A HOUSE TO BUILD A DREAM ON by Galen and Lorraine
chapter 1
Emily pulled back the Irish lace curtain and peered out the window overlooking a porch that wrapped itself around the house like a giant hug. She sighed. Rose promised she’d be here at 9:00 sharp and it was quarter to ten already.
But she laughed, wondering why she would expect anything else from her friend of so many years. Rose could do most anything she set her mind on, but managing time….HELL, just understanding time was beyond her scope of expertise. She’d get here when she got here. End of story.She felt Miss Sassypants, her plump calico, wind herself around her leg, begging for a little attention, like scratches under the chin and gentle tugs on the ears. She reached down to stroke the cat and her body gave a not so gentle reminder that she was not a young woman anymore.
Next month she would be 61! How on earth had she gotten this old? She felt no different than when she was 15. Of course, she had years of experiences and knowledge gained, but deep inside her was the same spirit and heart of the teenaged girl who had also once looked out the window in anticipation.Of course, the world for her was different then. She’d wake up each morning eager to greet a day full of hope, surprises and adventures just waiting to happen. Being a teenager was a life of extreme highs and intense lows, always alternating between joy and misery. Growing older, she discovered, was a process of tempering those highs and lows and learning to wait it all out.Maybe that was the biggest difference in young Emily and the older woman she’d grown into. Maybe it was watching the ability to hope and to wait with enthusiastic anticipation for surprises slowly diminish through the years. Emily decided when she turned 50 that she would never call herself old. She would go to her grave at 100 and still not utter that word to describe her.
She never forgot her mother’s words. “Emily, i’m old and every day i see my world grow smaller and smaller. I’m just waiting until I shrink into invisibility.” And as she’d come to understand about words, if they are said enough and believed, they will become self-fulfilling. Her mother gradually stopped caring, eating or talking. She just faded away in her bedsheets.
Emily vowed she would never let that happen to her. She found that some days were harder than others to remember that vow. The days after her divorce were difficult. Some of her friends told her about the freedom of doing whatever you wanted without the bother of having to please anyone else. But in the beginning, life with David was so good and pleasing him was her joy. She discovered that solitude was perfect for monks but lonely for most everyone else.
But she was not complaining about her life in any way. Sure, she had some regrets. Who could live this long and not wish they had taken a different path or approach along the way? Anyone who said they did not have regrets in life was a liar in her estimation.
Emily eased herself on the chintz sofa and waited for Sassy to jump up and settle on her lap. She looked at the clock again and made a clucking sound that brought the cat’s ears to attention. Should she call and see if…..A quick knock on the door, a hearty “Here i am!”
And in came Rose, throwing off her sweater and putting some just-out-of-the-oven scones on the dining room table. “Coffee fresh?” She asked. “Well, it was an hour ago,” Emily said. She got up and poured two cups of coffee, black for her and cream with two sugars for Rose. Rose nibbled her scone and downed the coffee. “Not bad, if i say so myself. You should get one of those coffee pod machines. You know, one cup at a time. That way the coffee is always fresh.”Emily laughed. “i’ll think about it if you think about getting a watch with an alarm so you get yourself places on time.”
“So do you think we can pull this off?” Rose asked. “Me buying a keurig machine or you arriving on time?" Emily asked with a smile. Rose laughed. “I guess either of those things is just as amazing as what we are planning to do.” She picked up her cup of coffee and walked around the dining room. “you know, I have always loved this house. From the very first time I set foot in it I knew there was something special about it and…..” She paused and her voice was quieter. “……I knew I would have a place in here some day. Don’t ask me how. I just felt it.” Emily looked at her friend. “you think we can do it? Make it happen?”
Rose pulled back the lace curtains, looked out the window and smiled. “This is going to make the best damned bed and breakfast in town.” She reached down and picked up Sassy who’d wandered over to her for a little more loving. “No, forget that! Miss Sassypants, you are going to live in the best b & b in the state, in all of New England, in the country.”
She ran over to Emily and squeezed her hand. “Rose, this is going to work. I believe it with all my heart.” Emily sipped her coffee slowly. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. The kitchen needs renovating and the rooms need…”
“I was on the phone this morning with O’Connor contractors and they’re starting next week. And I think I’ve got a buyer for my house. With some luck, i’ll be moving in here in the next month or two.”Emily wiped away a tear before it spilled down her cheek. Hope had found itself back into her heart and she would not let it leave again.
