“I sure haven’t found any,” laughed Hannah.
“When have you found time to even date?” chipped in Gus
“Dad, I date, but I just don’t always tell you,” Hannah patted her dad’s knee.
The news program was now showing footage of the Hemingway house and Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Duvall Street.
“Hey, Charlotte, isn’t that where you and your sister went last summer, to the Florida Keys?”
“Yes,” Charlotte answered. She quietly watched the pictures flash by the screen and thought; this reminds me of when I fell in love with Aaron. What a fabulous time we had in Florida. I can’t believe that charming town is now being destroyed. I guess kind of like my own life.
Back in Arizona, Alexis and Marcus were coming home from dinner with her dad and Judith. Alexis flopped on the sofa, she was always so tired now days. Marcus patted her stomach and smiled. Then Marcus flipped on the television and saw the Hemingway house.
“Look Alexis,” he said as he pointed to the picture. “Isn’t that the house where you worked on your book last summer?”
Alexis sat down next to her husband and watched in disbelief the warning reports of the hurricane that was quickly descending on the Keys. “It doesn’t look like the house will survive, does it? You know Hemingway’s former home has always been one of the major destinations for Key West tourists.”
“Have you heard from your friend, Pablo? Do you think he’s still there?”
“No, I got a text a couple of days ago saying that he was heading home to New York. I’m sure he’s safe and dry.”
Early Sunday morning the relentless rains began. All of the occupants in the Spanish Colonial residence were safe and dry in the basement along with most of the cats. The noise of the horrific winds, falling trees, and torrential downpours unnerved the basement dwellers, but the fortress kept everyone cool and dry. Pablo panicked as the wind hit the house and the boarded up windows. Sometimes, it sounded like the roof was being pulled off the old house. But Pablo was surprised at how comfortable and cool it was in the basement. He even drifted off to sleep in between his panic attacks. As the storm raged on, the survivors were without running water, Internet, and electricity.
Early Monday morning, the wind calmed down and the rain was soft and soothing. The worst was over and Pablo had survived. David found a landline near the ticket office to communicate with the Sheriff’s department assuring the rescue teams that the occupants in the Hemingway house were out of harm’s way. As the Irma moved up the coast, Pablo and David ventured out to check the property. There were downed trees and one huge fallen tree was blocking the entrance of the property, almost obliterating the ticket booth, but they didn’t see any major structural damage. Thankfully, they had avoided any major flooding. Pablo, David and the women moved into the museum which had air conditioning provided by a generator.
A week later, Alexis received a text from Pablo. “Alexis, I think I have a plot for your next book. I have a story to tell you that you will never believe and I will even paint the picture for the book’s cover. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
Two Months Later
Judith hosted an elegant, tasteful baby shower for Alexis on a Saturday afternoon in November. It was held at her home in the living room and spilled out to the patio under the pergola. It had been a lovely afternoon with temperatures in the low 70s. The event was handled by the best cuisine catering company in Phoenix with a chef and staff who oversaw every detail of the luncheon. White wooden tables and chairs were set up with navy tablecloths. In the middle of each table was a crystal vase filled with red gerberas, white mums, and burgundy carnations that captured the feeling of fall. The spectacular lunch was served on delicate china, and crystal glasses. Even Charlotte flew out from New York to attend. Of course, Julie and Cathy attended along with most of Alexis’s friends including Christopher’s new bride, Darcy who brought Ashley. Kyle’s fiancée, Mercedes walked in carrying a huge gift wrapped in blue. A table in the living room was filled with gifts for the new mother-to-be and baby.
Alexis was a little concerned about Charlotte meeting Darcy and seeing her daughter’s devotion to her new stepmother, but she needn’t worry. Ashley was thrilled to see her mother, curled up on her lap, telling her all about her school and her second grade teacher, funny details about her new best friend, Vivian, and a description about her new room in the big house her daddy and Darcy were buying. Ashley still called Charlotte “mommy” and called her stepmother, Darcy.
