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Driving through her hometown of Geneva, waves of nostalgia flooded over Ivy. It had been five years since she’d last been home. The town looked sweeter than she’d remembered. She passed a new brewery and a new cafe. It felt good to be home again. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have the movie filmed in her hometown.
Ivy parked outside Monaco Coffee, where she’d worked the summer before grad school. The place was brand new then, and she’d been their first employee. Now she stood in line along with everyone else. She could see that it had become a popular place as there were at least ten people in front of her. She took out her phone to check her emails.
Two college students were talking in front of Ivy. The co-ed leaned over to her boyfriend. “Did you hear there’s a movie coming to town?” the co-ed asked.
“In the theater?” the boyfriend wondered.
“No. We’re not going to watch it. They still have to film it. And they’re going to do it here.”
“Here? In Geneva?” The boyfriend seemed incredulous.
“Yes, it’s something calledMary Loves Joseph.” Ivy mouthed the correct title,When Joseph Met Mary. She pretended to text while she eavesdropped. She smiled to herself.
“I wonder why they’re filming in Geneva?” the boyfriend persisted.
“It’s supposed to take place in Geneva. I think the writer grew up here,” the co-ed said.
Ivy smiled some more. Coming home was starting to feel better now.
“Who’s in it?” the boyfriend asked.
“Griffin James. And Amari Rivers.”
“Oh, she’s hot.”
The girlfriend did not like that response.
“Ivy? Is that really you?” a man standing next to a barista called out. Ivy looked up. One of the Monaco Coffee shop owners walked over and gave her a big bear hug.
“Josh, so good to see you!”
“Come on, you don’t need to wait in line. What do you want?” Josh asked.
“A latte, and how about some scones? Are you still making those blueberry–lemon zest ones?”
“Of course. How many do you want?”
“How many you got? Four would be great,” Ivy said.
“Come back here and grab them,” Josh said. She walked behind the counter with him as she filled a white bakery bag with scones.
“You know you were my best employee. No one has ever matched your work ethic,” Josh said loudly. The other employees laughed. “Laugh all you want—this girl could show you all a thing or two.” But Josh was laughing with them.
“I was motivated. I needed to raise money for my tuition at USC,” Ivy told the employees. Trying hard not to sound like she was a total geek.
“And I see that’s paid off. I just read that your script is being turned into a movie. Right here in our little hometown of Geneva,” Josh said.
Then the co-ed and her boyfriend looked at Ivy. Impressed. “Oh-em-gee, it’s her. Can we get your autograph? And maybe a selfie?” Ivy blushed and obliged. For one millisecond she understood what it was like to be Griffin and Amari. And it didn’t suck.
“Thank you, Josh. My dad will love these.” Ivy beamed.
She left Monaco Coffee and got back in her rental car. She turned the corner and stopped at Don’s Own Flower Shop. She could have easily walked, but LA had taught her to drive everywhere. Even one hundred yards. Ivy wanted to get her mom a nice bouquet.
Stepping into the florist triggered more memories, and she wished that she’d chosen another flower shop. As she looked at the flowers in the glass case, she remembered getting Nick’s prom boutonniere there. She had been all pins and needles that day of her prom, and not just because she was excited about the dance. Up until that night, she and Nick had done everything but have sex because they’d been holding out for their prom night. And on that special night, she and Nick were going to lose their virginity together. But that wasn’t the way it had happened because just a few hours before prom, she had suddenly gotten her period. At the time she was devastated. All her plans were for naught. There was no way she was going to have sex with Nick while she was menstruating. That was too gross. Of course Nick had been disappointed too. Now the memory made her smile. How young she’d been.
Ivy looked into the cooler and took out a summer bouquet. Perfect for her mom. She paid for the flowers and left the store.
Back in her car, Ivy turned the corner onto Main Street where her parents lived. She’d always loved having a Main Street address. As a kid it made her feel like she was Becky Thatcher living in a Tom Sawyer world. She pulled into the driveway of a two-story white clapboard house. It looked even better than she remembered it. After living in the brown desert of Los Angeles, the lush green foliage overwhelmed her senses. The green was so green. The gardens were even more beautiful than she remembered. The lilies, dahlias, and the hydrangeas all were blooming.
