She unlocked the front door and turned on the lights, and with Chuck following right at her heels as if worried she might leave again, she walked around and just looked and looked—oohing and ahhing and almost afraid to believe her eyes. Everything was finished! Not only that, it had been completely cleaned. The wood floors, unveiled from their brown paper covering, gleamed with warmth and life.
Caroline had planned to do the final cleanup herself, but she didn’t mind so much as she ran her hand over the smooth soapstone countertop. Even the new stainless appliances were in place, and the refrigerator was running—with water and ice! The backsplash tiles, a sunny selection of yellows and oranges, were up and grouted and sparkling. Even the laundry room was finished, with tile floors and the new bright-orange washer and dryer set in place. She couldn’t believe it. It was like Christmas in January!
She went down the hall, seeing that the tile was laid in the bathroom and all the plumbing fixtures were in place and the water source was turned on.
“Let’s check out the bedroom,” she told Chuck as she continued on to what had once been the worst part of the house. She flicked on the light. “Oh, my!” Caroline stared at the room. The walls were a creamy yellow, and the freshly installed carpet was clean and white—a highly cleanable product, Bonnie had said when Caroline questioned whether it was dog-friendly. The whole effect was warm and cheerful and bright. Caroline couldn’t wait to start unloading her storage unit and moving in.
She went to the master bathroom and turned on the overhead light, which was a brushed-nickel chandelier that Caroline had questioned, thinking it was more appropriate in a dining room, but Bonnie had insisted belonged in here. And Bonnie was absolutely right! It gave the bath an elegant feel. The dimmer switch was like magic. This bathroom was beyond anything Caroline could’ve dreamed up. The walls were a very pale green with pale green glass tiles. Clean and fresh and spalike. Delightful.
The jet tub was in place as well as the rest of the plumbing, and it took all of Caroline’s self-control not to fill the bath and climb in. “You must wait for the fluffy white towels and some scented bath oil,” she told herself. “Do this thing right.” She ran her hand over the glass blocks enclosing the shower and even turned on faucets and tried the toilet. Everything worked perfectly. And everything looked absolutely wonderful. She felt like singing and dancing—in fact, that’s what she did.
“Oh, Chuck!” she exclaimed as she sat down on the edge of the tub. “I feel just like Dorothy when she clicked her heels together and ended up back in Kansas with Toto.” She leaned over and hugged her dog. “Isn’t it good to be home, boy?” He wagged his tail and licked her face as if he understood.
She walked around the house a few more times, taking in every little detail again and again. Finally, she realized she was tired. Although it was hard to leave, she went around and turned off the lights, promising herself to get up early tomorrow and start unloading the storage unit. Caroline couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so perfectly happy—or so hopeful.
Back at the B and B, Caroline’s delight was replaced with restlessness. No one else was staying at the inn, so she decided to put her energy to work by packing up her things. Not that she had much to pack. The bedroom furnishings all belonged to the inn. But she packed her personal belongings, and then she cleaned her room as well as the bathroom she’d been using. Then she told herself to go to bed, get some rest. Tomorrow would be a busy day.
In the morning, Caroline called Mario and asked if he knew anyone who’d like to make a few bucks helping her to empty and move the contents of her storage unit. Mario sounded happy to have the work for himself and his brother. By ten thirty, almost everything in the unit had been moved to her house. She had them place most of the larger pieces of furniture in the house, but the smaller things and boxes were spread all throughout the garage in a mess of confusion and disarray.
It was weird seeing the garage filling up like this again, and it reminded her of how bad things had been when Caroline first moved back home. Thanks to her mom’s pack-rat ways, it had been impossible to walk through the garage, as well as much of the house. It hadn’t been only unsafe, but unhealthy, too. She didn’t even like being reminded of it. She was determined never to allow that to happen again.
