A House to Build a Dream on

Chapter 6
Lorraine and Galen

Emily and Rose sat at the table for a few minutes, each in her own little world. This was a big change for Rose, but at least she had Emily living with her now. Rose knew big changes were taking place in Emily's life with her divorce from Stephen in the works. Rose worried for a moment if this was the right time to be making these changes, but on the other side of the coin it probably was a good time-it will help keep our minds off of our problems. Yes Rose decided, this is the right time. After a few minutes had passed, Emily finally broke the silence. "You must be exhausted my dear friend. You have had a rather busy two weeks with selling your house, and having to rid yourself of everything you didn't move here. I will not feel offended if you want to go to your room and get some sleep."

"You forget, Emily, next week it will be thirty years since Christopher's death. Oh Emily, I miss him so. That's why I'm so happy to be moving here with you. I will have a companion to share a home with, and we have known each other since kindergarten. I was always scared living alone in that big house. just dusting it would exhaust me."

"Oh, Rose, how inconsiderate of me, I had completely forgotten about Christopher's passing. Some friend I am."

"Emily, don't worry about it.You have had enough on your mind with me moving in, and the work we're having done starting tomorrow, I might add. We had better sit down and discuss colors we want for the bedrooms, or do we want wallpaper. We also have to work out our finances."

Rose got up, gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen. As she was washing them she thought how beautiful they are, tiny roses all over them with green vines on a pale yellowish background. “If these are the breakfast and lunch plates, pray tell what do the dinner dishes look like”, she thought. She let her imagination run away with her for a few minutes.

Rose thought she would go to her room and start settling in. She turned around and started to walk to the hallway, and as she did she ran head first into Emily coming up from the basement holding a laundry basket overflowing with clothing. They both started laughing so hard Emily dropped the basket and Rose got so weak in the knees she fell to the floor, and the next thing she knew Emily was on top of her, as she used to do when they were teens, the two of them rolling around on the floor tickling each other and laughing their heads off. After they gathered themselves together, Rose apologized, still laughing, as they said in unison, "that was fun."

"I'm sorry Emily. I didn't know the stairs were there, and I'm used to living alone."

"Don't worry about it Rose, this may be the first time, but it will definitely not be the last." Emily thought to herself they must have looked a sight. two 60 year old women rolling around on the floor.

Rose said "I think I'll take my suit cases back to my room and start to get settled in. Emily asked if she could be of help, but Rose said that she could handle it. Emily went into her room and decided she needed a bath. She was feeling gritty from working in the garden and rolling on the floor.

Emily sat on the bed and looked around the room, and thought it might need a new coat of paint- maybe a darker shade of yellow. She loved this room, the way the light coming in at different times of of the day changed the whole aura of the space. In the morning the sun coming up would give the room a nice bright look that would just get you ready for your day. The afternoon slant of light gave the room a whole different feel, cool in the warm afternoons, the sheer curtains with the bamboo design on them, blowing gently in the breeze coming in the window.

She drew her bath and put a couple of drops of amber bath oil in the water, disrobed and climbed in the tub. It felt so relaxing. Emily blew up the air pillow and put it behind her head. She relaxed in the tub with the delightful bouquet of amber surrounding her. The next thing she knew she was sitting in a tub of tepid water. “Oh good grief!” she thought, “I must have fallen asleep”.

As Emily stepped out of the tub, she heard an urgent knocking at her bedroom door. Who could that be? Then she remembered Rose. She thew on her robe and ran to answer the door. There stood Rose in her black and gold robe. It was a pretty robe, Rose always had good taste in clothes. The background was black and the print was a series of gold labyrinths all different but yet connected. Rose stood at the door with her eyes red and swollen with tears, sobbing.

"Rose, what's wrong?" Rose was so distraught and panicked she couldn't speak. Emily grabbed a blanket and guided Rose to the quiet room in the turret. "just relax in here for a few minutes. I'll be back in a minute." Emily ran to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of her best brandy, two brandy glasses and went back to the quiet room. When she arrived back in the room Rose was curled up in the corner of the couch wrapped up in the blanket, still shaking. 

Emily poured some brandy in one of the glasses and handed it to Rose. "Thank you Emily."

Emily poured some brandy for herself and they both sat quietly looking at the fire and sipping brandy. After a while Emily asked if Rose wanted to talk about it.

Rose nodded her head. "Oh Emily I'm so happy to have you as my dear friend, and to be living here with you now. My room is so beautiful, this room is so beautiful with your maroon and gold scheme. And look, you have the pictures of us as we were growing up, hanging on the wall. But this afternoon I was in my room thinking of Christopher and how much I miss him, and all the stress of selling the house and having to sell some pieces I really loved, and the tickle fight we had this morning just made me feel my age, and I was wondering if I was going to be able to keep up with all that's going to be needed to be done around here."

Emily spoke to Rose, "We don't have to do this if you feel you cannot. The first nail has not been nailed yet. We can do something else. Try to relax and sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning. But I think whatever we do we should stay here. We have both refinanced our lives and whatever it is, we will do it from here." Emily went over and took Rose in her arms as Rose drifted off after another brandy.

Next thing they knew there was knocking at the door "Oh God the contractor" Rose thought, and quickly woke Emily. The two of them were lying on the couch, Emily stretched out and Rose lying with her head on Emily's lap.

"Emily. Emily, I've decided we can do this. we better get up."