Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot

by Bria Marche

  “You really are in your element, aren’t you?” Vic asked, as she squeezed Sasha’s hand.

  Sasha began to cry.

  “What’s wrong?” Tina and Vic set their glasses down and comforted Sasha.

  “Nothing really. It’s just been a hectic few days. I had to change my whole look just because of Jack. Do I need to watch over my shoulder every day, too? I’m afraid to come into the salon now, he might be watching. This house makes me so happy and I want to feel at peace here. I’ll change my name, and hope it’s enough.”

  Vic got up and went inside to the master bath. She brought out a roll of toilet paper and the garbage can. “Sorry, hon, you don’t have any tissues up here yet. I’m not going back downstairs until we leave.”

  Sasha laughed. “I’ll put tissues in bathroom on my ‘to do’ list. I don’t know if either of you spoke to Mia this afternoon, but she came over and we talked. That’s when she helped me with the furniture. Anyway, we kind of joked about me being like Martha Stewart.”

  “I get that,” Vic said.

  “Then Mia said something about this place being my destiny. I don’t want to go off subject here, because there’s more I want to say, but jokingly I told Mia my name should be Martha Destiny. To be honest, that name really fits who I am. If I have to change everything about myself, I may as well call myself a name that suits me. It might sound silly, but that’s what I’m changing my legal name to. I want everyone that knows me to call me Sasha though. This will just be on paper. I’ll quitclaim the Victorian to Martha Destiny so my actual name won’t be on it anymore.”

  “Holy shit, Sasha. That’s really a hard core change. Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive. It’s all going to be okay. I have to believe that.”

  ***

  The familiar sound made Aaron glance out the window. He was sure he heard the rumble of Mia’s Camaro, and he was right. She parallel parked in front of the camera shop and got out of her car. The tap on Mia’s shoulder surprised her. She turned to find Josh Redmond’s white, glowing teeth smiling in her face.

  Damn, I need sunglasses around those teeth. “Hi, Josh, you startled me. What’s up?”

  “Hey, Mia, have you talked to Sasha lately?” He seemed nervous and embarrassed to ask, making it apparent he was smitten with her.

  Mia played along. “Sasha who?”

  “You know who I mean. I just haven’t talked to her since she closed on the house.”

  “Were you supposed to? I mean, you did your job, right?” Mia was tightening the noose around Josh’s neck and she loved it. He needed to be brought down a few notches. Something about him reminded her of Jack, to a lesser degree.

  “Well, I guess so. The weird thing is, I drove by the house this morning, and by the way, the paint job looks beautiful.”

  “Yeah, I’m aware of the paint job. You were saying?”

  “Oh, I lost my train of thought.”

  “You drove by, and then what?” Mia was becoming impatient since she wanted to go inside and talk to Aaron. She had a perfect view through the window of Aaron laughing at her.

  “Oh yeah… I drove by and saw a short haired blonde planting mums next to the driveway. Do you know if Sasha has company?”

  “No clue, Josh, gotta go. Why don’t you knock on her door next time instead of doing a drive by? See ya.” Mia bolted up the few steps and into the camera shop, making sure the door closed behind her. “Ugh… I swear that guy is in heat for Sasha. Poor girl. He can figure her out on his own without my help.” Mia took Aaron by the hand and stepped into the back room. She covered his mouth with her own, French kissing him deeply. She playfully pulled Aaron in tight against her body, cupping his butt in her hands. His manhood was waking up as he pressed himself against her. Mia pressed back. She felt the heat radiating through his slacks.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Ms. James?” Aaron asked, in a raspy voice.

  “I’m letting my man know what will be waiting for him tonight at my place, seven p.m. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Daniels?”

  “Hell no.” Aaron kissed Mia’s neck.

  The bell above the door rang out as a customer walked in. “Son of a bitch,” Aaron whined. “You’ll pay later, Mia, I swear. How am I going to go out there with this hard on?”

  “Hmmm…?” She innocently looked at the obvious bulge in his pants. “I’ll let myself out the back. Later, babe!” She looked back and blew him a kiss, then smiled and disappeared. Mia laughed out loud as she passed through the alley and back to her car. She was so in love with Aaron. The years she wasted with Jack irritated her to no end. She and Aaron could have been married already with a few kids underfoot. That will happen soon enough. The thought made her smile.

