Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
My mind drifts back to Europe. I’ve been to Europe plenty of times. And I liked it well enough.
But not this trip.
Getting sick had nothing to do with it. The business I had to conduct had nothing to do with it.
I just wanted to be here and have Bellatrix plan more wild, fun things for us. I wanted her to try to show me how to feel alive because it was working.
I became very good at shutting down, and I had to teach myself how not to care because it hurt so much that it would have killed me. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have just let it wash over me, even if it lasted for years. What I did wasn’t the answer. I shouldn’t have given up on the things I loved.
I’m very blessed to be here now with Mika and in her life without a single hesitation on her part. And being here with Bellatrix again? It’s like all the emotions I locked down have sprung the lock and are flapping mad, giddy wings around the room.
Kind of like the flamingo wallpaper that will be going up shortly.
That’s me. A happy flamingo. A happy flamingo who in no way deserves this chance.
I throw myself into painting, determined to give both Mika and Bellatrix a finished project they can be proud of. It’s an honor to be a part of something that makes them both so happy.
The hours tick away, and the room slowly transforms from what Mika calls “millennial grey” to an emerald and enchanted forest. Despite the black paint, the kitchen doesn’t look smaller, and the flamingos do look just as startled and wild on the wall as they did on the roll, but they suit the place. It’s vibrant and classy.
“We can go thrifting and change up your décor. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. And with those copper ceiling tiles we’ll get and the new lights…this place is going to be banging!”
“You slayed it,” Bellatrix responds, brushing up against Mika with a massive smile and a dreamy expression lighting her face. “I can’t even believe this is my house.”
“Wait until we start on the upstairs! And the flooring will make such a huge difference.” Mika retrieves her phone from the giant black bat that is her purse and takes a few photos. Then, she glances at the time and lets out a cry of surprise that is totally forced. “Oh, goodness. Look at that. I have an appointment I have to run to. I’ll just leave you two here to finish off.” She races for the door and slips her feet into her massive platform boots while waving at us both. “Call me tomorrow, and we’ll go look at flooring and lighting and all that. Bye!”
She’s out the door before either of us can protest.
That leaves us both in the kitchen. I haven’t even climbed down from the ladder where I was finishing trimming out the black on the wall behind the table.
Bellatrix turns slowly with a slightly horrified expression on her face that she washes away quickly. “Uh, I think maybe Mika’s right. A small chandelier right there would do wonders for the place.”
All I can do is nod and slap my hand under the brush before it drips.
We’re totally silent for at least a moment that feels more like an hour.
Bellatrix rocks up on her toes and then falls back on her heels. “Uh, do you want more tea? I’m feeling a little parched myself.”
“Tea. Yes. That would be great.”
She’s only a few feet away in the small kitchen, filling the kettle, getting out more mugs, and measuring out the matcha powder to stir into each with the wooden whisk thing.
She’s not watching me, but I feel her presence. It’s all around this kitchen. The soft floral scent of her skin and hair, the strong matcha that tastes a little like swamp and old feet, but not in a bad way… Her laughter. Her smiles. Her books, her dishes, her things. This place is entirely hers, even when she thought it was soulless.
I finish trimming out the line I was doing, then stop and close my eyes, inhaling deeply.
Either I’m going for it, or I’m never going for it. I can’t just stay in this place in the middle.
When I climb down from the ladder, though, it’s not can I take you on a real date as Mika said that comes out. Instead, what comes out is much more impersonal and professional. “Mika told me that you lost your job. I know it wasn’t really because of me, but I still feel responsible. I’d like to…to…no, that doesn’t have anything to do with it. I’d like you to come and work for me. At the hotel. In the lounge. Playing the piano. If you…if you’d like. People should hear you. You’re magic. I’ll pay you well, and then you won’t have to worry about rushing to find another job. You can take your time and still do something you enjoy in the interim.”