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“He’s still with that fancy hotel chain?”
Julie nodded. “Yup. He’s the regional vice president for the West Coast. And he’s taking me to California over winter break this year. My first Christmas without snow.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Erin said. “I’m glad you’ll have some time with him.”
“Yeah. I’m sure it will be great,” Julie said. She turned off the water. “I’m glad my mom called you.”
“I’m glad Kate called me, too.”
“I hope you know that I’ve been doing everything I can to find an apartment. I don’t want you to think you’ll have to put me up permanently.”
“Well, why not?”
“What do you mean?”
Erin shrugged and refilled her wine glass. “Why don’t you stay? Free room and board. That’s a pretty good deal, don’t you think? You shouldn’t have to worry about rent and bills, and all that nonsense when you should be focusing on school.”
“I couldn’t let you put me up all year. That doesn’t seem right.”
“If you have morning classes, then you could take care of Celeste in the afternoons. How about that? She enjoys you. I noticed her hair looked different tonight. Did you do something to it?”
“Oh, yeah,” Julie said distractedly. “I did a quick French braid for her. She seemed to like it. So, seriously? You would really be OK with me staying here?”
“Absolutely. What’s the big deal? Although I understand that you might prefer to live with friends and experience a more traditional undergraduate social life. You’re an adult now, so you should certainly set your own schedule here. I have no interest in monitoring your every move. You’re obviously smart and responsible.”
Julie thought for a quick moment. Why not? She’d save her mom a ton of money, and if she found a good deal on an apartment in a few months, she could always move out then. “I’d love to stay, Erin. Really. That’s incredibly generous of you. I assume you need to talk to Roger about this, though, and I understand if he doesn’t want an unexpected boarder.”
Erin waved her hand dismissively. “He won’t mind in the least. Besides, he’s going off on his trip soon, and we could use an extra hand. And this way Matthew can really apply himself to his studies.”
Julie smiled. “OK, then. This sounds great. I like Celeste. A lot.”
“Good. Not everyone is respectful of her choices,” Erin said pointedly. “You are. Then it’s settled.” She raised her glass in a toast. “Welcome home.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much,” Julie said happily. “I’ll go grab the rest of the things from the di
She started collecting the salt and pepper shakers and the placemats. God, what a relief! This was actually much better than being in a cramped apartment with a bunch of other girls. She’d still be on campus enough to make friends, and now she didn’t have to stress out over money or even contemplate going to her father for help. Not that he’d offered, but she knew he would come through if she asked. Of course he would.
Even with four people in the Watkins’ house, it seemed like a wonderfully quiet place to get work done, so she wouldn’t have to yell at roommates to turn down music at three in the morning or put a pillow over her head to block out the all-night rager in the building next door. It’s not what every eighteen-year-old would want, but it’s what Julie wanted.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Julie set the placemats and plates on the counter. “I hope Fi
“You’ve been in touch with Fi
“Yeah. Just a quick message to introduce myself. I guess I felt strange about staying in his room without his knowing.”
“The room is all yours.” Erin smiled. “Now go run upstairs and unpack. We can’t have you living out of suitcases, can we?”
“OK. Thank you so much for letting me stay.” Julie headed up the stairs to settle in. No more worrying, no more looking at cockroach-infested slum apartments!
Tonight, Flat Fi
Julie went in to what was now her room and looked around. She could happily stay here. A large shelf that held travel guides, photo albums, a series of thick books on rocks and minerals, and a stack of old Time and Newsweek magazines still left plenty of room for her things. As a whole, the room was a little sparse in some places, which was good because she could easily fill up the empty space.
She unzipped her suitcase and began putting away her now very wrinkled clothes and the few pairs of shoes she’d crammed into the bags. The dresser was empty except for two things: a frayed, navy blue T-shirt with the outline of a skydiver that read, Don’t forget to pull, and an old sweatshirt that read, Skydivers like to do it in groups. Clearly Julie had moved into the witty–shirt-family’s house.
She pulled her laptop onto the bed and messaged Fi
Dear Fi
Hope you don’t mind if I hang in your room for a little longer. Your mom suggested I ditch the impossible idea of trying to find a Boston apt. and stay here. Mornings at college, afternoons with Celeste, and evenings defending your room against monsters.
Being a girl and all, I’m resisting the urge to immediately paint your bedroom pink and plaster the wall with pictures of unicorns and rainbows. No promises on how long I can hold out.
How is South Africa? Celeste is waiting for pictures… Hint, hint.
-Julie
She put on her robe, gathered what she needed to take into the shower, and went into the hall. As she passed Matthew’s room, she could hear soft conversation behind his closed door. He and Erin were talking, and even without being able about to make out any words, Julie could tell that the tone of their talk was less than jovial. In fact, they were having a muffled argument. She kept walking and shut the bathroom door.
The hot shower felt wonderful, and she let the water steam up the room while she decompressed. It was a relief to be done worrying about unpleasant logistical issues. Hanging out with Celeste would be cool. OK, maybe cool wasn’t the right word. Unique, unusual, interesting, and challenging. All of Julie’s favorites. Plus, it was impossible not to wonder what Flat Fi
When she got back to her bedroom, she threw on her usual bedtime outfit, a pair of lightweight pajama bottoms and a tank, and turned on the television. She found a good celebrity gossip show and left it on in the background while she sat in bed with her computer. A number of her friends had emailed her with stories about their first days at college, rumors about her ex-boyfriend, and early complaints about the miseries of campus dining. She wrote her friends back and then read a message from Fi
Julie-
OMG, I love pink! And unicorns! And rainbows! Really. So awesome! I’ve always wanted one of those super cute posters of a kitten dangling from a tree limb that says “Hang in there!” Maybe you can find one? My room is go
South Africa is definitely fantastic. Rehabilitating elephants this week. Did you know elephant rehab is very similar to human rehab? Well, it is. Except that we don’t have hideous artwork hanging on the walls. But we do allow cell phones. Elephants get wicked pissed when they can’t call their loved ones or order out for pizza. Canoeing tomorrow and then sleeping in the bush under the stars.