Chapter Eleven #2
She was grateful Nadine was here. The Lawsons were good people, but it felt nice to have someone who seemed to come from the same planet as her, to witness and enjoy this other world of wealth with her.
A black Mercedes pulled around to the front of the house, and Erik and Nadine called out to Cierra to come along. She collected her things and hopped into the back seat, excited for her first excursion into the new city.
They reached the entrance to the museum in just a few minutes, and the couple hopped out.
“Sure you don’t wanna come along?” Erik asked.
“It’s all right, I wanna do some solo exploring before getting started on work.”
“All right, well, have a good time. We’ll see you later at the hacienda.”
The two waved before Nadine practically skipped toward the entrance. Once alone in the car, Cierra slumped back, grateful to have a few minutes alone.
“Habla espanol?” the driver asked curiously.
“Ah, no.”
He chuckled, “You look like maybe you’re from the Dominican.”
This was something she got all the time — at least once a month in New York, someone approached her speaking in Spanish, but she took it as a compliment.
“Have you been to our city before?”
“No, first time. It’s beautiful, though.”
“Mm-hm. It is. You seem a little surprised by this.”
Cierra sighed and smiled, slightly embarrassed at how obvious her preconceptions must have been.
“This park is a special place. Take your time and call me whenever you’re ready to leave. I’ll find a place to park nearby.”
Gathering her over-the-shoulder bag, Cierra hopped out of the car and made her way to the bookstore.
The heat immediately hit her, but it felt good against her skin.
And when she walked in, she stopped dead in her tracks, awestruck.
Nadine was right — smack in the middle of the store was an imposing ancient cypress, with a thick trunk extending far above the ceiling, which, like the walls of the building, was completely made of glass.
From her vantage point, she could see endless shelves of books that served as a foreground to the park, which surrounded the structure and opened up to a pond where tables and chairs were filled with families, tourists, and individuals enjoying a read by the water.
The breathtaking scene tempted her to capture a video for a social media montage later, but she decided to keep this moment to herself.
After walking through and sitting by the pond for a while, she purchased a postcard for her mom and a magnet for Mia before texting the driver to come pick her up.
It was time to get back to work; maybe someday she’d return, once she had gotten her life and finances together and could explore the city at her own leisure. But that day was not today.
She also sent a picture she’d taken of the tree to Julian with a simple message:
No words. It’s beautiful.
But to her surprise, he called just moments after she sent the message.
“Hello??” she said.
“I can’t believe you actually picked up.”
She laughed nervously, frustrated by her inability to be cool for one second. “Great recommendation.”
“I’m really glad you liked it. Did you get any books?”
“Well, I don’t really speak the language . . .”
He laughed. “That’s fair.”
“But! I got a postcard for my mom.”
“Nice, nice. I don’t wanna keep you from work or anything. I’m really happy you got to go. Can I still see you when you get back?”
She bit her lip. “Yeah, I think we can make that work.”
“Am I being too much by calling you out of the blue?”
“No, I love it.”
“Well then, I’ll remember that for later.”
Cierra heard a honk and saw the friendly face of the driver waving, pulling up behind her on the sidewalk.
“Hey, I have to let you go, but thanks again for the recommendation and for the call. It was really sweet.”
“Anytime.”
Clicking off the phone call, she took one last look at the bookstore before piling into the car, smiling from ear to ear.
“So, how was it?” the driver asked.
Thinking back on the last few days, she was grateful for how everything seemed to have worked out.
How much bigger her life felt like it was becoming.
She appreciated Mia’s unease about her blooming interactions with Julian, but his call in the park was just another reminder that this wasn’t seven years ago.
It was spontaneous and thoughtful, but nothing more.
“It was amazing,” she replied. She sank into the car seat, savoring the blissful feeling during the ride back.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly relaxing, too, all things considered.
Cierra collected the remaining goods and arranged a platter of crudités and sandwiches for the family, even though they barely touched it.
Late in the evening, they all convened in one of the sitting rooms, having a nightcap and enjoying the cool summer evening.
“So, how was that bookstore?” Erik asked.
Nadine was drifting off to sleep, neatly folded into the nook of his arm and chest. Elliot and Zelda were in a similar position, but in the reverse.
Even though Elliot was a good four inches taller than his wife and was by no means a small man, he looked like a kid who had spent an entire day at an amusement park only to crash, cuddled next to his mom.
“It’s . . . hard to put into words. It made me feel like I was in a bookstore in Narnia or something.”
“Maybe Nadine and I will check it out before the event tomorrow.”
“Maybe I should go. Clear my head a bit,” Zelda said. Cierra had nearly forgotten she was there, temporarily back in the store with its massive tree and glass walls.
“I’d second that,” Elliot mumbled. Zelda smiled and ruffled his hair. “Let’s go to sleep, hun,” he said as he rose, prompting the others to do the same.
The journey (along with the palomas and mezcal) sent everyone, Cierra included, to bed early. She needed all her energy for the following day.