For that reason, she was ruthless in deciding what to keep and what to give away, and she’d already scheduled Mario to come back at the end of the week to pick up her castoffs. Even though it was hard to let go of a few things, she realized that she wanted to avoid any temptation to hoard. She did not want to fall in that trap. And she believed that her mother, at least where she was now, would be relieved to know that Caroline was avoiding it.
Caroline worked as quickly as she could, but it felt like slow going. Sometimes she got stuck and didn’t even know what to do next. So many of her old things didn’t seem to fit in this beautiful space. Consequently her cast-off pile was growing, and her house was looking not only sparse but uncoordinated as well. Her plan had been to get everything in place—or mostly—so that she could have her friends over for lunch tomorrow. She’d spoken to Marley and left messages for Janie and Abby. She wanted to hold everyone at bay today so she could give them the grand tour together. But she wanted the house to be polished, too.
“Hello in the house?” called a female voice.
Caroline poked her head out from where she was carrying a box into the laundry room. “Bonnie?”
“I thought I’d find you here,” Bonnie said as she met Caroline in the kitchen, handing her a basket with a loaf of artisan bread and bottle of wine. “Welcome to your house!”
“Thank you.” Caroline beamed at her.
“So tell me, what do you think?”
Caroline threw her arms around Bonnie. “I love it! Thank you for all your work!”
“I didn’t mean to crash in on you. But I was so excited to see your reaction.” Bonnie frowned slightly, as if noticing partially unloaded boxes cluttering the sleek kitchen counter. “So you’re moving in?”
“Sure.” Caroline set the basket on the one free space on the counter, then removed something from a packing box. Pulling the tissue paper away, she revealed a lime green Fiestaware dinner plate and set it in an upper cabinet. “Is that a problem?”
“No. Of course not. The inspections are all complete. It’s your house.” Bonnie glanced around. “I guess I was just hoping I could talk you into letting me help you with the furnishings, too. It would be fun to see the whole place pulled together.”
Caroline laughed. “Well, I’m sure I could use the help. But the truth is I can’t afford to buy much in the way of new furnishings just now. My insurance money is nearly tapped out, Bonnie.” She held up a cereal bowl, a bright shade of tangerine, and shrugged. “And even if my stuff isn’t terribly stylish, I kinda like it anyway.”
Bonnie nodded. “And it is your house, to enjoy as you please.”
Caroline could tell that Bonnie still wanted to have a hand in the décor. “I’ll tell you what, Bonnie, if my financial situation improves and I decide to take this place up a notch or two, you will be the first one I call. Okay?”
“Okay.” Bonnie smiled. “I’m really glad you like it.”
“I don’t like it. I love it!”
Bonnie glanced around the kitchen again. “You know, Caroline, if you want I could give you a few tips. I mean for free. Like how to arrange items or hang pictures or place furniture—if you like, that is.”
“Are you kidding?” Caroline controlled herself from hugging Bonnie again. “Would you? Could you?”
“Absolutely.” Bonnie grinned happily. “And I just happen to be free today. So how about you keep unpacking things and I’ll figure out where they should go. Will that work for you—I mean, do you mind if I boss you around a little?”
Caroline laughed. “Boss away!”
&nb
sp; For the rest of the day, Caroline unpacked, and Bonnie arranged and rearranged. Not only that, Bonnie went through Caroline’s reject pile in the garage and rescued several things. She even made suggestions for recycling some old pieces. “If you paint this rocker a soft green and recover this cushion with a pastel plaid, it would be nice in your bedroom.” She set some paint and fabric samples on the rocker. Then she suggested painting the coffee table white, and putting marble tops on Caroline’s old bed stands, and freshening up a hutch with glass knobs and robin’s-egg blue paint.
Later in the day, Bonnie approached Caroline with some hesitation. “You know, Caroline, if you could afford a couple hundred dollars, I could bring in some accessories that would really make this place sparkle.”
