The young girl is at the door talking to someone so I just head straight to the kitchen and turn the kettle on, trying to find the mugs.
The kitchen is small but cute, the fridge weighed down with funny magnets and the cupboard is filled with special, fancy teas. That's right, no coffee.
Damn.
I pull out a box of Earl Grey just as the young girl comes around the corner. She's a small thing; not short at all, in fact, she looks to be about my height, an unimposing 5'6. But she's the width of a grain of rice and looks as though she could float away with a minor puff of wind.
"Carrot cake from Dianne. Your life will never be the same after trying it," she tells me, easing it down onto the bench.
"That good or that bad?" I ask, appraising the glorious looking creation.
"That good. Dianne makes the best cakes. I think she sells them down at Salamanca market. Her carrot cakes are pretty famous."
"Want a slice and a cup of tea?" I ask, getting another cup down.
"You don't have to do that."
"It's the least I can do...I'm so sorry, I completely blanked out when you told me your name..."
"Alyssa." she chirps.
"Alyssa....ever get called Ali?"
"Nope. My dad calls me Bambi, my best friend calls me 'dork' and Adriana called me Oh-uh so...call me what you like."
"Oh-uh?" I ask as I search for a knife.
"Yeah." she laughs geekily. "Me and dad moved here when I was about nine and when she asked my name I said "oh...uh, Alyssa." and she didn't let me live it down. So I became Oh-uh and dad became Grunt. He doesn't talk much so..."
"I noticed that." I chuckle and cut into the cake. "You both knew her quite well then?" I ask, sliding a large piece of insanely good-looking cake onto a plate. I haven't eaten anything since I arrived so my stomach is screaming at me.
"Yeah, well, dad generally didn't know what to say to her because she was so out there and doesn't know how to act around people like that so he mowed her lawn and helped her find Barnaby but..."
"Barnaby?....the car! That's right." I nod trying to keep up.
"Yeah. Had a name for everything."
"You knew her well then?" I ask opening the tea cupboard again, "What would you like?"
"Green and lemon thanks." she smiles, sitting herself on a stool. "Yeah, she was a good friend and had lots of faith in me. That's what I liked about her. She got me the job down at the Oxford Food Garden."
"You work there? It's on my to-do list while I'm here. I'm told to have a melting moment and to have a coffee with...Toffee? Taffy?"
"Taffy, yeah, those two became really close. She's lovely." I slide the tea towards her and she thanks me before we both delve into the cake.
"Do you know how long you're over for?" She asks as she wipes cream cheese icing off her cheek. I shake my head as I bite through the sticky, soft cake. I stop chewing ad look at the cake.
"Oh my goodness."
"I know." Alyssa nods.
"Wow..."
"I know." she nods again.
"What is in there?"
"Nobody knows. People have tried to get her recipes but failed."
"Wow, that's insane. I usually hate carrot cake."
"Yeah. Her date and ginger cake is like this too."
There's another silence as we both just salivate over the cake for a while longer, nothing but the sound of the lawnmower and me mumbling loving things to each fork full of cake can be heard.
"So, you're not sure how long your here for?" Alyssa asks again.
"No. Everything back home is upside-down so I'm just going to take my time, see how things go. Figure out what step to take next."
"Hence the therapist?"
"Yeah. Just a friend who for some reason knows what to do when I, for some reason don't." She nods at this, pushing her fork through more cake
"I have a friend like that, Lauren. She's amazing and always knows how to put things in perspective for me. She had a horse-riding accident a year or so back and ended up in a wheelchair, paralysed from the waist down but she just...she's so positive, you know? Even though everything in her life fell to pieces. She doesn't know it but she's pretty much the reason I can deal with stress. If she can deal with that, who cares what gets thrown at me, right?"
I blink a couple of times. This girl is probably half my age but twice as confident as me. Sad.
"That's a very good way of thinking. How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Wow. I wish I had that kind of self-confidence when I was your age...or any age to be honest." I add, trying to sound light-hearted. I thought becoming friends with her was meant to make me feel better about myself.
"Thank you." she smiles, "So, um, if you like and you don't have to, but would you like to come over for dinner? You don't have to stay long or talk much. I just thought it might be better than worrying about it yourself. I'm not an amazing cook but you're more than welcome."
