She didn’t answer and only looked up with a smile. “I brought coffee over if you want a cup.”
“I do, but I want you to stop this, and come and drink one with me.”
We sat on the deck overlooking the ocean and drank our coffee. I was so glad that Lauren was my neighbor. I loved her already. I wondered why there was no man, or was there? I should probably wait until I know her a little better before I ask.
“Are you divorced yet?” Lauren asked, breaking my thoughts about her love life.
I looked at her with a pensive expression, holding my cup to my lips.
“Relax, will you already?” she requested. “You have a tan line around your finger.”
I looked at my finger. Sure enough, she was right. I wondered if makeup would cover that for a few days or weeks. How long does it take to get rid of wedding ring evidence?
“I have never been married,” I said with a warning look. She laughed.
“Yeah right, okay, Ms. Mystery, but let me inform you, I will eventually gain your trust and you will confess all of your deep dark secrets to me. Your skeletons will be bowing at my feet. ”
I looked at her with a serious expression. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Lauren.”
“I’m joking, Riley”
I smiled at her. “How the hell am I supposed to get down to the beach from here?” I asked, wanting off of the subject of me.
“There’s a path. I’ll show you, but right now we have floors to clean.” She stood and patted my knee.
By eleven o'clock, we were finished. I couldn’t sit still. I was noticeably hyper and wanted my delivery, now.
Lauren showed me the path to get to the beach. It was rather steep and rocky, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. I should have my house all together by the next day, and planned to venture down there and explore my new surroundings.
Lauren never left me. She stayed until five in the evening until the last picture was hung on the wall. I loved it, and I loved her. My house was complete, and I only needed to go shopping for a few odds and ends that I had forgotten. Food! Yes. I had to do that. If I forgot to get food one more day, I was going to turn myself into a crazy house.
I hugged Lauren before she left and thanked her again.
“I don’t like mushy friends,” she teased with a warning look. “You are more than welcome. Oh yeah, what’s your cell number?” she asked, pulling hers from her back jeans pocket.
“I don’t have one,” I said, and she cocked her head.
“There
is
a
Radio
Shack
right
beside
‘Reminiscent,’ where you will be working. You should probably have a phone.”
“I am not sure I want one just yet. I think that I should wait a while.”
“Afraid of being found?” she asked. I wasn’t about to answer that one. She left shaking her head as she skipped across my yard. My yard, I smiled.
I showered and was bouncing off the walls as I entered my new living room. I couldn’t wait to lie on the black comfy leather sofa and watch a movie. That was my plans for that Saturday night. I was going to the grocery store first, not about to get sidetracked or forget that again.
Then I was going to rent a movie or two and come back, lie on my couch and eat spaghetti. I loved spaghetti and Drew had hated it. The only time I would get it was when he took me to ‘Trattoria da Cesare,’ a famous Italian restaurant on Las Vegas Boulevard, I mean Carson Boulevard. I giggled to myself and felt like a giddy little teenager.
I was home by eight, listening to my new radio and country music as I chopped the needed ingredients for my spaghetti. I wondered what Lauren was doing. I should invite her over for spaghetti. I wished I could call her. I looked out the front door, and there were no lights on. She wasn’t home. I went out to the back deck and gazed out at the moon over the ocean. For the first time in an awful long time I felt light-hearted and had a new sense of calm.
I would never again worry about what kind of mood Drew was going to be in when he got home. I would never again worry about focusing on what I could do to improve myself so that I didn’t set him off. I would focus on me for the first time in my life. I clasped my hands together and pressed them to my lips, almost as if I were praying and thanking God for my courage to do what I had done, and be where I was standing. I truly was grateful.
My new sense of being was shattered once again when I heard the loud knock on the door. Would I ever get used to this? Would I ever be able to breathe and not think that it was someone there to get me?
I looked out and saw Lauren. She pushed herself in carrying a bag and busily started talking as she removed its contents.
“So, I figured I might as well get this myself. It was pretty obvious that you were not going to,” she said handing me the new cellphone. “You have to have a phone, Riley,” she assured me.
“Lauren, I can’t accept this.” I tried to hand it back.
“Hmm, this looks good,” she said, sticking her finger in my homemade sauce, ignoring me.