Zimmerman Academy_New Beginnings

by Kathi Daley

  “What’s wrong with my hair?” I put a hand to my long locks, which I’d braided down my back.

  “You’re going driving in a convertible, so you had the right idea with the braid, but we need to do something softer like a French braid,” Pepper mused.

  “Maybe a fishtail,” Brooklyn suggested.

  “A fishtail?” I asked.

  “Or a loose five strand,” Pepper said with enthusiasm.

  I looked at Eve. She nodded her agreement.

  “Okay, I guess we can try a fishtail or a five strand,” I said with caution.

  “And your makeup. It’s all wrong.” Brooklyn got up from her chair. She clicked off the television. “Come with me and we’ll get you fixed up.”

  Brooklyn took my hand and led me back down the hall to my bedroom.

  “I did it the way you showed me,” I complained as she sat me down in front of my vanity.

  “You did it the way I showed you to do it for work,” Brooklyn corrected. “You need something brighter for a picnic with your special guy.”

  “Mr. Danner is not my special guy,” I countered. “He is simply a man with whom I work who shares a similar interest in classic cars.”

  All three girls rolled their eyes.

  “This really isn’t a date,” I tried once again.

  Brooklyn ignored my statement and began sorting through my makeup case. “Do you have mauve?”

  “Mauve what?” I asked.

  “Eyeshadow.”

  “No. Only the gray and the taupe.”

  Brooklyn stood up from her squatting position. “I have mauve. What time will Mr. Danner be here?”

  “At eleven.”

  Brooklyn looked at the others. “That should be enough time, but we’ll need to hurry. You guys get started on the hair and I’ll run to my room and get the supplies we’ll need.”

  Supplies? Who knew a casual drive followed by a completely platonic picnic could require so much preparation? Brooklyn fixed my makeup while Pepper and Eve fixed my hair. By the time Will showed up thirty minutes later I’d been assured by all three girls that I looked the bomb.

  “Right on time,” I greeted Mr. Danner upon opening my front door.

  He was dressed in faded jeans, a Serenity High School sweatshirt, and newer-looking running shoes.

  “You look nice,” Mr. Danner complimented. “Is that a new sweater?”

  “It is. I’m glad you like it.” I blushed.

  “Purple is one of my favorite colors. Are you ready?”

  “I am. Come on in. I’ll just say good-bye to the girls and then we can be on our way. It’s such a lovely day for a drive. In fact, I can’t remember when the weather has been more perfect.”

  “I have the things we’ll need for our picnic in my car. Should I grab them now?” Mr. Danner asked.

  “We can drive around to the front and transfer everything once we get Lizzy. Did you think to bring a blanket? It is always a good idea to bring a blanket.”

  “Who said old dogs can’t learn new tricks?” I said to Charlotte that evening as I prepared for bed. “I wore jeans for the first time, I pulled off a five-strand braid, and after all these years, I finally went on a date. Sort of,” I qualified as I gently wiped the makeup from my face with a gentle cleanser.

  “I mean, it wasn’t really a date. Even I know that. Mr. Danner’s wife has only been gone for a year and he is still in mourning. But it felt like a date from where I was sitting. He picked me up at my door even though we took my car. He drove, and when we arrived at the falls he opened my door. He even took my hand as we crossed the rocks to the spot he had picked out for us to dine.”

  Charlotte jumped up onto the counter.

  “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking he took my hand because he was concerned that someone of my advanced age might slip and break an ankle. But it wasn’t like that. It was more a gesture of chivalry than an attempt to prevent an old lady from falling.”

  Charlotte batted my tube of eyeliner onto the floor, then pounced on it from her vantage point on the counter.

  “I’m not a lovesick teenager. I realize that what Mr. Danner and I have, and most likely all we’ll ever have, is a friendship. But it was still nice to have someone make an effort to see to my needs.”

  I patted my face dry, then added a thick and moist night cream.

