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“W-We are. So very happy, darling,” Aunt Marla said, wiping her eyes. “We’ve waited for this day for so long.”
“And not because we want you to leave,” Aunt Sarah said. “Because we want you to grow.”
Mandy sat again and wrapped her hands around the mug Aunt Sarah handed her.
“I know that you’ve always wanted more for me. And I’m grateful for your patience.”
“We’ve noticed you’re changing. You seem happier to us,” Aunt Marla said. “What helped you to feel different?”
Mandy wasn’t sure she wanted to bring Ted into this conversation, so she settled on a variation of the truth.
“I saw myself through someone else’s eyes, and didn’t like what I saw. In the beginning I was scared, then it just became the way I was. Shy, avoiding relationships and friends. But now I want more. I went to see Mr. Timms about renting his apartment.”
Aunt Sarah clapped her hands. “It’s the perfect place for you, Mandy! So close, and yet still independent.”
“I’m so proud of you, Mandy. So proud of the young woman you are,” Aunt Marla said.
“No.” Mandy shook her head. “I’m not there yet, but thank you. And I will make you proud of me.”
“We already are, love. Overcoming what happened has taken time, but you’re getting there,” Aunt Sarah said.
“I can’t hide behind that excuse anymore. He’s not coming for me, and I need to understand that and live my life now.”
“Agreed,” Aunt Sarah said.
She then told them what she thought she’d like to do with Mr. Timms’s bookshop. They loved that idea too.
“It’s so exciting,” Aunt Marla said. “It’s time for change, and that you’re leading it is even more exciting.”
“I haven’t discussed it with him yet, I just want to be sure it doesn’t put us into financial hardship with me renting the apartment too.”
“We’ll be fine, Mandy. Marla and I have savings.”
“I don’t want to use your savings.”
“And yet they’re there for all of us,” Aunt Sarah said. “But now we need to shop for your little place.”
“I love you two,” Mandy said. “I’m not sure how I would have survived if you hadn’t stepped into my life when you did.”
“Enough of that,” Aunt Marla said, sniffing.
“I’m going to see Bas and look for some things to furnish the apartment with,” Mandy said.
“We have some furniture you can take, but that’s an excellent idea,” Aunt Sarah said. “There is plenty of crockery and cutlery clogging our cupboards, plus bed linen, so don’t worry about that.”
“Perfect.”
Mandy left the house a few minutes later after changing into one of her baggy dresses, which suddenly she didn’t like anymore. She drove to Bas’s Bargains. She was excited now she’d told her aunts. This was really going to happen.
Bas ran a lot of things in Ryker Falls. He was the local mechanic and tow truck man. In the winter he cleared snow with his plow. He also sang like an angel each year in the Christmas Pantomime.
Next to his garage, he also ran a secondhand store. A bell over the door tinkled, alerting him she was in there.
“Oh, hey there, Mandy.”
Big like a grizzly bear, Bas was one of those guys who you could ask for anything and he’d do it. A gentleman in every sense of the word.
“What can I do for you?”