I smile at her kindness, still feeling as though I don't really deserve it.
"Are you sure your dad won't mind?"
"No, he's very easy going. My friend Lauren is coming over for a couple of nights as well. I'd love you to meet her."
"It sounds lovely, thank you but maybe tomorrow night? I've already made plans with the duvet and blanket and would hate to go back on my word."
"No, that's fine. You must be tired."
"Mm, hey, take the good chicken cacciatore with you and I'll bring pudding." I nod, my head in the carrot cake's direction and she beams a sweet smile.
"Then dad definitely won't mind. Hardly anyone shares these cakes."
"I can see why but, please, just check with your dad about dinner will you? I really don't want to intrude."
"It'll be fine. I promise but I'll run it by him."
I raise an eyebrow and drain the last of my tea.
"Am I right in guessing that'll be done by saying 'dad, Nina's coming for tea.'?"
She grins and finishes her tea.
"He'd have me no other way."
I laugh and pick up the last bit of my cake.
"Thanks again," I mumble, stuffing it in my mouth.
***
The majority of the morning was spent looking through the rest of the house and discovering the garden. The house, as I mentioned is smaller than my apartment but still a good size. I found an entire cupboard of jackets and she had little bits of jewellery strewn throughout the house but I've left everything as is. I still don't feel like I should be going through her things, though if I'm going to sort this all out, I really have to get past that. Later, though. It's not the kind of thing I'm going to commit to the day after arriving. The outside, I feel a lot better about poking around in.
Adriana has both a backyard and a front yard. A Londoner's dream.
The front yard consists of a couple of fuzzy-leafy trees and some neat well looked after red flowery bushy things and roses. I'm English, therefore, I know a rose when I see one. This doesn't mean I know how to care for them, though.
The front will be a breeze to maintain but the back is big. Really big.
There's a garden shed on the far right and a small granny flat on the far left. I looked through the window to see a bed and a wall of boxes I'll eventually have to sort through I dared not venture in, though. I would feel as though I'm being nosey.
The garden will be the big job. It used to be nice- can tell that much. There are remains of boxed up gardens and paths and I think I even saw what could be a bird bath being strangled by a viney stringy type plant. I poked and prodded at a couple of things not sure if they were in the garden for good or evil.
I found a beetroot.
That was an exciting time for me. The fact I finally knew what something was and what it does. What you do with one beetroot, though, I don't know. Alyssa and I were going to do something with it for lunch but after boiling it for half an hour, it still wasn't cooked so we had cake instead.
I also think I've found something that could be celery...I think...man, I really need to get to know my veggies. Maybe I can do that while I'm here. Who knows? It may even become a passion. If veggies are all Tassie has to offer as a passion, though, I'm in deep trouble.
"Nina?" Alyssa calls out from the back door. "Your therapist again."
I drag my eyes away from the celery or celery impostor and look at my watch which I decided to adjust now rather than later. It's just gone five in the afternoon. It doesn't feel like five. It's still bright and airy outside as opposed to damp and dingy.
Alyssa tip-toes down the stairs towards me.
"Me and dad just have to go pick up Lauren. See you tomorrow about five thirty?"
"Sure, thanks again for helping. Is that beetroot cooked yet?"
"Yes! Finally."
"Take it with you for tea. Maybe your dad or friend will know what to do with it and does that look like celery to you?"
She leans into it, nose screwed up.
"A bit, yeah."
"Hm...well thanks again." I smile. She gives a wave and tip-toes away as I put the phone to my ear.
"Morning." I smile into it.
"Evening," he asks back in a tired tone. "You sound better."
"Mm, you don't. Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really..." I hear him yawn, "patients call me at very inconvenient times."
"Hey! You're the one who called me and wouldn't let me hang up."
"Right, so, what did you accomplish?"
"Oh! You'll be very proud. After the initial breakdown on the phone to you and you had a go at being blunt..."
"I was blunt," he says in what I think must be his defensive tone. It doesn't sound very defensive yet I decide to treat it like it was.