  “Did you know that, although Mr. Danner is a professor of theoretical mathematics, he has read most of the classics? And his knowledge of historical events is really quite exhaustive. It seemed obvious to me as we spoke that the man has enjoyed a well-rounded education. That’s so important. Don’t you think?”

  I pulled my flannel nightgown over my head and then sat down to unbraid my hair.

  “I find that I am very much looking forward to getting to know the man better. I asked Mr. Danner if he would like to join us for Sunday supper, but he said he had other plans for tomorrow.”

  Charlotte decided to attack my feet, in an attempt, I am sure, to get my attention and hurry me up.

  “Stop that, you silly cat. I’ll be ready when I’m ready. You know I need to brush and then braid my hair.”

  Charlotte gave up and headed into the bedroom.

  I fixed my hair and followed her.

  “If you had stayed and let me finish, you would have heard me tell you that, although Mr. Danner can’t come to supper this Sunday, he did say that he would love to come on another evening. Perhaps the following week.”

  I shooed Charlotte off the bed so I could remove the pillows and set them aside. I opened the window a quarter of an inch, then went to the bookshelf to pick out the story we would share that evening.

  “Perhaps we should shake things up a bit. We’ve been reading the classics, but how about a romance? A steamy romance.”

  “Meow.”

  “Oh, not too steamy.”

  I continued to thumb through the books on the shelf. There were so many wonderful choices, it was hard to pick just one.

  “How about A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss?”

  Charlotte began to purr, and I took that as consent.

  “Tonight we will begin at the beginning,” I informed Charlotte before I poured myself a cup of tea with a splash of brandy.

  “This really is one of my favorites,” I said as I slid between my 1500-thread count sheets and settled in.

  “Are you ready?”

  Charlotte indicated that she was.

  After placing my reading glasses on the edge of my nose, I adjusted the light and opened the book. Charlotte crawled into my lap and began to purr as I began to read aloud from the introduction by Kathleen Woodiwiss.

  “A crimson bloom in winter’s snow,

  Born out of time, like a maiden’s woe,

  Spawned in a season when the chill winds blow.”

  I paused and looked at Charlotte. “It’s so nice to begin with a poem.”

  Charlotte purred all the louder.

  “And it is so romantic.”

  I touched my hand to my lips.

  “When we arrived back at the house Mr. Danner leaned over, and I thought he might kiss me,” I confessed.

  Charlotte patted my cheek with her paw.

  “Of course he was only leaning over to grab his wallet, which he’d left in the glove box. Still, in that moment I thought that I might let him, should he try.”

  I set the book aside and gathered Charlotte to my chest. Maybe one day my lips would know the touch of another’s, but that day was not today. I let the steady rhythm of Charlotte’s purr soothe my soul as I ran my hands through her thick fur. The love of a cat might not be the same as the love of a man, but for today it was enough.

  New Traditions

  I have experienced many firsts since Brooklyn, Eve, and Pepper came to live with me. In many ways, I feel as if I am beginning a new chapter in my life at the ripe old age of sixty-two. In the past six weeks I have shared a home with someone other than my parents for the first time, gone
on my first date, purchased and worn my first pair of jeans, and learned how to style my hair and apply makeup to bring out my best features. The first I am the most excited about, however, is sharing my first holiday with my new family. In the past I’ve never much bothered with the trappings associated with Halloween, or any other holiday, for that matter, but this year I want to establish new traditions and experience everything the season has to offer.

  “Jeremy is here,” Pepper called from downstairs.

  “I’ll be right down,” I called back.

  Jeremy Fisher is the assistant to my good friend Zoe Donovan. When I found out that he was going to be a single dad, I offered to let him rent one of the townhomes I own at a very reasonable price. At the time I thought I was doing the young man and his adorable daughter a favor, but Jeremy has allowed me to serve as a surrogate grandma to Morgan Rose, which has turned out to be a blessing without measure.

