh-oh, Alethea thought. Priya wasn’t the biggest drinker, and on the rare occasions that she joined Alethea and Danica in indulging in a morning cocktail, she never had more than one. This didn’t bode well for the supposed celebration they had planned. Something must be upsetting her friend.
Alethea got to the restaurant shortly after Danica and joined the two of them at the shaded corner table. Buttermilk didn’t just have amazing food, the ambience was enticing in its own right. Large, galvanized steel planters lined the perimeter of the outdoor seating area and were overflowing with all kinds of decorative grasses, looking like a fireworks show. Strands of string lights with antique edison bulbs criss-crossed above their heads and added to the industrial-chic decor.
“Okay, what’s wrong?” Alethea asked, directing the question at Priya while sneaking a glance at Danica’s face for any sign of clues. Danica widened her eyes with a quick beats-the-hell-outta-me look at Alethea in response. Priya tilted her head back and downed the rest of her mimosa before answering.
“I feel like a horrible person even saying it out loud,” Priya started to explain reluctantly. “I’m so incredibly proud of Jake and truly, I couldn’t be happier for him that he got accepted to the mentorship program. He deserves it so much!” she declared emphatically.
“Girl, we know you and Jake are each other’s biggest supporters,” said Danica. “You being happy for him would never be in question. Now cut the crap and tell us what’s bothering you. You know brunch is a No Judgment Zone!” She raised her champagne glass into the air towards the other two, and Alethea and Priya clinked their glasses against hers, Priya visibly relaxing. She smiled gratefully at her friends.
“You’re right. I think it’s just finally sunk in that instead of biking across the German green belt through wine country with Jake, I’ll be stuck home alone all summer. No hiking in Croatia, no farm-to-table dinner in Austria. I’ve been dreaming about these plans for almost half a year now and instead he’s going to be gone for two whole months and I’ll be here by myself. We’ve never spent this much time apart before and I’m going to be bored out of my skull!”
“Oh Priya, you have every right to feel that way,” Alethea consoled, while Danica nodded her head in agreement. “We know how much you were looking forward to this trip. You can be happy for Jake and sad for what you’re sacrificing all at the same time.”
“And, please,” added Danica, “you will NOT be stuck inside your apartment all alone and miserable the whole summer. What about us, are we chopped liver? The three of us haven’t had a summer together without boyfriends or husbands hanging around since college! We’ll just have to make sure we create our own epic summer adventure, right here!” She tapped the table for emphasis with her index finger on the last two words.
“Danica’s right,” agreed Alethea as she reached over and squeezed Priya’s hand.
Priya smiled at her two friends. “Thank you, I needed to hear that.”
“And now that that’s settled, on to the real important question. What’s everyone ordering?” Alethea tried to ask the question with a straight face until they all broke into laughter. After a long deliberation between the challah french toast with pecans and boysenberry compote or the chicken and waffles with house-made sage butter, Alethea decided to give in to her sweet tooth and go with the french toast.
“So,” Alethea began once the server had taken their order and refilled their mimosas, ”you said you had good news about the virtual classes?” She looked up at Danica after taking a big sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice and delightfully bubbly champagne that tingled on her tongue.
“Indeed I do.” Danica flashed her white teeth in a wide, satisfied smile. “Turns out, teaching online yoga classes isn”t such a crazy idea after all. I can’t believe it you guys but I think I’m going to go fully virtual!”
“Wow, congrats, Dani!” Alethea exclaimed.
“You’re kidding! That’s amazing news!” Priya was just as thrilled. “I can’t believe it took off so fast!”
“Yeah, I know,” laughed Danica, shaking her head in disbelief. “Neither can I. The online class I’ve been offering is booked out months in advance now. So, you remember Celeste…you know, the one with the overly hyper chihuahua? Well she and a few other students convinced me to add more classes on different days and it just kind of snowballed from there. It’s hard to imagine not teaching in person anymore but I’ve already doubled the attendance of even my most popular class at the studio.”