"Hah!" I scoff. "If you were blunt you would have told me I'm a horrible person who neglects their family and doesn't deserve any friendship from anyone. You, Miles, were about as blunt as a surgeon's knife, not that I'm complaining If you said that, I probably would have shot myself...hey, do you know if there's any weed out there that disguises itself as celery?"
"What?" comes his confused voice.
"Is there any weed that..."
"No I heard you, I'm just wondering what that has to do with your mental state."
"Nothing...a lot actually. Until I know, it will probably keep me awake all night, irritating my thoughts."
"You should call it Nina," he tells me softly. I attempt a sarcastic laugh but it ends up as a real one.
"You called me remember," I tell him, kicking a piece of rotten board with my foot.
"Okay." he says airily, "And back to your mental state."
"Oh, I did what you said. Her name is Alyssa and she's lovely. I'm going over there for dinner tomorrow night. "
"Good. Do you feel better?"
"Yes, I do. You were right, I was wrong. You can rub it in now."
"I'm not going to rub it in, .." he says with a laugh.
"Weird."
"What's weird?" he asks with a mouth full of what must be his breakfast. I keep walking slowly through the garden, taking in the late evening sun.
"Having a friend who isn't trying to suck me dry. It's all very new to me."
"Was there really no one who treated you like a friend? Not even at work?"
"Especially not at work. I mean, Tina was perhaps the only exception but you said this morning that the only reason everyone stays there is because of me. They were nice but the only time they went out of their way was when Richard was being a jerk and they needed me to be the buffer."
"Even though you're the one who makes sure they get their holiday time and break time while you get none?" He seems genuinely shocked by this. Poor, sheltered man.
"Welcome to the world of real estate," I mumble.
"Mmmm, good thing your out of it."
"Mm," I mumble, screwing up my face. There's a silence while Miles bites into his breakfast and as I kick a stone around with my toe wondering how to ask the next question. "What do I do tomorrow...do you think? You're my checklist if you haven't noticed already."
"You should probably call the lawyer..."
I throw my head back with a moan. I hate lawyers. They always seem to be the bearers of bad news and doom and gloom.
"Apart from that."
"Nina..." his mild-tempered voice sighs, "he'll know what to do and what needs to be done."
I let out another grizzle.
"I know. I know it has to be done I just..." I let out a growl, "once the lawyers in, there's no going back. Once I call him, I have to deal with everything. Papers and...stuff I feel my head will explode over."
"It'll be okay. Go for coffee afterwards to clear your mind."
"You're asking me to betray you?"
He laughs at this.
"It's for the greater good."
"Hm. You gotta work today?"
"Mhm." he finishes his mouthful. "I'll have an extra coffee on your behalf."
"That was low Miles. I didn't think you had it in you." He laughs at this but doesn't reply. "In that case, I will stay out here in the sun and then go in search for my replacement Miles. There, take that." Again he laughs and there's another silence.
"Call you tomorrow?" he asks quietly. I smile at how nervous he sounds.
"What's your number? These calls must be costing you a fortune."
"Not really. I've good rates for the area because my sister lives in New Zealand."
"Sister?...Oh yeah, you have a half sister. Right, that's okay then."
"Tomorrow then?" he asks again.
"Sure." I nod, starting picking leaves off an already suffering plant
"Don't forget the lawyer."
I lose the smile and screw the leaves up in my hand.
"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy my coffee."
"Enjoy the sun." he adds softly and with that, we both hang up.
I look around me at the sun and the flowers and I smile. It's a lawyer. No biggy. Things could be worse: I could have lost my family and job and have no reason to go back to London.
I shake my head at myself. I have friends...a friend...that's something.
Things can only get better.
What could possibly go wrong?
This is about the time a bee flies into my face making me lose my balance. I reach out to grab something but that something ends up being a very flimsy plant. I stumble back a bit, top of a plant in hand, trip over the garden edging and land hard on something fluffy.
A fluffy something that moves fast and yowls loud.
"Ow," I mumble in behalf of myself and the cat.
I get up and dust the dirt off my backside then go to pick up the phone I dropped. This is exactly when I notice something strange. I pat my backside again and groan feeling the gaping hole in my pants.
Yup, things are definitely looking up.
***