  The girls absolutely adore Morgan, who is now eighteen months old, and she in turn adores them. Today we are babysitting Morgan while Jeremy is busy with his band. They are playing a concert in the park, which the girls and I plan to attend after we take Morgan shopping for her Halloween costume. The girls and I will be looking for costumes as well because we are all invited to a party at Zak and Zoe’s home on Halloween night. As odd as it may sound, this will be my first Halloween costume ever.

  “P’ma,” Morgan greeted me as I walked into the room. When Morgan began to talk I couldn’t decide what to have her call me. I wasn’t her actual grandmother, so Grandma seemed presumptuous, but Phyllis, Ms. King, or Professor all seemed wrong as well. P’ma, an amalgamation of Phyllis and grandma, is the name we came up with after trial and error.

  “How’s my girl?” I asked as Morgan reached for me and I took her into my arms. Morgan is an adorable child with dark brown hair and huge brown eyes. The lashes that framed her eyes were long and thick.

  “Kitty,” Morgan said after she planted a wet kiss on my cheek.

  “The kitty is upstairs,” I answered. Surprisingly, my cat Charlotte, who doesn’t like anyone, likes Morgan, and the two have formed a bond that I have to admit I don’t completely understand.

  “Cookie?” Morgan tried instead.

  “How about if Pepper gets you a cookie while I talk to Daddy?” I set Morgan on the floor. “Be sure to put a bib on her so she doesn’t get the cookie all over her pretty pink jumper.”

  “I will,” Pepper assured me as she took Morgan’s hand and led her into the kitchen, where I kept a supply of cookies made especially for toddlers.

  “I really appreciate your doing this,” Jeremy said.

  “You know I love to spend the day with Morgan as often as I can,” I answered. “The girls and I are going to do some shopping and then we will see you at the park. Did you have a specific theme in mind for Morgan’s costume?”

  “Whatever you decide will be fine. I’m just happy for the help. Zoe has been superbusy lately, which means she hasn’t been spending much time at the Zoo, which translates into Tiffany and me putting in extra hours.”

  Tiffany Middleton was Zoe’s other full-time employee besides Jeremy, who was actually the manager of the facility.

  “Maybe Zoe should consider hiring some extra help,” I suggested.

  “We’ve talked about it, but she seems to think that once things settle down a bit she’ll have more time to spend with the animals. The problem is that Zoe seems to have a knack for getting involved. In everything. I really don’t see her freeing up much time in the near future, although it does slow down at the Zoo over the winter, after the bears go into hibernation and the snow discourages pets from wandering too far away from home. I think we’ll be fine until spring.”

  “I know Zoe wants what is best for the animals, so if you do find you need extra help I definitely think you should bring it up again.”

  “I will.” Jeremy looked at his watch. “I really should get going. I’ll see you at the park. Have fun shopping.”

  Jeremy left and I headed toward the kitchen, where I could hear Pepper and Morgan laughing. Of the three young women who have come to live with me, Pepper is the most outgoing. Pepper is a fourteen-year-old with a kind heart and a whole lot of energy. She is also by far the least complicated and easiest to get along with of the three, an extreme extrovert who would generate enough energy to power a small town if we could figure out a way to harvest it.

  I had to smile as I observed Pepper chatting with Morgan, who sat contentedly in her high chair with cookie smeared all over her face. The pair seemed to be having a good time, so I decided to head back upstairs to finish getting ready.

  “Can we stop off at the health food store while we’re in town?” Fifteen-year-old Eve asked as I passed her on the stairs.

  “Absolutely. We can make any stops you girls want.”

  “Thanks. We’re out of flax seed and granola. I meant to add them to the shopping list, but I forgot. We could probably use some more fruit and veggies for my shakes too, if we have time to go by the farmers market, and I overheard Brooklyn saying we were getting low on coffee.”

  “Not a problem. We’ll pick everything up while we are out.”