“That’s seriously incredible!” Alethea was beaming now.
“We’re so proud of you!” Priya chimed in.
“I never expected this online thing to blow up but this whole process has really opened my eyes.” Danica took a slightly more serious tone. “It’s so easy to take things for granted. I never considered how much students with mobility issues or stay-at-home parents have a real need for online classes. This whole process has been a real life lesson for me. I’m thinking about doing some training in adaptive yoga so I can start offering specialized classes that cater to more specific types of needs.”
“Well, that is certainly news to celebrate.” Priya raised her glass to toast Danica’s success, and Alethea clinked her own against the side of it.
Alethea couldn’t be happier for her friend, especially given how hard she’d worked to become a yoga instructor in the first place. Once Danica latched on to an idea, she’d pour every ounce of her heart and soul into it. Danica may be a teacher but she was also ever the student, always happiest when she was learning and growing. It warmed Alethea to see her friend finding her purpose and thriving.
The distant scent of vanilla and toasted pecans caught her attention and looking up she spotted the server across the patio approaching with their food, enticing her stomach to rumble. As the three friends began digging into their seasonal brunch entrees, it was Alethea’s turn to get questioned by her friends, with Danica taking the lead of course. “So, how’s the job hunt going?”
“Yeah, any luck yet?” Priya added.
“Ugh, no not at all.” Alethea groaned. “I’m either completely over qualified for the positions or I’ve got nowhere near enough experience. I just can’t seem to find anything that I’m the right fit for.” She was trying to keep it light, but the sound of her voice revealed just how dejected she was about the fruitless hunt.
“I’m so sorry you’re having such a rough time with it,” consoled Priya. Alethea knew that her friend could speak from experience about how discouraging a dismal job market could be. It was a lack of entry level opportunities in Priya’s field of study that had been a major factor in her decision to drop out of CBU and attend the culinary institute instead. A situation that had ultimately worked out for the best but nonetheless was difficult to go through at the time.
“You’ll find something, honey,” encouraged Danica in between bites of her drool-worthy summer berry and coconut yogurt parfait with housemade vanilla granola. “Don’t give up!”
“I do have some news that you won’t believe, though.” Alethea felt reluctant to talk about the whole house issue but figured she couldn’t avoid it any longer. “Aunt Scarlet is moving to Florida to be near Charlie, so now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the house. Um, my house, I mean.” Alethea corrected herself. “Like immediately,” she added for emphasis, finally dropping the bombshell she had been holding back.
“And you didn’t lead with this news?!” exclaimed an incredulous Danica.
“Are you kidding? I don’t even want to say it out loud. It’s going to break my heart to have to sell the place. Not to mention it’s in serious need of a face-lift, which I obviously have no money for.”
“Well, the upside is that once you sell it, you’ll have enough money to get back on your feet again,” encouraged Priya. “I know it’s overwhelming but the timing seems kinda perfect, don’t you think?”
Alethea absent-mindedly nudged a candied pecan around her plate with her fork and sighed. “I know and I’m grateful for that, I truly am. It’s just…I don’t know. It’s hard for me to put it into words. That house has been in our family for generations and it almost feels like a family member itself. I know that sounds silly.”
“No, not silly at all,” Priya reassured her. “I think I understand, it’s your physical connection to your family. If it was me, I wouldn’t want to sell it either.”
The sound of Danica’s fingertips lightly drumming on the table drew Alethea’s attention and she and Priya turned to look at their friend.
“Uh-oh, I know that look.” Priya eyed Danica appraisingly. “You have an idea, don’t you?”
Danica was chewing on the corner of her lip, then she slowly nodded her head in affirmation. “What if you don’t have to sell it?” she asked thoughtfully.
“Oh no, there’s no way I’m moving back home.” Alethea was firm. “I’m a city girl!” she reminded them. “And where would I possibly work? It’s not like my tiny hometown has job openings for Associate Creative Directors.”