Marcus, Christopher, and Kyle were all in attendance at the baby shower, but as soon as more women arrived, they escaped to Arthur’s den to watch a football game. Before Marcus joined the other men, he made sure his beautiful, very pregnant wife was comfortable and had something nonalcoholic to drink. Alexis smiled as she watched Marcus make such a fuss over her and their son. She remembered that day Dr. Melinda announced the results of her pregnancy test. She was nervous about telling Marcus. They hadn’t had the “discussion” on whether they were going to become parents or remain childless. Now it was too late. Marcus had been so upset about the investor’s decision not to go forward with his Uncle Fred’s mine, but he was slowly working through the fact that the dream of being very wealthy was probably dead. He was stunned when Alexis told him her news, but soon his confused look turned to a smile and his response surprised his wife.
“Maybe this is the best way. If we had to decide, we might have made the wrong choice. Now we don’t have to worry, the decision has been made. I don’t like children, but some reason knowing this is our baby feels different. This will be the only one, right?”
Alexis smiled, “That subject will be discussed at a different time.”
Charlotte had arrived back in Phoenix on the Friday night before Alexis’s baby shower. She was exhausted from the long flight. This would probably be the last time she would have Alexis and Marcus’s guest room to herself, as it was quickly being converted into a nursery. Charlotte decided she would tell her father and sister the truth about the changes she had made in her life.
On the Sunday after the baby shower, Judith and Arthur took Marcus, Alexis, Charlotte, and Ashley to The House of Tricks for dinner. Arthur was beside himself in anticipation of a new grandchild, a grandson. The baby was due in early January. He asked Alexis about her teaching schedule.
“Actually, it’s going to work out perfectly. The fall semester will be over in December and I will take my maternity leave during the spring semester. I will have eight months to spend with our baby and, hopefully, have time to meet with my editor in New York to discuss my book.”
Marcus chipped in, “Speaking as an accountant, even though the baby isn’t due until early January, having a baby the last week of December would be a great tax break.”
Arthur smiled. He was so proud of his youngest daughter. Her book had been published and was selling well for an unknown author. The Arizona Republic had named Alexis 2017’s best new Arizona author and Changing Hands, a bookstore in Tempe, was holding a reading and book-signing event for Alexis in February. This particular bookstore took pride in helping launch the careers of several local authors. They did a marvelous job of introducing, Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight vampire series to the world. Alexis was happy she had already made her publishing company more money than the small advance they had given her. The monthly royalty checks were now being used as extra payments to repay the loan on Marcus’s mother’s house.
As they were finishing dinner, an older, but elegant-looking couple stopped by their table.
“I thought that was you, Judith,” said the woman. “I’d like to introduce you to my husband, Judith Edman this is Charlie Saunders.”
“Strong,” corrected Judith. “I’m now Judith Strong. I’d like to introduce both of you to my wonderful husband, Arthur Strong, and our family.”
Arthur put a protective arm around his wife and grinned. Introductions were made and after a few moments of chitchat, the coupl
e left.
Alexis turned to her stepmother, “Judith, when did you change your name?”
Judith looked at her husband, “I did it last month in honor of our twelfth anniversary. Legally, it is Judith Edman Strong, but socially, it’s just Judith Strong.”
Alexis hugged her, “You certainly have the characteristics to earn the name ‘Strong.’”
Marcus held up his glass of wine and toasted Judith, “Amen to that.”
Judith smiled and when she turned to look at her husband, she saw that look—that special look of love and admiration she had coveted.
Arthur stopped at Christopher and Darcy’s house so that Charlotte could walk Ashley in and say good-bye. Charlotte was catching an early plane back to New York in the morning. Arthur turned off the engine as Charlotte and Ashley got out of the car.
Turning around to address Marcus in the backseat, Arthur asked, “Marcus, have you heard anymore from your investors?”
