“Yeah. They can both help.” I pushed off the bed and hurried into my closet. Today’s mission called for a sundress. “Could you pick them up here?”
“Seven-thirty?”
“They’ll be waiting.”
Dad and I followed Mom and the rental agent through three houses. It was weird that the agent had picked these, because I could tell from the street that my mother wouldn’t like them. They lacked balance.
Then we reached the fourth house. It immediately felt right. I could tell from the approval humming through my mother that she liked the looks of it and its neighborhood too.
We wandered along behind her as she led us through the empty, echoing rooms. It had three bedrooms and one bath. The kitchen spanned the entire width of the house. There were a lot of charming features, like hardwood floors, high ceilings, a massive brick fireplace, and two big bay windows at the front. It was a good size for them.
“What do you think?” Her smile said the decision was already made.
“It’s beautiful.” I looked at Dad.
He nodded.
“I’m pleased,” Mom said. “Really pleased.”
The paperwork was signed, and the details were finished quickly. Less than an hour later, we were walking out to the car.
“What’s going to happen to the second floor of the Harley House?”
Dad shrugged. “We don’t know. It can just be a guest space.”
“I can live there.” Until the words popped out of my mouth, I hadn’t even known I would say them. But they felt good. If I spent my breaks in one of the spare bedrooms at the rental house, I’d feel like a guest. But the apartment? It could be mine.
My parents stopped and exchanged glances.
“We’ll have two empty bedrooms here, sweetheart.”
“You use them, Mom. I’d like to have my own place, if that’s okay.”
“It’s fine, princess.” Dad pulled me into a hug. “Whatever you want.”
I spent the rest of the afternoon packing my clothes. It might be a little early to start this, but I was feeling restless.
How many piles did I need?
College.
Consignment.
Giveaway.
Throwaway? No, I took care of my clothes. None should be thrown out.
And finally, Storage, destined for my new place over the shop. I liked the thought of that.
I’d visited inside a typical bedroom in a residence hall at Newman. I’d been around clothes enough to know how much I could reasonably take.
After sorting through the College stack, I had two huge cartons. I’d also packed an overnight bag to take with me when I moved over the shop.
The Storage stack went into two trunks. I pushed them against the wall.
An hour later, all of my clothes had been organized.
I opened the drawer on my bedside table and stared at my sleeping pills. I’d only taken one in the month of July. Probably I didn’t need them anymore, but no sense in taking chances. The bottle went into my overnight bag.