“That’s not what I’m suggesting.” The corners of Danica’s mouth started to curl up into that smirk of hers. “What if you rented the place out as an Airbnb? You’d have enough income coming in to help supplement the cost of renting a cute place downtown.” Alethea stopped chewing mid-bite. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of renting Queenie out.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” said Priya, her sunshine yellow bakelite earrings bouncing vigorously as she nodded her head in agreement. “Jake and I stay at Airbnbs all the time when we travel. You can actually make some pretty decent money if you do things right.”
“Thanks, Dani. That is a really good suggestion,” acknowledged Alethea. “But I don’t think the place is exactly what you’d call trendy Airbnb chic. I mean, if it was 1983, I’d be golden! But I can’t imagine anyone seeing pictures of the peach walls and gaudy floral window swags and actually booking the place. It’s in major need of an aesthetic overhaul.”
“So, let’s give it one!” Leave it to Danica to always have an answer for everything, with her typical problem-solving optimism.
“What?” asked Alethea and Priya, almost in unison.
“We’ll give it a face-lift!” Danica’s enthusiasm was building by the second.
Alethea could see the gears turning in her friend’s mind, but the idea of pulling off a whole-house restoration seemed pretty far-fetched. She couldn’t pay for a contractor, never mind the cost of all the materials and new furnishings. And how could she keep job hunting in the city if she had to go back home to handle re-doing the house? “Okay and just how do you propose we do that?” She hadn’t meant to let her frustration at the situation slip through, but her question came out in an edgy tone.
“Yeah, and what do you mean by ‘We’ exactly?” Priya cut in, cocking one eyebrow up as far as it would go. Priya and Alethea exchanged skeptical glances. Once their friend got an idea, she became a force to be reckoned with. Danica’s persistence could either be a very good or a very bad thing depending on which side of her idea you were on. Danica stopped drumming her fingers on the four-top and unleashed her full smirk. Priya and Alethea looked at each other again knowingly. Well, there was definitely no hope now. Danica was in full go mode.
“Okay, hear me out,” she commanded. “Now that my classes are going remote, I can teach yoga from anywhere. Priya, you were just complaining about how lonely and bored you’re going to be all summer. Well, what if we went with Alethea and helped her fix up the place? A summer out in the country, just the three of us. Just think of how much fun we’ll have!”
“While I really do appreciate the offer, with what skills or more importantly money would we be doing this?” Alethea was too skeptical to let Danica’s enthusiasm draw her in.
“Oh please, we can YouTube the basic stuff, give the place a fresh coat of paint and all that. Then for anything that’s out of our league, you can hire a local contractor to tackle it. Look, you said the house has been in your family for forever, right? Old houses like that are always filled with all kinds of old antiques. Antiques that can be worth a lot of money.”
At the mention of antiques, Priya’s eyebrows shot up, and Alethea couldn’t help a small chuckle in spite of herself. She could already picture Priya rummaging through the huge, lofty attic where Aunt Scarlet had lovingly covered the old pieces of furniture and trunks with drop cloths, squealing with delight at each discovery.
“Come on, it couldn’t be more perfect.” Danica was insistent now. “I’m sure we’ll need to clear a lot of old stuff out of the house anyway. You can sell what you want to get rid of and then we can use that money to spruce the place up and bring it into this century.”
Alethea had to admit, it was a pretty genius idea. “We could all stay in the little two bedroom guest cottage in the back garden while we work on renovating the main house,” she thought out loud. Having her friends by her side for the summer certainly was an appealing idea. With their help it would cut the cost of labor significantly. Not to mention, she welcomed the moral support. Facing this overwhelming task with the help of her two best friends would make it seem so much less daunting.
“Oh my god, it’ll be just like college all over again!” squealed Priya, who was clearly getting on board with the idea.