“Two hundred dollars?” Caroline considered her bank account. Her plan was to find employment, but that might take a while. In the meantime, she wanted enough to get by for the next couple of months or until her condo sold. She looked around the living room. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go for it. And hopefully I’ll get a job soon.”
With that green light, Bonnie took off, coming back later with bags and boxes. While Caroline filled her linen closet, Bonnie put the finishing touches on the place. When Caroline saw it, she knew that the money spent had been well worth it. “This looks amazing,” she told Bonnie as she admired artful touches of candles and vases and things. “I don’t care if I have to live on beans and rice for a week just to enjoy this.”
“And if you repurpose those other pieces I showed you,” Bonnie told her, “your house really will look like a designer’s original showplace.”
“And without costing the big bucks,” Caroline said happily.
Bonnie held up a finger. “Just don’t tell everyone how frugally we did all this. I still need to make a living, you know.”
Caroline laughed, and then she offered to take Bonnie to dinner as a thank-you.
“I’ll take a rain check if you don’t mind.” Bonnie gave her a mysterious smile.
“Sure. That’s fine.” Caroline studied her. “Do you have some big plans?”
“I have a date with a guy I met last week.” Bonnie’s eyes twinkled.
“Anyone I know?”
Bonnie told her a name, but Caroline didn’t recognize it. Mostly she was relieved that it wasn’t Paul—and she couldn’t wait to tell Abby this good news. “Thanks again!” She gave Bonnie a last hug. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Caroline didn’t want to leave her house, not even to get some much-needed groceries, so she decided to order pizza to be delivered. She fed Chuck and continued puttering and admiring, finally sweeping and cleaning up the mess from all the unpacking that had gone on. Then, just before the pizza was due to arrive, she plugged in her stereo and put in several of her favorite CDs.
Caroline laid out a gold place mat, linen napkin, and one place setting from her best dishes, a classic white pattern with gold trim, as well as a crystal goblet. Next she decided to really celebrate by uncorking the wine that Bonnie had brought. Feeling a bit indulgent but happy, she set the bottle on the dining room table right next to the candles that Bonnie had artistically arranged. Then she lit the candles. Okay, it was a little over the top for pizza—and dinner for one. But it was so fun, not to mention picture-perfect. Like the old L’Oréal commercial used to say, she was worth it!
With Chuck sleeping at her feet under the dining table, and with candles glowing and music playing, Caroline dined on her very first meal in her newly renovated home. She felt completely and incredibly happy.
Later, as she washed her dishes, she decided it wasn’t so bad being alone. Not really. In fact, she knew she would rather be alone and happy than stressed out in a relationship that wasn’t just right. At the moment, she felt fairly certain that a relationship with Mitch wouldn’t be even close to right. Maybe it was just a case of bad timing, or maybe it was simply a bad match. But Caroline knew that when in doubt, it was best not to take the leap. So she wouldn’t.
In the bathroom, as Caroline lit the white candles that Bonnie had arranged with some seashells alongside the jet tub, she felt hopeful. And as she slipped into the steamy water, she experienced a surprising sense of victory. Leaning back into the citrus-scented bubbles, the last dregs squeezed out of an old bottle of shower gel, Caroline realized she’d reached a new milestone. She knew that not only could she be perfectly content without a man in her life, she could take a pass on a handsome millionaire as well. Some might think it silly or shallow for a person to get such delight from something like this, Caroline thought, but she felt thrilled. Victorious. And that felt seriously good.
The next morning, Caroline felt even happier. After a great night’s sleep—her first night in her new house, back in her old bed—she felt on top of the world. And when she went to the grocery store, getting what she needed to stock her new cabinets and fix a good lunch for her friends, she felt like a brand-new woman embarking on a brand-new life. She had a sense of excitement or adventure, like she was finally doing something or going somewhere, although she wasn’t even sure where exactly. She no longer felt stuck.
