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I decided to really make this a new start for me. I put the old pieces that had been an attractant for potential renters seeking fully furnished spaces in storage and bought new stuff. The apartment above my boutique located at 1885 Main Street in Parkton had one bedroom, an en-suite bathroom with a shower-tub combo, a small kitchen, a tiny laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer set, plus a decent sized living room—a little over one thousand square feet of space. More than enough for a bachelorette pad for a woman over forty.
Ugh.
There was an identical apartment above it which was where I stored the old furniture. My apartment was cute, quiet, but below the standard of where I thought I’d be at this age. That made me sad. It also made the years I spent with Marlon in a home that would never be mine feel even more wasted.
In an effort to push the bad out of my mind, I dove into making the apartment a real home, painting, wallpapering—bright, happy hues of yellow and coral—and cleaning into the wee hours of the night before collapsing into a dreamless sleep. When my new furniture began arriving, I rinsed and repeated, spending hours assembling and arranging chairs, tables, and a gorgeous, brand new metal frame bed with a vintage look. I even bought a chandelier for my bedroom. I’d have to find someone to install it, though. As I worked diligently, I ignored calls from my family, my friends, my employees…and Marlon, who undoubtedly hadn’t figured out where I was staying yet. It was only a matter of time before he did and eventually popped up. It would also only be a matter of time before my family pulled up on me, too. So, I knew I had to get myself together, or at least try.
2
“So, I’m lying there with my ankles touching my ears, right? And he’s just, boom-boom-boom! Laying it DOWN! Girllll, I was bleating like a damn goat, you hear me? Just, baaaa, baaaa, baaaa…and then it happened. I farted so loud and hard that I blew the damn man out the bed!” Justice, my store’s manager, informed us, us being me and Quaneese, one of the store’s associates. These two women along with two more associates comprised my little store crew.
Rolling my eyes, I replied with, “You always have the craziest stories. Makes my life seem so damn boring.”
Justice’s eyebrows were in a tangle as she said, “Didn’t you just break up with your dude? That ain’t boring!”
I wanted to ask how she knew about the breakup, but I supposed my moving in upstairs told it all. At least she didn’t assume he’d kicked me out.
I was silent for so long that she added, “Not that it’s any of my business, Boss...”
“And ain’t!” Quaneese confirmed.
Both women were tall, curvy, stylish, and at that moment, wearing pieces from the boutique.
“It’s definitely not something I want to talk about,” I said. “But I’ll be around more to help out. I have some great marketing ideas in mind, too. My plan is to really devote myself to Bon Vie.” In other words, I was going to go back to my workaholic ways to keep from falling apart.
Both ladies nodded before Quaneese greeted a customer who’d just entered the boutique and Justice sauntered back to the display window where she was doing a refresh. I wasn’t needed here, a result of me hiring great workers and thoroughly training them. Marlon loved traveling, as did I, so I built Bon Vie to run with little to no input from me. It also made it easy for me to do other things I loved like decorate the house that would never be mine, go to random brunches with my friends and sisters, do volunteer work from time to time, and shop. I loved shopping and I absolutely adored shopping with his money.
Shit. Maybe I should go back, I thought, my eyes rounding the small space crammed with luxe, plus-sized clothing. What was I going to do with myself now?
I wasn’t sure about the days ahead, but at that moment, I went to my office in the back of the store to peruse my favorite wholesaler’s site. Yeah, I was about to do some shopping…for my customers.
“So, how are things going?” Memphis asked between very loud sips of what had to be wine.
I shook my head at my cell phone sitting on the tiny bistro table before me in what I’d designated as my dining area. In truth, it was just a spot in front of a window in my living room. I’d accepted her call to prevent my entire family from showing up to make sure I was still alive. I knew she’d report back to them after talking to me. “The hell are you slurping on tonight? Red or white?”
“White. Ran out of red. You’re asking me about wine when you don’t even like drinking it. Things that bad?”
“I do like wine, just not as much as you do.”
“Lil…”
I sighed. “Things aren’t bad, just…lonely? Boring? I miss my house?—”
“Marlon’s and his wife’s house, you mean? Isn’t her name on it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course it is. They’re still married.”
“Oh, okay. I thought so.”
“Look, I know leaving was the right thing to do, and I’m not going back. I just…I have too much time on my hands right now.”
“Hmmm, why don’t you go visit Umber? You could help her dig up weeds and shit.”
“Forage. She forages, Mem. They’re not weeds.”
“Whatever. She’s out there roughing it in the wilderness because of Ohm. She ain’t been right since he disappeared on her. She adored him and he adored her, or at least I thought.”
“True, but she’ll never admit that him ghosting her is still bothering her even though they were together for so many years. They started dating in high school!”