But she laughed, wondering why she would expect anything else from her friend of so many years. Rose could do most anything she set her mind on, but managing time….HELL, just understanding time was beyond her scope of expertise. She’d get here when she got here. End of story.She felt Miss Sassypants, her plump calico, wind herself around her leg, begging for a little attention, like scratches under the chin and gentle tugs on the ears. She reached down to stroke the cat and her body gave a not so gentle reminder that she was not a young woman anymore.
Next month she would be 61! How on earth had she gotten this old? She felt no different than when she was 15. Of course, she had years of experiences and knowledge gained, but deep inside her was the same spirit and heart of the teenaged girl who had also once looked out the window in anticipation.Of course, the world for her was different then. She’d wake up each morning eager to greet a day full of hope, surprises and adventures just waiting to happen. Being a teenager was a life of extreme highs and intense lows, always alternating between joy and misery. Growing older, she discovered, was a process of tempering those highs and lows and learning to wait it all out.Maybe that was the biggest difference in young Emily and the older woman she’d grown into. Maybe it was watching the ability to hope and to wait with enthusiastic anticipation for surprises slowly diminish through the years. Emily decided when she turned 50 that she would never call herself old. She would go to her grave at 100 and still not utter that word to describe her.
She never forgot her mother’s words. “Emily, i’m old and every day i see my world grow smaller and smaller. I’m just waiting until I shrink into invisibility.” And as she’d come to understand about words, if they are said enough and believed, they will become self-fulfilling. Her mother gradually stopped caring, eating or talking. She just faded away in her bedsheets.
Emily vowed she would never let that happen to her. She found that some days were harder than others to remember that vow. The days after her divorce were difficult. Some of her friends told her about the freedom of doing whatever you wanted without the bother of having to please anyone else. But in the beginning, life with David was so good and pleasing him was her joy. She discovered that solitude was perfect for monks but lonely for most everyone else.
But she was not complaining about her life in any way. Sure, she had some regrets. Who could live this long and not wish they had taken a different path or approach along the way? Anyone who said they did not have regrets in life was a liar in her estimation.
Emily eased herself on the chintz sofa and waited for Sassy to jump up and settle on her lap. She looked at the clock again and made a clucking sound that brought the cat’s ears to attention. Should she call and see if…..A quick knock on the door, a hearty “Here i am!”
And in came Rose, throwing off her sweater and putting some just-out-of-the-oven scones on the dining room table. “Coffee fresh?” She asked. “Well, it was an hour ago,” Emily said. She got up and poured two cups of coffee, black for her and cream with two sugars for Rose. Rose nibbled her scone and downed the coffee. “Not bad, if i say so myself. You should get one of those coffee pod machines. You know, one cup at a time. That way the coffee is always fresh.”Emily laughed. “i’ll think about it if you think about getting a watch with an alarm so you get yourself places on time.”
“So do you think we can pull this off?” Rose asked. “Me buying a keurig machine or you arriving on time?" Emily asked with a smile. Rose laughed. “I guess either of those things is just as amazing as what we are planning to do.” She picked up her cup of coffee and walked around the dining room. “you know, I have always loved this house. From the very first time I set foot in it I knew there was something special about it and…..” She paused and her voice was quieter. “……I knew I would have a place in here some day. Don’t ask me how. I just felt it.” Emily looked at her friend. “you think we can do it? Make it happen?”
Rose pulled back the lace curtains, looked out the window and smiled. “This is going to make the best damned bed and breakfast in town.” She reached down and picked up Sassy who’d wandered over to her for a little more loving. “No, forget that! Miss Sassypants, you are going to live in the best b & b in the state, in all of New England, in the country.”
She ran over to Emily and squeezed her hand. “Rose, this is going to work. I believe it with all my heart.” Emily sipped her coffee slowly. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. The kitchen needs renovating and the rooms need…”
“I was on the phone this morning with O’Connor contractors and they’re starting next week. And I think I’ve got a buyer for my house. With some luck, i’ll be moving in here in the next month or two.”Emily wiped away a tear before it spilled down her cheek. Hope had found itself back into her heart and she would not let it leave again.
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