Marcus groaned, “They called twice after that horrible meeting. Once to tell me they were still interested in exploring our mine, but no timeline. The second call was from the CPA who wanted our addresses to send us the tax forms, like we make enough money to take advantage of that kind of tax loss.”
“Marcus, you usually do your own taxes don’t you?”
“Of course,” Marcus smiled. “I’m an accountant.”
“But, not a tax accountant,” persisted Arthur. “Just a suggestion, but with the loss of money from the mine and the royalties from Alexis book, maybe this is a good year to go to a professional tax accountant. Judith has a great guy.”
“I do,” responded Judith. “And I’m sure I could twist his arm to do your taxes very reasonably.”
Uncharacteristic of Marcus’s personality, he choked up. “Judith, how can you even think of doing any more for us? What you did to get that loan shark out of our lives was enormous. Alexis and I can never thank you enough for that kindness.”
“Marcus,” replied Judith. “I’m not offering to pay to have your taxes done, I’m just giving you a recommendation. You know we are family?” She reached over and patted Marcus’s hand.
As Charlotte and Ashley walked up to the apartment, she told her daughter of her plans to leave. Knocking on the door, Darcy opened the door and invited them in.
Ashley ran into the living room to greet her dad and Darcy asked Charlotte to step into the kitchen.
“Charlotte, I know when you visit Ashley, you always stay with your sister, but soon their guest room will be a nursery. Christopher and I close escrow next month on our new house and we will have a guest room. I’d like to invite you to stay with us when you visit your daughter. That would give you extra precious time to spend with her.”
Charlotte was touched, “Darcy, are you sure? Did you discuss this with Christopher? I can’t imagine he would want to see that much of me.”
“Yes, it’s fine. It would be good for Ashley and she is the most important person to the three of us.”
Charlotte was still misty-eyed when she walked back to her dad’s car. After she told everyone about the generous offer that Darcy had made she added, “Dad, if everyone has a few minutes, I’d like to talk to all of you.”
“Sure, sweetheart. Everyone up for a nightcap?”
In May, Charlotte had told her family that she and Aaron had broken up and she was living with a friend. Now, sitting in her father and Judith’s living room, she wanted to tell them what really happened between her and Aaron. She told them about the violence and how Hannah and her father had given her a safe place to live. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to afford to live in New York City, and she knew that Hannah and her father didn’t mean for this arrangement to be a permanent thing.
Arthur walked over to his daughter and put his arms around her, “Charlotte, whatever you decide, we will help you. If you want to come back to Phoenix, we can make that happen too.”
“Charlotte,” asked Alexis, “What happened when Aaron got back from California and discovered you were gone?”
“That was what I was terrified of finding out. I knew he wouldn’t find me in Brooklyn, but he knows where I work and everyone at the magazine knows and respects him. I left a long detailed letter on his pillow explaining everything and why I felt I had to move. A few days after he returned from his California assignment, he walked into my office building. He asked if I could take a break and have coffee with him in a shop across the street. I was very nervous, but I went with him. He cried and wanted me back. He said he was going back to meeting with his therapist twice a week. He said he loved and missed me. I didn’t encourage him or discourage him. We hugged and I went back to work. He sends me flowers and notes at work from time to time, but I don’t acknowledge them. I loved that exciting life with Aaron, but I love the freedom from the fear of being physically hurt even more.”
Charlotte didn’t tell them about the shabby condition of the apartment where she lived, or how unhappy she had become with her life. She knew her father and sister would insist she move back to Arizona. She wanted to wait a little while longer, she had a feeling that there was a solution in New York that would make her life better.
January 7, 2018
It was the beginning of a new year, and Charlotte had an exciting prospect. She may have found the perfect solution to her housing problem. She had just returned to New York City after spending the Christmas holidays with Ashley, her dad, Judith, Alexis, and Marcus. Her father had sent her an early Christmas present—a round trip ticket (in coach) to spend the holidays with her family. Along with a note from Judith inviting her to stay in one of their empty guest rooms. That made it easier to decline Darcy’s generous invitation to stay with her daughter in her ex-husband’s new house. That would have made Charlotte very uncomfortable and she was sure it would have been awkward for Christopher.
