Her mom, dad, two brothers and a couple of friends were going to help her move all her stuff from the storage facility to the townhouse the next weekend. She was a little light on furniture, but it would make do until she graduated and could afford some new things. In the meantime, her folks were giving her a few things to fill in the gaps. She decided to head over to the townhouse to paint a couple of the walls and to make sure everything was ready for the move.
As Margie pulled into the drive and got out of her car, she saw a gorgeous looking woman from two doors down tending to her yard and so she waved at her. The woman waved back. Margie went inside for the first time since closing the deal on the house. She just stood looking around at her very first house. She set the two gallons of paint down and went back out to the car for the rest of the painting supplies. She looked over to see if the woman was still there, but she was no longer in sight. When she went out again to retrieve the small step ladder, the woman was walking up the drive. Margie thought to herself how even more stunning she looked up close.
“Hi, I’m Connie. You must be the new owner. This place has been vacant for quite awhile, so it was exciting when they put up the sold sign.”
“Hi Connie, I’m Margie. And yes, I just closed on it yesterday. My first house.”
“So you said ‘I’; does that mean you are single?”
“Yes, well, I am now. I went through a breakup several months ago, so am all alone now.”
“Sorry to hear that, but welcome to the neighborhood. I just wanted to come down and introduce myself. I brought you a few bottles of water and a roll of toilet paper too, 'cause I figured you might not have thought about either of those.”
“Well, you’re right, I hadn’t, so thanks. Would you like to come in for a minute?”
“You look like you have some work to do, but sure, just for a minute.”
Margie grabbed the step ladder and led the way in. The whole block consisted of various sized townhouses ranging from two bedrooms up to four bedrooms. All of them had at least a one car garage as well. Margie had purchased one of the smaller units with two bedrooms. There was a living room with a bedroom off to one side. The combined kitchen/dining area was about the same size as the living room which had vaulted ceilings. There was a loft that contained the master bedroom and an open area. A patio door in the living room led out to a smallish yard that backed up to a small lake.
“So what about you? I saw a bike in your driveway, so I assume you have a child.”
“Yes, two actually, six-year-old twin girls. My husband is a twin and they run in my family as well, so it was almost a given we would have twins. We’ve been trying for another child again for a few years, but I had a medical issue after the twins were born that made it very hard for me to get preggers again. That and the fact that my husband is in the military. So he has been away more than he has been home for the last four years which has made having another child rather difficult.”
“Well, I am sorry to hear about your hubby, it must be hard for you.”
“I knew going in he was going to be a career military officer. That also runs in his family. He is a fourth-generation Navy guy. So it’s not like I didn’t know what I was in for. The good thing is that he already has nearly eighteen years in and his next promotion could get him assigned stateside for the rest of his time in. He is looking to retire after .twenty five years of service. If he doesn’t get the promotion, or if they want to assign him to another ship, he may just retire at twenty. He is young enough to start another career, and we still get a lot of benefits. Anyway, thanks for the tour and letting me ramble on. I should let you get to your painting.”
“OK, Connie. Thanks for the supplies and I look forward to talking to you again once I have someplace to sit down.”
After Connie left, Margie set about painting the master bedroom and bathroom. With no furniture to move around, the painting went quite quickly. The whole time she was painting, though, Margie kept thinking about Connie. There was just something about her that she couldn’t forget. She wasn’t quite sure what it was yet but was looking forward to seeing her again. Over the next several days, whenever she had a few free hours, Margie was at the townhouse painting, hanging some new drapes and stocking the fridge with a few things.
Her mom came over a couple of times to help her put a new shelf lining in the kitchen cabinets, and brought over several bags of groceries, cleaning supplies and a few other basic needs. They also brought over a small kitchen table and a few chairs so at least they had somewhere to sit other than on a paint can. Marge kept watching for Connie again but didn’t see her. Finally, moving day arrived and by mid-afternoon, everything had been moved into the house and was at least in the general vicinity of where it belonged. Her dad set up her bed, and her mom found the linens for it and made it for her.
Some of the essential items like towels and dishes were unpacked and put away. They ordered a couple of pizzas and everyone gobbled them down, along with some wine and beer. Finally, everyone headed out, leaving Margie to spend her first night in her new house alone. One of her brothers had hooked up her TV and internet and made sure it was up and running before they left. She had just settled down on the couch when there was a knock on the door. Thinking someone had forgotten something; she walked to the door and opened it up. It was Connie.
“Hi, I saw all the vehicles here earlier, but I figured you would be pretty busy getting settled in. I take my girls to my husband’s parents one weekend a month and got home a little while ago, but waited until all the cars left. Once they were gone and the lights were still on, I figured I would come down and bring a housewarming gift… wine.”
Margie smiled and invited her in.
“As you can see, it’s a bit homier than the last time you were here. I actually have some food and a place to sit. Let me get us a couple of glasses and let’s crack that puppy open. And I can rustle up some cheese and crackers, or some leftover pizza if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but just the wine for me. Usually, I just drop the girls off and they bring them back Sunday night, but there was an event at the zoo this weekend, so we all went, then my in-laws took us all out to eat.”
Margie took the bottle of wine into the kitchen to open it and returned with the open bottle and two glasses. They sat on the couch and toasted to new homes and new friends.
“So Connie, what do you do to keep yourself busy while you husband is away?”
“I’m a librarian and work part time at the Franklin library during the day when the girls are in school. I also volunteer one day a week at the Goodwill store. There are several other girls in the area that are Navy wives, as well as some of the others in the neighborhood that get together to do things. We take turns once a month hosting a Bunco game, and a group of us also play Trivia at one of the pubs every other week. If you’re interested, I’ll bring you along to one of them. I’m sure the other gals would love to meet you. And what about you? What do you do for a living?”
“Well, I’m a teacher at Leyden Middle school, teaching math and science to grades 7 and 8. I am also just finishing up my Masters. Once I get the degree, I will be moving to the high school, where I will be teaching Physics to juniors and seniors. And I love Trivia! My girlfriend and I used to try to stump each other all the time. We always talked about going to one of the Trivia nights at one of the bars in the area, but never got around to it.”
“It’s settled then. Next time, you’ll come with me.”
They finished the bottle of wine Connie had brought, and another one Margie had. The whole time they were talking, Margie just kept looking at Connie. Perhaps it had been her imagination, but when she had mentioned that she had had a girlfriend, it seemed like Connie had perked up. And she also noticed that Connie seemed to reach out and touch her arm or her shoulder a lot; after she used the restroom, she sat down considerably closer than she had been. Finally, Connie got up and said she should really leave.
“You must be exhausted and here I am, keeping you awake with my chattering. Please let me know if you need any help getting around, or finding the best places to shop.”
“It’s OK. I really enjoyed myself, but I am getting tired.”
Margie walked Connie to the door, and as she was halfway out the door, she turned around and gave Margie a big hug, and kissed her hard on the lips. Without another word, she turned again and walked away. Margie went back inside and sat back down on the couch. Whatever else she may have thought or imagined before, she did not imagine that kiss and what it had meant. She had kissed enough women in her time to know without a doubt and that knowledge sent a shiver through her and put a smile on her face.
Over the next week, Margie was pretty busy between unpacking, teaching and her own classes. She had also been doing a bit of shopping for a few accessories for the new place as well, getting some new throw rugs, two new sets of towels for the bathroom and searching for a painting to put above the couch. Finally, as she was pulling into her drive on Sunday, she saw Connie waving at her, and heading over to her house.