  The familiar song blared from her cell phone as she drove through town. She did a little dance in her car, then picked up. “What’s going on, babe?” she asked.

  “Hi, Mia, do you want to go shopping after Vic and Tina get off work?”

  “Sorry, no can do. I’ve already promised Aaron some hotsie-totsie tonight. What’s the occasion?”

  “Vic has plans for my new look. It should be fun. That’s okay, I’ll call Karen. Oh, come by this week and see what else I did with the balcony. You’re gonna love it.”

  “I bet I will. I ran into Josh Redmond today. He’s foaming at the mouth for you. He actually did a drive by and saw a short haired blonde outside so he didn’t stop. Don’t be surprised if he shows up on your door step. I was screwing with him, and didn’t tell him it was you.”

  “You’re evil, Mia,” Sasha said. “Josh isn’t that bad, but if he wants to get to know me better, he can pursue me in a gentlemanly fashion, right, sister?”

  “Absolutely. Have fun shopping. I’ll stop over tomorrow and you can model your new stuff for me.”

  “Cool. Okay, I’m gonna call Karen. Out.”

  “Out.”

  Chapter Eight

  Vic honked in front of the Victorian and waited in the car with Tina. She wasn’t about to park and scrape off what was left of her rims.

  “It will take her ten minutes to get down those friggin stairs,” Vic joked. “We should check out Filly’s and Brenna’s Boutique. What do you think?”

  “That’s a great start. Poor Sasha hardly has a thing to wear. Right! She has more modelish types of clothes than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

  “Is that even a word, Tina? Anyway, that’s the problem. Her modeling career is behind her. She can just give us those old rags to wear now that she’s getting new duds to match her hippy, hipster look.”

  Tina laughed as she watched the front door. “Yeah, those old rags probably cost a grand for each outfit. Here she comes.”

  Sasha bounced out of the house like the energizer bunny and ran down the sidewalk, across the lawn and into the backseat of the car. “Damn it, I wanted shotgun.”

  “I’m already in the car, Sasha,” Tina groaned.

  “Okay, but I get shotgun when we go home… just saying.”

  Karen met up with them downtown. Everything they needed to start Sasha’s new wardrobe was at Brenna’s Boutique. The tiny store was crammed tight with modern hippy and bohemian types of clothing and accessories. The owner, Brenna, and a twenty something young lady ran the cute boutique. Brenna was a cross between Goth and boho with a little biker chic thrown in for good measure. She wore sleeve tats, making her a messed up mix of styles. Whatever she had going on worked flawlessly for her and had a cool, edgy look.

  “Sasha,” Vic whispered with excitement, “do you like Brenna’s style? It would be perfect for you.”

  “I’m afraid to look like that. It takes a lot of work to get to where she is. I don’t want tats, they would hurt too much, and I totally don’t want a lip ring. Gross! Everything else looks kind of fun. Yeah, okay… if we’re just talking about clothes, I like it. With some wine, I may be brave enough to get a nose piercing. An itty bitty diamond would sparkle nicely, right?”

  “Now you
’ve got the picture, babe.” Vic became a flurry of waving arms as she tossed outfits into the dressing room for Sasha. “What size shoe do you wear, hon?”

  “I wear a seven.” Sasha loved the attention, and giggled at all the people hovering around her. It reminded her of her modeling days.

  “Start trying stuff on, this is going to take a while. Everything you put on has to go through my radar detector, got it?”

  “I got it, Vic, thank you.” Sasha giggled again as piles of clothes filled the dressing room.

  Brenna’s assistant brought out scones and ginger tea on a beautiful, hand painted tray. She placed it on a multicolored, silk pouf ottoman with fringe tassels. Tina, Vic and Karen helped themselves.

  “This is such an awesome store. Why haven’t we shopped here before?” Tina asked, with half a scone in her mouth.

  “Because this style isn’t our thing. I’m friggin Puerto Rican, for God’s sake. I wear six inch heels and tight pink pants. But this wasn’t Sasha’s thing either until I decided it was for her own good. Get out here so we can see you,” Vic yelled, as she pounded on the dressing room door.

