“Most of it. The guys helped when they could.” Another mention of ‘the guys’. I’m guessing one is Troy, and I’ll meet the others soon enough.
“It’s really nice,” I say. Modern, but somehow still warm and inviting. It’s a huge contrast to both Sue’s and my house. Sue’s was kitschy and older. Colorful like mine, but mine has more of a cottage feel compared to Sue’s eclectictastes.
Zander beams at me, pleased with my assessment. “I’m so glad you like it. I was a little worried after seeing Sue’s house. It was so colorful and quirky compared to my white walls. Come on, I’ll show you your room.”
We move back down the hall and across the living room to another hallway. “There’s two bedrooms on this side of the house and one bathroom. I set up the right room for you since it opens into the backyard. I hope that’s okay.” He stops, opening the door on the left. A bedroom with a double bed covered in light grey, nightstands, and a dresser sits inside. Two long windows frame the bed. The same dark hardwood and white walls encase the room. The next door we stop at is a large bathroom. On the right wall, there’s a white double vanity with 2 mirrors above the sinks and a toilet tucked between the vanity and the far wall. A huge walk-in shower stands on the left side with a big freestanding tub in the far corner beside a large window overlooking the yard. The same materials as the primary bath grace each surface, except for the vanity color.
“And here is your room, Summer. I hope you like it,” Zander gives me a nervous smile as he opens the door on the right. I walk in, and pale green walls greet me. A double bed with a light grey headboard, white bedding, and colorful pillows is on the left. Two white nightstands sit on either side of the bed with lamps on top, with a long narrow window above the bed. Patio doors with similar gauzy curtains as the primary bedroom are on the back wall. A white dresser sits below a tv mounted on the right wall with bookshelves on either side. There’s also a desk and chair in a medium wood tone along the hallway wall. The door just past the desk probably leads to a closet.
“Do you like it? I didn’t know what to choose. I had Troy’s little sister help,” he says, looking unsettled. He’s rubbing the back of his neck again. “We can change anything you don’t like, of course. The room was empty when I got the call from Mary, so…”
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper. “You didn’t need to get all this.”
“Of course I did. I want you to be comfortable here, Summer,” he says, giving me a big grin, back to his usual self now that he knows I approve of the room. “I’ll grab your suitcases. Be right back.”
I run my hands over the wooden desk as I walk to the lone door. It’s a walk-in closet, but it’s laughable how little my clothes will fill this. I close the door and move to sit on the edge of the bed. There’s so many pretty pillows on here in greens, blues, pinks and purples. I notice a picture frame lying on the nightstand. I pick it up, and tears well in my eyes. It’s like the one Zander took with my phone at the care facility, except Sue is standing beside me with her arm around my waist and Mal is fussing over Jake’s hair. I didn’t even see him snap the photo.
“Here you go, Summer,” Zander says as he comes back into the room, wheeling all 3 suitcases. He stops in his tracks, looking at my face. “Hey what’s wrong? Why the tears?”
I wipe my cheeks and point to the frame. “Oh,” he says as he leaves the luggage by the door and comes to sit beside me on the bed. “I wanted you to have a piece of home when you got here. I asked Troy to print it and put it in a frame in your room before we got back. Did I make a mistake?”
I shake my head. “No Zander. It was really sweet of you. Thank you.” I give him a small smile.
“Ok good,” he says as he rubs his hands on his jeans. “I’m going to hop in the shower, and then I’ve got some phone calls to make. Why don’t you join me in the office when you’re ready?”
I agree, and Zander leaves again as I take another look around. This is my new home. It seems like a dream. I thought I would be with Sue until I was eighteen. Life has taught me many lessons over the last 14 months. One I’m repeatedly reminded of is that life’s predictability doesn’t last. I hug the picture to my chest and walk over to the patiodoors.
Pulling back the curtain, a brand-new porch comes into view, stretching along the back of the house. A mixture of green and brown grass fills the backyard, and a stack of lumber rests on sawhorses near the deck’s right side. Trees line the large yard, with another live oak standing near the edge of the grass. There’s a row of blooming trees on my left.You can do this Summer.
