I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Ten

'Something wrong?'

'Um, no. I've never seen...' Words failed me.

She chuckled, 'I know, it's horrible, but I can never seem to get around to organising this room. Or any other room, for that matter.'

I moved the smallest stack, 'I guess...I just...How do you find anything?' I scooped up a pile of loose papers, shuffled them together and placed them on the stack of books.

'Some things I can find what I'm looking for because I remember where I last set it down, sometimes it requires a search. Sometimes I never find what I want, but find all sorts of interesting things I wasn't searching out.' She moved the last of the papers and wiped her hand over the top of the desk, smiling she said, 'I bet you can find anything you're looking for, the second you need it.'

'Well, yeah, but I live in one room.' I moved the final stack of books, 'Sometimes I lose my glasses. I'm very nearsighted and can't always see where I've put them.' The table appeared much larger sans debris. 'Now what?'

'It should fit over in the corner, facing the door.' We each took an end and pushed it up against the case on the right side wall—there was just enough room on the other side to get behind it. She dusted off her hands, 'There, perfect, we'll clean up this desk and get you a chair and you'll have your own little area to write the next great short story collection. The cleaning things are in the pantry, if you want to get those, I'll search out a chair for you.'

I went downstairs and saw Clem at the patio door, peering in. When she saw me she stood up, her little tail waggled as I let her in, 'Hey, you.' She followed as I located the wood polish and a soft cloth and returned upstairs to find Alex trying to figure out how to get a chair on rollers behind the desk. 'Hey, look who found me.' I looked at my feet, but she hadn't quite caught me up. Clem waddled in, grinning.

Alex addressed her, 'Well, hello.' To me she said, 'We should have put the chair in the corner first, I'm afraid. It won't fit through the space there.'

'We can lift it over.' I lifted one side, and she took the other, once we had it raised high enough we scooted around the end of the desk and placed it on the floor. It was one of those rolling, rocking, dark green leather office chairs. 'It's great. Where was it?'

'In the storage/guest room. There are all sorts of things in there. Clothes, lamps, books.' I rocked back and forth happily and she said, 'I'll leave you to your cleaning.' She turned back to me once she was at the door, 'Are sandwiches all right for lunch?'

'Sandwiches are great.' I set to work polishing. The drawers were (unsurprisingly) packed, and I put their contents in neat stacks in the vacant space where the desk had been. Once the wood was gleaming, I retrieved my typewriter from Alex's desk and set it on my desk. Then I made a note of everything I'd need to kit out my desk. I could hardly wait to go shopping.

Alex appeared in the doorway, 'Wow. Shiny. Lunch is ready when you are.'

After lunch Alex rang Anthony to inform him of the outcome of the auction and I settled in the study and typed up the poem I'd written the last time I was at her house. Then I typed up the lists for a) accoutrement for the desk, and b) what I would need to pack in preparation to stay for the next break, which was in a month. The latter included everything I'd brought to the country with me, as the student handbook instructed students to leave their rooms in their original condition when vacating the premises for the break. The sun was getting low when Alex appeared again, 'It's about time to get you back, I think. Would you like tea first?'

'Okey dokey.' I straightened my papers and followed her downstairs where two cups were already waiting for us. I laughed, 'You had it already fixed?'

'I knew you'd say yes.'