  Sasha slowly cracked the door open and peeked out, making sure they were the only ones in the store. She exited the dressing room wearing an embroidered halter top, a layered, fluffy mini skirt and short moto boots.

  “Nope, not doing it for me… next.” Vic was laser beamed on Sasha and the style she wanted for her. Nothing would work except perfection. After six outfit changes things began to take shape. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

  Three quarter length skirts in every floral pattern under the sun were set aside. Long tops, short tops, tank tops, and midriff tops would go perfectly with the skirts. Sasha needed a few wide leather belts and scarves as accent pieces. A pair of black, ballerina slippers, two pairs of moto boots, short and tall, Converse Chuck Taylor Classic black high tops and a pair of tall duck boots were stacked next to the cash register. Vic picked out five pairs of chandelier earrings, two pairs of huge sunglasses, a three quarter length, black curly wool coat and a distressed, brown leather bomber jacket.

  “Okay, we’re done. Go ahead and ring this stuff up.” After two hours of clothing changes Sasha’s hair stood straight up. “That hairstyle works too. We’ll grab you some whipped marshmallow texturizer from the salon. It’s to die for!” Vic said, pleased as punch.

  Sasha was frazzled, but happily handed Brenna her Platinum Visa card. Today’s total was $3246.00. Sasha took a scone and a tea bag home for a bedtime snack.

  Tina, Karen and Vic helped her carry the bags into the house, had a glass of wine and said their good nights. It was already nine-thirty.

  Before they left, Vic gave Sasha the clothing instructions. “From now on, I want you to own that look, girl. There’s no way in hell Jack the jerkoff would ever recognize you, especially if you wear the sunglasses, even on cloudy days. That isn’t negotiable. Sasha, you’re absofrigginlutely adorable in those outfits. I mean it, so enjoy them and wear them with confidence.”

  “What should I wear while I’m working at home?” Sasha didn’t want to disappoint Vic by wearing the wrong outfit.

  “When you’re painting, or working outside, wear whatever you want, honey. These outfits are for your public persona. They’re for the new you, to stay hidden in plain sight, okay?” Vic planted a big kiss on Sasha’s cheek, shocking them both. “Wow, I even surprise myself sometimes,” she laughed.

  Sasha smiled from ear to ear. “Okay, I understand now. It’s like role playing in public, right?”

  “That’s exactly right, babe. Alright, we’re outa here. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Sasha turned on the coach lamps and watched as the girls walked down the sidewalk toward their cars. She couldn’t be happier with her friends, or the beautiful mums that lined each side of the brick walkway. Life in Tarrytown was getting better every day. She smiled and closed the door.

  ***

  “Excuse me,” he called out, as he slowed down in front of the Victorian Friday morning. Josh lowered his window when he caught a glimpse of that blonde, planting bulbs next to the porch. Who is this babe and where the hell is Sasha?

  She turned when she heard the voice calling out to her. Sasha shielded the sun with her forearm so she could get a better look. “Hi, Josh,” she responded.

  He put the car in park, got out and walked toward this woman who somehow knew his name. Shit, someday the number of women I’ve been with is going to come back and bite me in the ass. So far, he didn’t recognize her. He was only five feet away when he realized it was Sasha.

  “Sasha? I had no idea it was you. What the hell? Sorry… I mean why did you change… everything?”

  “I’m impulsive. New town, new house, new appearance, that’s all. Do you like it?” she asked, with Allium bulbs filling her gloved hand.

  “Um, sure… I guess. Yeah… it’s cute. Your hairstyle is the way Victoria Beckham wore hers last year.”

  “Right, except she’s old enough to be my mother, sort of. I get what you mean though. So what do you think of the colors?”

  “Of what?” he asked, still gawking at her.

  “The house. Are you okay? You seem weird. We can go inside if you’d like some water. C’mon, I’ll show you what I’ve done with the place so far.” Sasha set the bulbs down and pulled off her gloves. She led Josh up the sidewalk, across the porch and in through the beautiful double doors. “There’s still a lot to do, but I am making progress. Here, sit at the card table, I’ll get you a bottle of water.” Sasha disappeared through the formal, burnt orange dining room and into the kitchen. Josh looked around, admiring the work she had done in the few short weeks she lived there. She returned with two bottles of water and sat in the vacant folding chair next to him. “How do you like the dining room? We had a painting party. It really was a riot. I guess I’ll be hosting a lot of parties if I ever want to get the rest of the house painted,” she laughed with a tiny snort. “Oops, sorry.”