As she stood in line at the check stand, she wondered how long she’d lived in a holding pattern. She assumed it had started with her move to Clifden, with feeling slightly trapped as she had cared for her mother. But as she wheeled the grocery cart through the parking lot and unloaded the bags into the car, she realized this had been going on long before that. On the way home, Caroline realized she’d been in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, as if she’d been waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting for someone or something to happen—someone or something to rescue her. Rescue her from what? Her life? Her expectations? Herself?
But as she drove into the driveway of her new house, which still looked a lot like the old house from the outside (Mitch had been right about that) she realized that she no longer needed rescuing. With that knowledge came an astounding sense of peace.
It took three trips to carry her bags into the house. She lined them on the sleek kitchen counter and finally went back for the last one. But on her way in this time, she paused at the front door and looked up to the sky.
“Thank you, God,” she whispered, “for being the only rescuer I needed.” She sighed and almost started to go inside, but stopped. “And thank you, Mom, for knowing how badly I needed this place. Thank you—and I dedicate it to you.”
Then she went inside, turned on some music, and started fixing lunch for her friends. Like last night, she set the dining room table beautifully, this time with four places.
“Oh Caroline,” Janie gushed as she arrived a little before noon. “This place is so amazing—it’s so you!” She handed Caroline an elegant bag of French bath products. “I thought you might enjoy these in your new bathroom.”
“Thank you! I had just enough shower gel for one bath last night. This will be perfect.”
Abby came next, and she had a basketful of kitchen goodies. “In case you feel like doing some baking,” she told her. She glanced around. “Wow, everything looks fantastic, Caroline. So stylish. Did you do this all yourself?”
So Caroline confessed to Bonnie’s assistance. “But she refused to let me take her to dinner last night,” Caroline said quickly, “because she had a date! And she looked pretty pumped about it too.”
Abby brightened considerably. “Oh, well, isn’t that nice?”
Next came Marley, and to Caroline’s delight, she’d brought a painting with her. “I thought this might look good in your new house.”
“Oh Marley!” Caroline held up the bright-colored painting. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. How about this bare wall in the dining room?”
“Perfect,” Janie proclaimed.
“Let’s hang it now,” Marley said with enthusiasm.
Before long, the colorful painting was hung
and all four friends were seated at the dining table, each with a glass lifted to toast Caroline’s new digs. And then Caroline bowed her head and said grace. “Dear Father God, thank you for all my wonderful blessings. Thank you for my dear friends—my sisters. Thank you for this amazing home, thank you for being more than enough, and thank you for this meal.” Then she said amen and smiled at her friends. “I’m so happy,” she said as they began to pass the food around. “I don’t know when I’ve ever been so thoroughly happy.” She told them of her latest revelation about feeling victorious and about not needing to be rescued. “I know not everyone can relate,” she said apologetically. “But the truth is I’ve spent most of my life waiting, just wishing and dreaming that my prince would come.” She laughed. “I was like one of those pathetic princesses waiting for a man to walk up, you know, so her life could begin. Sometimes I’d try to believe I’d moved beyond it, but when push came to shove, I was still hoping my white knight would rescue me. And it just feels so good to not to need or want that anymore.”
“Does that mean that you and Mitch really are history?” Janie asked.
Caroline shrugged. “Maybe so. Although I guess it’s presumptuous to act like I can predict the future. Let’s just say that if Mitch and I are history, I’m okay. Because I feel completely content just as I am. Besides that, I’m determined not to compromise my own values for someone else’s. If Mitch is the right man for me, I expect him to act like it. If he’s not, I can be perfectly happy on my own.”
Her friends let out a little cheer and another toast.
After a few minutes of congenial visiting, there was a lull in conversation, and Marley tinkled her fork against her glass. “And now I have a different sort of announcement to make. That is, if no one minds.” She glanced nervously at Caroline. “I don’t want to rain on your parade or steal your thunder or any other kind of bad-weather metaphor that may or may not apply.”
Here's to Friends Page 25