04

They drove for about ten jostling minutes until finally pulling to a stop before the most beautiful Victorian house Kate had ever set eyes on.

Propped on a hill, cast in beams of evening sunlight streaming through tangled limbs, it was a picturesque sight.

The lovely circa, Victorian home was breathtaking and having little inhabitance but one Mae Adele Channing. Built in 1840 with a sugar pine door consisting of beveled glass and white bow windows that occupied its forefront and an arched roof, it was indeed worthy of awe.

Kate admired the wrap-around porch dotted with various plants that had withered some time in the winter. It was a welcoming sight, offering tranquility and warmth that tugged at her battered soul.

“You’re very fortunate.” Julie chimed admirably, “It’s a beautiful house.”

Kate nodded and regretted in that moment not having spent much time with her great aunt and seemingly, momentarily stunned that this incredible structure of loveliness now belonged to her.

She couldn’t have been more grateful to her late Aunt.

Turning to Julie she offered a smile, “I appreciate the ride.” And unraveled herself from the jeep.

“Hey, wait!” Julie called as she too followed in pursuit, “Listen, I know we’re strangers and all, but considering it’s a new town and what not, would you like to hang out tomorrow? I know the perfect place to unwind.”

Instinctively, every nerve-ending of her body objected at the idea with a slight rising fear. It wasn’t a very good idea, especially for one escaping the wrath of one menacing, violent boyfriend. But the more she weighed the notion, the more it appealed to her daring inner self. She recalled in that moment just how lonely and sheltered she had been. Danny had kept her from her friends, proclaiming them ‘bad influences on her character’, and a small part of her ached to be daring, to be bold and rebel against all he disputed.

She would later regret her decision but in that moment she didn’t care, “Yes, I would.” She said with an eagerness that surprised her.

“Ah!” Julie clasped her hands and bounced on her shins like a giddy teeny-bobber just asked to Homecoming, “Splendid!” she reached out and took hold of Kate’s hands as if they’d been friends for numerous of years verse an hour or two.

“Wear something flirty and I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock!”

Kate was left standing regrettably speechless as Julie sauntered to her jeep with a slight skip in her step. It wasn’t until her newfound friend had vanished that Kate realized horribly her mistake.

What had she done?

The last thing she should be doing is gallivanting a small-town with a lively waitress, whom of which she knew nothing about.

Wear something flirty.

Julie’s command of dress resounded like a warning bell in her head.

Something flirty?

Danny would be murderous.

She had nothing of which to unpack aside from the clothes she wore, and what a pitiful attire it was. Her jeans were slack due to the ten pounds she dropped in the hospital. Her once beautifully pearl, cashmere sweater, now wrinkled and far bigger than its normal size, swallowed her hopelessly small frame.

She cringed as she studied various spots of blood. She found her clothes pressed neatly into an air-sealed bag. Someone had washed them but there hadn’t been enough detergent to remove the evident stains of abuse.

Not wanting to travel miles in a mere hospital gown, she had little to no option but to wear them.

She discovered a mirror and scoffed at her reflection. Her heart leapt against her chest with a penetrating fear as Danny’s thunderous voice sounded audibly in her head.

You think you’re beautiful, Kate, you’re not!

She winced at the remembrance of his cruel remark, recalling how he’d slapped her repeatedly after the ridiculing.

She peered now at her somewhat recognizable self, only slimmer with sunken cheeks, darkening circles beneath haunted, green eyes rheumy with emotion.

Danny was right.

She wasn’t beautiful.

Biting back a cry she jerked away from the mirror and focused on her new home, something to distract her from the protruding thoughts that forever plagued her.

She discovered some things about her great aunt just by wondering her Victorian home. Her Aunt Mae had lived a lavished life favoring the finer things and stowing much of it to the walls and shelves that lined every room in the house. She noticed considerably her Aunt’s fascination for porcelain.

Had her Aunt Mae found happiness here?

Had she lived a peaceful life, passing merely from old age, contrary to the tragedy of her parents?

She encountered a mahogany staircase, its railing curved as it winded its way to the second floor. Double French doors led into a formal sitting room which revealed a marvelous set of bow and bay windows that bathed the dust-laden room in sunlight. Not much had been removed from the house. Beautiful furniture of a distressed white, some even of a particular floral pattern, overflowed certain areas.

A large fire place took up the center wall with a sleek, marble mantel this too topped with little porcelain figurines.

Kate smiled gently as she plucked one from its assigned spot, rubbing her thumb over its ceramic face.

She placed the figurine back onto the mantle and continued her exploration.

She noticed high ceilings with Casablanca fans, original wood windows of plated glass that gave way to a beautiful spread of blooming lilies just outside its paneling.

She stepped outside the sitting room and into the hall. Dispersed at the foot of the stairway was a beautiful area rug, stitched intricately in a decorative pattern. She made her way to the second level, taking her time admiring the paintings of renaissance faces that adorned the walls.

She found several bedrooms, most of which appeared unused due to the layers of dust that had collected within there remnants.

She trailed the hall, eventually discovering the bathroom. It was done up in a pearl white, giving an essence of purity, also complimented with vintage art. Wicker baskets lined two shelves along with fake orchids dangling from a glossy white vase. Sage rugs lined the claw-foot tub and a vanity cabinet where she imagined towels and other toiletries were kept. A large mirror resided above the sink, framed in what appeared as white oak.