I put the curtain back and spin. Guess I should unpack first. Inhaling deeply, I set the picture frame back on the nightstand, and wheel the largest suitcase into the closet, and lie it on the floor to unzip. I use the hangers already on the rod and hang up my tops and bottoms. They don’t even fill up a quarter of the length of the rod. A visual representation of life in survival mode right here. I place my pajamas and underwear in the dresser drawers by the bookshelves.
Opening the small suitcase, I place my footwear along the wall under my clothes. I take my toiletries into the bathroom and set them on the counter. When I open the drawers and under-sink cupboards, I notice everything is empty except for the left cupboard, which holds towels and facecloths in a light green shade. I fill the top drawer on that side with the essentials, then step into the shower to put my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in the cubbies.
Returning to the room, I unpack my laptop and place it on the desk, along with the picture of Mal and Jake. Jake’s cologne goes in the nightstand drawer, and the recipe book goes on the empty bookshelves. Why does this room, devoid of personal effects, bother me more than Sue’s house did? Deciding to give Sue a call, I kick off my boots and get comfortable on the bed, and video call her.
“Hello sweetheart. Did you make it home?” She greets.
“Yeah, we got here. I just finished unpacking.”
“What is your room like? Is the housenice?”
Smiling, I flip the video to show her my room. “Oh, your room is lovely, Summer. How are you doing, sweetheart?”
“I don’t know. Okay, I guess. It seems surreal. Do you remember the picture Zander took of all of us and Jake?” I hold the picture frame up for her to see. “He took one with his phone. I didn’t notice, and he had his friend print it off and put it on my nightstand for me.”
Sue breaks into a big smile. “You’re going to be fine down there, sweetheart. That man already loves you. I’m so happy you have a proper family again.”
“You’re family too, Sue,” I frown at her.
“Yes, yes, I know. You know what I mean though,” she waves. “Go out there and begin your new life, Summer. Call me whenever you want to. I’ll always be here.”
“Okay, bye Sue,” I wave. Releasing a breath, I pick up my winter boots from the floor and switch them out for sneakers. Gosh, I miss Sue and her house so much already. I need to give this place a fair chance, though. I’m not ready to go to the office yet, so I decide to explore the backyard.
Drawing the curtains back, I unlock the sliding door and walk out onto the deck. There are five white Adirondack chairs I couldn’t see before lined up between the kitchen and Zander’s room. I go down the steps and head left to see the trees in bloom. I sure hope it doesn’t take long for this heavy feeling in my chest to ease from the humidity. Purposely keeping my breaths deep and steady, I walk around the house to the first flowering tree in the front yard. There are hundreds of tiny hot pink blooms hanging from the branches and scattered on the ground, but few leaves. I step forward and place my hand on the trunk, grounding myself. It smells heavenly, kind of like a lilac bush. My foot bumps into something solid on the ground when I move closer. Bending over, I brush the dried leaves and pine needles away to see a bronze plaque sitting on a small, triangular grey stone. It readsChinese fringe tree,“Loropetalum.” Neat. I wonder why there would be a plaque for this tree in a home yard. I pick a fully opened flower from the lowest hanging branch and meander down the nicely planted row.
The next two trees are the same type, with slight variations in the pink hue, so I continue along. My sneakers crunch on the dried debris that seems to have gathered at the side of the house. A magnolia tree is next to the corner of the house. I can recognize it from the leathery leaves. The branches on this one are easy to reach, so I pluck a flower at shoulder height and inhale a sweet but citrusy scent. I check for a plaque, and sure enough, there’s one at the base of the trunk. A second magnolia tree is planted beside the first. Grabbing a flower, I find there’s not much smell to this one.
From the back corner of the house, all the way to the edge of the backyard, are fruit trees. I stop at each one, picking a blossom. Some blooms are fading; others are emerging, with scents of honey greeting me. Most are white with tinges of yellow. The plaques tell me they are types of peach trees. Next are cherry trees that smell sweet like roses. I’ve seen the cherry trees in Washington, D.C., before, so the pink blooms are easy to identify. Finally, a pungent smell comes from a lone pear tree.