While in Arizona, Agnes O’Hara, a managing editor from the magazine, had called Charlotte with exciting news. Margo, a woman from the office, had accepted her offer to rent a bedroom in her loft in SoHo and Agnes wanted Charlotte to join them. Agnes had recently separated from her wealthy husband and received the beautiful four-bedroom loft as part of the divorce settlement. Charlotte had taken the G train and a bus to get to SoHo and was now walking through the historic neighborhood’s charming cobblestone sidewalks toward Agnes’s home. The quirky cast-iron buildings that had been saved from demolition in the 1960s were now some of the most expensive homes in New York. Attractive galleries, top name shops, and trendy restaurants may soon be part of Charlotte’s life again. She was hoping this meeting with Agnes would work out and she could move out of Brooklyn and back to the city she loved.
The meeting in Agnes’s loft was organized and brief. First a tour of the loft and the features everyone would enjoy were pointed out. Each woman would have their own bedroom and private bath, Agnes retained the master bedroom, and a spare room would be used as a home office they could all share. A twenty-four-hour doorman, a state-of-the-art gym for residents, and a shared patio on the top of the building that glowed with the lights of the Big Apple were included in the rent. Sitting around Agnes’s tasteful Restoration Hardware dining room table, the two women were given several sheets of papers that gave a breakdown of the rules and regulations expected from the roommates, a list of privileges, and a detailed estimate of monthly rent from each roommate. Charlotte was thrilled about the prospect of moving until she came to actual monthly expenditures expected from her. It was more than half of her take-home pay. The rent for the apartment and the monthly child support check she sent to Christopher wouldn’t leave her enough money to buy the basics. When she told Agnes, she wouldn’t be able to take advantage of her generous offer, Agnes was surprised, “Charlotte, I know you don’t make a lot of money at the magazine, but I always thought you were independently wealthy. I just assumed you had a trust fund. Your wardrobe is the envy of all the women on our floor.”
Charlotte half smiled, “Most of my wardr
obe came from the generosity of my former boyfriend. We are no longer together. My salary is what I live on, so I’m afraid I can’t afford to stay here. This would have been the perfect place to live and I would have loved to be able to share this apartment with both of you.”
“Agnes,” Margo spoke up. “You know Tammy from accounting has been looking for a place in SoHo, and I know for a fact, she recently received a huge inheritance from her grandmother.”
Leaving that beautiful building, Charlotte was heartbroken her dreams were once again shattered. She didn’t want to go back to Brooklyn quite yet. So disappointed in the outcome of such a wonderful opportunity, she decided to just walk and think about her options.
After spending the holidays with her family, Charlotte was pretty sure she didn’t want to go back to Phoenix. Christopher and Darcy were happy together and their new home was beautiful. Ashley was such a well-adjusted little girl and Charlotte was thrilled that her daughter retained the excitement of seeing her each time she visited. Alexis and Marcus were on baby watch expecting their son to be born any day. The tension and anxiety she had noticed on her previous visits had disappeared and they both seemed thrilled at the prospect of becoming parents. Living in Brooklyn wasn’t what she wanted. She hated it. Charlotte had checked out several rentals closer to her office and was constantly disappointed. The apartments she loved were unaffordable; the ones that were within her budget were dirty, scary, and not part of her dream.
She laughed at the idea that Agnes thought she was a Trust Fund Baby. Actually the money left in her trust fund from her father’s parents wouldn’t buy her a cardboard box in the homeless section of the Bowery. Waiting for a bus, she thought, Aaron, you could have been the one. Our life together was perfect except for the beatings. If you didn’t have that one flaw, I would still be living in that impeccable apartment, living my New York dream.
The Girl in Hemingway's Studio Page 29