  Josh was so smitten, he didn’t even hear the snort. He had to come up with a way to spend more time with this beautiful woman. “I could help you paint whenever you want. My job is pretty flexible since I’m the owner. With kids back in school, the housing market slows down until after Christmas. I really wouldn’t mind.” Please say yes, please say yes.

  “Why would you want to help? You barely know me. You don’t seem like the kind of guy who gets his hands dirty.”

  “Well, to be honest, Sasha, I’m really surprised you’re taking this work on yourself. You don’t seem like the type of woman who would get her hands dirty, either.” Josh snapped the cap on the water bottle and took a gulp. He waited for her response.

  “The old me wouldn’t have done this work, but the new me loves it. I feel like I can accomplish anything now. I even bought a truck. Can you believe that? I had no clue how to drive until Aaron taught me.” She giggled out loud thinking about her driving lessons.

  “You’ve come a long way, Sasha, but getting back to what I said before, I really would like to help you. Don’t you want this beautiful house completely painted by Christmas? The floors could be sanded and re-stained by then too. I bet you’d love to hold a few holiday parties here, wouldn’t you? And I don’t mean painting parties. I mean real parties in this gorgeous, historic home.”

  “You make a good point, Josh, but what’s in it for you?” she asked, suspiciously.

  “Well, I could hand you a line of bs about wanting to do the ‘neighborly’ thing, or I could tell the truth. I suppose you’d rather hear the truth, right?”

  Sasha smiled and ran her fingers through her hair. It was nice. She liked the short style. Before, with her hair so long, it would either tangle in her fingers, or it would have been in a ponytail anyway. “I would prefer the truth, please.”

  “I like you, Sasha. From the day I met you, and I’ll never live that down, I knew there was something different about you. I’m acquainted with most of the women in town becaus
e I’ve lived here forever. I’ve dated them all, and I’m not saying that to brag. They try too hard, and I don’t even believe it’s about me. They seem to be competing with each other for my attention, just to win. You don’t care about me one way or another. It’s actually refreshing in a weird way.” He laughed at the irony of it, then looked down, staring at the floor. Shit… did I say too much? “Sasha, I’m just a regular guy, and a little lonely at that. I’m tired of playing the single, stud game. It gets old. I’d really like to know you better. No games, no expectations, just friends.” Hopefully more than friends later. “I actually like doing remodeling work. I own a lot of properties in town, and did most of the work myself. What do you say? Do I get a chance?” He looked at her hopefully.

  “I guess you can never have too many friends, right? Here’s my question Josh, do you know anything about vineyards?”

  Chapter Nine

  A late October chill cloaked the air and a definite north wind blew against the Victorian.

  “Josh, what’s going on with these windows?”

  Sasha rolled daffodil yellow paint on the walls of an upstairs bedroom and noticed the paper drop cloth blowing slightly. A light breeze was coming through the window.

  “Hang on, I’ll be right there.” Josh, in the next room was busy sanding floors. He wiped his forehead and took a look. “Yeah, I see what you mean. They aren’t in the best shape, but the storm windows aren’t on either. Are there windows in the shed?”

  “Yes, but I never knew why. They’re my storm windows? Does that mean we have to put them over all the windows in the house? All thirty windows?”

  Josh laughed and shook his head. “Yes, dear lady of the manor, that’s exactly what it means. It’s a dangerous job though, one that should be left to the experts. Let’s go take a look.”

  He took the roller from Sasha’s hand and helped her down the ladder. The antique oak claw foot table in the kitchen beckoned them to sit for a while. Sasha bought furniture as each room was completed. The wide plank maple floors in the kitchen glistened like new so the beautiful table and four pressed back spindle chairs were put in place. A cozy braided rug rested beneath the table and a matching one lay in front of the sink. The cabinets and counter tops needed to be replaced, but that would come in time.