In awe of the bathroom she proceeded to the next room and encountered a room larger than most and decorated in bright hues of yellow and porcelain, the walls storing scented candles a few books.

A part of her knew that the room had been her Aunt Mae’s and out of respect she stepped back and shut the door.

It was the room at the back of the house, facing the darker, shadowy side of the forest that intrigued her most. Its walls were not of any bright hue but a bluish-gray that appealed to her in a soothing way. The floors were of a polished, hardwood with but another area rug beneath a glorious, canopy bed done in a transparent overlay of silk suspended on each post. Two French doors in mirror-like comparison to those in the dining room opened to a small balcony overlooking the forest.

The house was breathtaking and all in all simply beautiful. The eloquent and tranquil rooms were undeniably dreamlike, and she realized just how lonely her great aunt had been to have put so much effort into this timeless beauty.

It was later that night as she settled into her new home and massive bed, exhausted and simply drained; she succumbed to the sobs that wracked her.

Kate awakened early the next morning, seemingly startled to have slept soundly through the night without as much as a nightmare.

Was it the beginning of a happy life?

Rising, she smiled as pools of dawning sunlight streamed her bedroom, brightening its blue tenfold.

She grimaced at the stiffness and pain that came with sleeping like a rock and stretched her arms gingerly while moving toward a wardrobe she hadn’t noticed last night. An image of moths fleeing its dusty confines as she reached to open it prompted a smile; fortunately there were none, just an array of eccentric clothing that certainly wouldn’t fit her.

Her Aunt Mae had quite an interesting taste in décor and an equally extravagant taste in clothing she mused, closing the wardrobe.

She would need all new attire and some breakfast she thought decidedly as her stomach grumbled noisily.

Making her way to the bathroom to freshen up, she realized she had no means of transportation but considering the beautiful spring day, decided walking wasn’t such a bad idea.

The little town wasn’t far and she remembered the trail, though somewhat traitorous, she would tread lightly.

After cleaning up some with what meager toiletries she’d taken from the hospital in hopes of one day reimbursing them, she made her way out of the house.

She felt incredibly disheveled and presumed her appearance would raise some speculation. She was a stranger to a small town and with small towns came constant talk. There were going to be questions she wasn’t willing to answer but needed to prepare for. She would disregard and avoid them as much as possible in hopes of living a peacefully, semi-normal, solitary life.

Julie appeared harmless and prayed she wasn’t making an error in judgment but a part of her longed for friendship, having been denied it for so long, she imagined she couldn’t resist even if she tried.

What of love, Kate? Her subconscious seemed to beseech.

She shook her head adamantly at the unwelcoming thought.

Love was certainly out of the question.

It took her about twenty minutes to get to town which she enjoyed but realized her not-quite-healed-body protested miserably in every way.

Running a hand over her ribs, she stepped into the diner intent on some breakfast, relieved to find it vacant aside from the two fedoras occupying their same seats, sipping their black coffee and gnawing on morning steaks.

They eyed her only briefly before returning to their breakfast. She liked them. They didn’t pry long.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” the man behind the counter addressed her, eyeing her a bit curiously, mostly due to her unkempt appearance.

“She’s with me, Larry.” Julie’s voice chimed from the back as she appeared suddenly, brandishing a dish of sizzling bacon and scrambled eggs.

“Hey doll.”

Kate couldn’t help but smile, “Hey.”

“I was thinking we could visit the boutique across the street. Sarah has some nice things. I’m looking for flashing and clingy. What do you think?”

Kate frowned, somewhat distracted by the delicious aroma coming from the plate suspended above her, “What?”

Julie chuckled, “After breakfast.”

They spent hours in the little boutique. Kate bought all her necessary items to restore her somewhat disorderly appearance, including some clothing to start anew and a brush that which she worked tediously through her tangled mane as Julie proceeded to shop for something ‘flashy and clingy’.

As she continued to brush her hair into some semblance of tidiness, she watched Julie scamper about the store in a skimpy pink dress that signified flirty with a pair of sky-high heels that made her legs appear far leggier.

“What do you think?” she did a little turn-about, planting her hands on her hips and casting a smirk over her shoulder.

Kate nodded, “It’s pretty.”

Julie’s shoulders sagged, “You said that about the other five dresses.”

She forced a smile, “They were all pretty and I wasn’t allow-“ she caught herself almost immediately, clamping up before spilling what almost came effortlessly.

I’m now allowed to wear dresses. She had almost disclosed.

The thought enraged her, recalling those moments of shredding and tearing of beautiful garments Danny had once bestowed her, before revealing his true nature.

Feeling Julie’s eyes upon her, she raised her chin and said determinedly, “The pink one, most definitely.”

Julie’s smile returned full circle, “So, you’re getting the red one, right?”

She groaned inwardly.

The little red dress that clung horribly to an undesirably, hopeless body?

Isn’t that what you want, Kate?

“Yes.” She replied somewhat comforted at the thought that it wasn’t as risqué as Julie’s.

Julie chuckled, the sound endearing, “Oh Kate, we’ll get you out of your shell yet.”

They paid for their merchandise and a giddy Sarah, seemingly pleased for Kate’s generous sale, bid them a good afternoon.

Kate was exceedingly grateful for the new clothes and immediately discarded the old ones.

Out with the old, in with the new.

She was beginning to feel alive and more Kate Channing and not just Danny’s Kate.

**********