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“Every day’s worth celebrating,” she said, smiling. I shook my head but decided a mimosa after the day I had wasn’t the worst idea. “Anyway, there’s nothing much new. Belinda was being her usually coy self today, trying to run to William and accuse me of not putting my trash in the correct receptacle. But luckily for me, I was ready. I recorded a video as proof.”
I smirked. Belinda and Dorothy had a rivalry to rival all rivalries. Belinda was also a widow and had lived in the building before Dorothy and her husband had moved in. I didn’t know what had started the fierce competition between the two, although Dorothy would assuredly accuse Belinda of being a terrible, rotten person if given the chance to divulge the details.
“Well, I’m glad you had proof,” I said, wondering if William was tired of the incessant tattling yet or if it was something he just succumbed to as part of his job.
“How about you? How was Tino’s today?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Tiring. The same old, same old.”
Dorothy sipped her mimosa, letting me bask in the silence for a moment. It felt good to be in someone’s company but also leave room for my thoughts to filter out.
“I’ll have to come down sometime to see you. Do they still do that ridiculous Margarita Hour?” she asked.
“Of course,” I replied, grinning. “Complete with the line dance to kick it off.” Dorothy shook her head and rolled her eyes at this.
“Anything else new? Have you heard from those wretches from New York?” she continued after sipping her mimosa.
My stomach dropped at the mere thought of the two of them. “She’s tried to call. I ignored her.”
“What nerve. Some people,” she said. Dorothy patted my hand. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up the past. Onward and upward from here, Darling. You’ll see.”
I glanced out the window in Dorothy’s unit. She had a side view, the building next to her gleaming white. I wanted to believe Dorothy’s words, but it was hard to feel like anything was looking up, in truth.
“Well, I better get to my parents’. I’m already late for dinner.” I thought about the wording. “I guess it’s my home now, too, again.” And it was. In some ways, it felt like I’d never left. The walls were still hot pink from my teenage years, posters of my old celebrity crushes plastered on the wall, the corners peeling from time. The closet still had some of the clothes I’d left behind when I’d moved out, a museum of my old sense of fashion and of the girl I used to be. A girl with dreams. A girl who was going places. A girl with crazy whims, an entrepreneurial glow, and a heart that hadn’t been shattered.
“I wish it was under better circumstances, but I must admit, it’s been wonderful having you back. You’ll find your way, Dear. You will. Don’t let this one setback define the rest of your years. You’re young. You’ll find your path, and you’ll find someone who deserves you. I swear.”
I stood at the table. “Do you want to come up for dinner? I’m sure my mother made enough for a small army as always.”
Dorothy blushed. “Thanks, Dear. Normally, I would. But, well, I have dinner plans.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really?”
She twirled her glass in her hands, uncharacteristically shy. “Yes. Fred from down the hall invited me out for dinner.”
I gasped. “You mean the guy who just moved into 125?”
“That’s him.”
I smirked. Tall with stunning silver hair, he was the talk of the condo, especially amongst the mature residents of the Seaside Condos.
“That’s amazing!”
“It’s just a friendly dinner. We got to talking the other day when we were getting our mail.”
“Look at you, Dorothy. Well, I’ll be expecting full details tomorrow. Now you better get ready. Make sure you wear the red lipstick,” I commanded.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for a day to break that out,” she replied, grinning.
I gave Marvin one more pat on the head, put my glass in the sink, and strolled out. I took a deep breath in the hallway, heading for the elevator and bracing myself for my mom’s questions about why I was late. I rode the elevator up, thinking about how strange it was to be back. I thought about being in the elevator years ago, riding down with my final suitcase, heading to New York with my friend, my dreams, and my dad’s disdain. I thought I’d never look back.
Little did I know my life was just going to be a giant U-turn bringing me right back in my thirties. Life really didn’t go as planned, sometimes, I considered with melancholy as I breached the condo door and was instantly faced with my mother’s barrage of questions.