“You guys would really be willing to do this for me? It’ll be a lot of hard, physical work. And small town life is about as different from being in the city as it gets. It’s a lot to ask of you.” Alethea was nervous her friends didn’t realize the size of the undertaking they were talking about.
“You didn’t ask. I’m the one who came up with the brilliant idea, remember?” shot back Danica, still smirking. “Besides, getting out of the city and into nature will be so restorative for me. I haven’t done a yoga retreat in a couple of years now, I’m beyond overdue for some peace and quiet and fresh air.”
“She’s right and are you kidding me? This is exactly what I needed, an adventure with my girls to take my mind off of missing Jake. I can’t wait to see what treasures are in your family’s house. Old Victorians are notorious for secret hiding spots, you know!”
Alethea shook her head in disbelief. “You two really are the greatest.” Barely a few minutes ago she had felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Yet now, she felt hopeful for the first time in weeks and weeks. That odd tingling around the top of her head began again but so softly that it was barely perceptible. “Are we seriously going to do this?”
“I’m in,” said Danica confidently, while tilting her mimosa towards the center of the table.
“I’m in, too,” Priya answered without hesitation, extending her arm to hold her glass next to Danica’s.
“Then it’s official,” said Alethea, still somewhat stunned by how the conversation had unfolded. She clinked her half-full champagne flute against the others and finally let herself smile in gratitude. She hadn’t realized how much tension she had been holding in her shoulders, but something inside her seemed to unwind as the three friends toasted to the impromptu adventure.
Priya could barely contain her excitement. “Guess we need to get busy planning the logistics!”
Her enthusiasm only elicited a mild groan from the ever-spontaneous Danica. “That’s all you two.” She pointed at Priya and Alethea respectively. “Just let me know when we’re taking off and I’ll be ready.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” laughed Priya, her smile wide. “The big-ideas lady can’t be bothered with the planning.”
“Exactly! And that’s why we make such a good team!” She ducked, just barely missing the rolled up straw wrapper that Priya had thrown in her direction. “Now, now! No need for hostility. Facts are facts.”
Laughing at the banter between her best friends, Alethea took a big forkful of perfectly ripe boysenberries and powdered sugar and popped it into her mouth, her appetite suddenly renewed. Sitting across the table from two of the most supportive friends Alethea could ever imagine, she could feel that knot of tension in her stomach dissolving. Picturing a whole summer spent with these two made even the thought of sanding baseboards bearable. When Priya had suggested that Alethea needed a fresh start, she had taken the advice to heart, yet nothing could have prepared her for this turn of events. This wasn’t just a change of living situations, it was like starting a whole new life. One that she didn’t have to start alone but rather with the help of her dearest friends. Maybe things were starting to look up after all.
………….
It waslate afternoon by the time Alethea was finally putting her key in the lock to open her apartment door. The three friends had chatted for hours, eventually leaving Buttermilk to window shop as they continued to make plans for the upcoming trip.
“Holy moly you must’ve been bored!” Alethea exclaimed to Dandelion as she narrowly avoided tripping over a huge pile of cat toys piled in the middle of the living room walkway. “I wasn’t gone that long.” Dandelion must’ve hunted in every last nook and cranny in the apartment to find all of these dusty toy mice, feather balls, and bottle caps. “Seriously, where the heck did you find all of this stuff?” Even though she was used to her cat’s quirky behavior by now, she still always found it amusing.
An unfazed Dandelioncontinued to lay next to the pile of cat toys, rolling onto her back for a full stretch while exposing her stomach. She was exhausted, but luckily she had managed to get all of her belongings together before Alethea had come home. Just a few friends left for her to say goodbye to, and then she’d be ready for the trip back home to Queenie. Finally! All this hard work meant that she could indulge in a little nap, couldn’t she? She had earned it, certainly, she thought to herself as she felt her eyelids getting heavy. Yes, a nap was just what she needed, and then when she was feeling more rejuvenated tonight she could work on tying up those final loose ends. A sound plan indeed.