  Eve is not only a vegetarian and a health food nut but she is an introvert like I am. She loves to read and I suspect she is secretly trying her hand at writing as well. In spite of the five-year age difference between them, she has a lot in common with Alex, and the two spend a lot of time working on a project neither of them seems willing to share. I asked Zoe about it, but she said Alex is being as secretive as Eve. If I didn’t know the two girls so well I’d be worried, but if there was anyone you could trust to do the right thing it was Alex.

  After I finished applying my makeup the way the girls had shown me, I braided my hair and grabbed the new leather jacket I’d splurged on. It is a deep caramel color that perfectly matches the leather boots I’d also decided to buy. I had to admit the jacket spoke to a wild side I never even knew I had.

  I said good-bye to Charlotte and headed down the hall to knock on Brooklyn’s door. She is a sixteen-year-old with a troubled past who I was certain I’d never be able to handle, but as it turns out, she is an agreeable girl with a willingness to take on the role of big sister to the others. We haven’t discussed her need for the birth control pills she mentioned on her first day with me, but I do know she has been to the doctor in spite of the fact that she doesn’t appear to have a steady boyfriend.

  “Come in,” Brooklyn called.

  I opened the door halfway. “I just wanted to let you know we will be heading into town in a few minutes.”

  “Does this top make me look fat?”

  “Fat?” I asked. Brooklyn watches her weight more religiously than anyone I’ve ever met. “I doubt any top could do that, but in answer to your question, the sweater is adorable and it absolutely does not make you look fat.”

  Brooklyn smiled. “Good. Pi said we might hang after the concert and I want to look my best.”

  “You look beautiful as always and I love that deep blue color on you. It accentuates your blond hair and blue eyes. You look just perfect, although you might want to grab a jacket if you plan to go out after the concert. The temperature here drops dramatically after the sun sets.”

  Brooklyn sighed as she opened her closet and looked at the options. “I need something new. Something different. Like the jacket you’re wearing. It’s the bomb, by the way.”

  Brooklyn was a diva who usually thinks my clothes need updating, so it tickled me to death that she actually wanted a jacket like mine.

  “You can borrow it if you’d like,” I offered.

  Brooklyn grinned. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” Secretly, I was thrilled that young, sophisticated Brooklyn would want to borrow anything of mine.

  “That would be awesome. I’ll take really good care of it. I promise.”

  I handed the garment to the teenager. “I know you will. We leave in f
ifteen minutes. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  After I checked in on Pepper and Morgan, I headed out to the garage to warm up the car. Today we would take the Volvo because we have Morgan with us, but on most weekends I prefer the Caddy convertible my daddy left to me. There is something about cruising along the highway with the radio blaring and the wind in your hair that frees up your inhibitions.

  I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the costume I will look for. On one hand, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anything too extravagant or revealing. Brooklyn mentioned her intention to dress as Cleopatra, which I’m most certain she can pull off in spite of her blond hair, but I think a sixty-two-year-old virgin should dress a bit more conservatively despite the fact that I’ve watched my diet and still wear the same size I wore in high school.

  On the other hand, I don’t want to go as anything too stodgy and conservative. Will Danner will be attending the party and I want to make an impression. The right impression. Pepper isn’t sure what she wants to be and Eve plans to attend as Eliza Doolittle, the character from My Fair Lady and not the singer the girls like to listen to. I’ve been toying with a character from fiction myself. Finding just the right persona to adequately convey the image I’d like for Will to see has been more vexing than I imagined it would be.

  I realize Mr. Danner will most certainly never look at me in quite the same way I look at him, but in spite of what Charlotte thinks, I feel there is no harm in giving my imagination just a bit of free rein. I’ve never met anyone quite like him. His personality is the perfect blend of archetypes melding the hero, the rebel, and the caregiver. Will is a caring man, a talented teacher, and a lively friend. His real gift, however, seems to be that of a magician because he is more than adept at making an old woman like me feel young again.

  Pepper walked up behind me with Morgan in her arms. “Do you need help with Morgan’s car seat?”

  “It’s in the trunk from the last time. I just need to strap it in.”