The things I do to step into my Boss Bitch self. It’s an important ritual that usually includes my hair curler, and pop music up at full blast. It may be overkill, but I feel armored up.
My getup would make Elle Woods proud. Fuck Lawrence. I looked ‘illegally’ hot.
An indecipherable grunt escapes Cinder. An oversized black metal band shirt dips past her shorts, making her look like she’s not wearing any.
Cinder looks as out of place as a black skull amidst a pile of pastel stuffed animals. The fresh air rushes by us, making her high onyx pigtails sway on either side of her sharp cut bangs.
The three of us stand before the nine thousand square foot, sage green Victorian house I just inherited. Sure, the paint is half peeled away, a lot of the wood looks rotted out, and sure, there is a distinct musty smell emanating from it though we haven’t even set foot inside, but I’m going to do what I always do. I choose to LOVE it.
“Come on, it just requires a little vision,” I insist with a broad grin.
The front left banister on the porch chooses that exact moment to wail a loud, deathly creak as it falls away from the rest of the structure. It smashes into the wild, overgrown mass of bushes below. The shaking limbs cause three mice to dart out from under it with surprised squeals, before they veer around to burrow under the porch.
My stomach twists in a knot, shooting up into my throat.
Err, at least they aren’t spiders. If I name them, they won’t freak me out so much. Peanuts, Tuffy, and Robert Hunnington the Third.
There. Already better.
“How did your aunt pass away?” Cinder asks.
“Scuba diving accident in the Poconos.”
“Damn,” Red whistles. “I’m sorry Goldie.”
I shrug. “Thanks, but at least she went doing something exciting and fun. I remember her saying if she had to go, she hoped it was in the middle of one of her grand adventures. Her biggest fear was getting sick and being trapped at home. So I guess she kind of got her wish.” And I got a massive neglected Victorian.
Red throws her pale arm around my shoulders. “Well, if anyone can see the bright side of this crumbling wreck, it is definitely you.”
“Seconded. It’s very…private,” Cinder says, taking in the surrounding woods. Then she notices the sizable cabin just down the hill from my new house. “Well, almost.”
The large deck spans out from the back of the house, and the Victorian looks right down on it.
I shrug. “It will be nice. Someone to borrow a cup of sugar from. It’s going to be completely different from the city.”
I’m less than twenty minutes from downtown. Close enough to commute to the bar where we work, but far enough away to be alone and figure my shit out. It’s perfect. Out here I will be able to focus and key in on what I really want without any distractions.
“Hey,” Red nudges me. “I totally dish out the sugar. And the good coffee grounds, on a regular basis, Ms. Suddenly Forgets The Free Pass And Extra Key She Has.”
I giggle and wrap an arm around my friend’s waist, pulling her bony body in against my cushy curves. “I could never forget what a good neighbor you were. I’m keeping that key by the way,” I say, giving her a serious look.
“Well, you’ll have to give our apartment key back because I need it for the new roommate,” Cinder says.
A trill of anxiety goes through me. Cinder claims it’s fine that I’m moving out, but I can’t help feeling like I’m leaving her in the lurch. Is she secretly holding in feelings of resentment or relief over my moving out?
I shake a hand at my side, trying to get rid of the paranoia and insecurity.
“Can we see the inside?” Red asks.
“I’m dying to see the inside,” Cinder says in complete monotone. Anyone else might think she’s being sarcastic, but I know her well enough to know she really is excited.
“Duh,” I respond, suddenly back to near bursting with excitement.
I lead them up the soft wood stairs to the front door.
I’m already obsessed with the old skeleton key I slide into the lock. It feels like magic. And I always wanted to be a mage. This might be the closest I get to it, though every day I hold my breath, waiting for magic powers to manifest.
After eating ‘special’ cookies, it’s very possible I could develop powers any day.
