A Vase of Lilies

Here I am, standing in front of the most horrific apartment building I have seen with my own eyes. Fiona definitely didn’t put any kind of effort into this apartment search and suddenly I completely regret giving her this task. “I thought you said you did some research on this neighbourhood?” I scold. This is a drastic change from our gated community homes back in Palmdale. “I did! Don’t you love it? It’s perfect for an adventure apartment, Vero! Sure, it’s a little rough around the edges, but we could put some warmth in here and soon we’ll be calling it our humble home!” she suggests as we make our way up the stairs and into the apartment. Keeping in mind our budget, I guess this will be it for now. I begin to burn with regret in the lowest part of my gut. Have I just made a huge mistake? “I mean… You can have whichever room you want! I know it’s not perfect, but we will make this work, V!” Fiona defends. “Yeah… I understand…” I frown. I take a peek around. It’s not big, definitely will be cramped especially because Fiona is not the tidiest person in the world. The fridge needs a good scrub; actually, this entire apartment needs a major over-haul. “I guess I’ll take the room on the right, it’ll give me good morning sun which helps me drag my ass out of bed,” I say with an optimistic approach. “Perfect! I’ll take the one on the left! The bathroom is right in the middle so that suits us both!” Fiona smiles. I cringe at the fact that I need to peer my head into the bathroom because I already know in advance what I’m in for. “Why don’t we get our stuff, find the proper place to park your car, and take a walk around the neighbourhood? Maybe we will be able to find out where we can get some groceries and cleaning supplies close by,” I suggest. “There is no way we are diving into household chores today, Vero! We have the beach at our fingertips, the wind in our hair, and the sand at our feet! Live a little!” Fiona sequels. This lifestyle change is about embracing the act of letting things go, living in the moment, and trying to put away the controlling side of me which always ends up taking over. So, I agree to throw everything down, grab my bikini and flip-flops, throw on my Ray Bans, and head for the beach. I don’t know if people can change, but I’m willing to give this my best shot. “Isn’t this beautiful, Vero? Can you believe how close this is to home! I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this!” Fiona says as she throws her hands in the air and runs towards the Pacific Ocean. The view is actually quite amazing. A beautiful sunny day and not a single cloud in the sky, the perfect welcoming to the new life we are now devoted to. Despite the stick-of-dynamite apartment, and questionable neighbourhood, my regrets are beginning to fade as I lay my towel down on the sand and take a seat. “I wonder how long it will take us to establish ourselves here. You know… friends, jobs, all that,” Fiona wonders out loud. “Yeah, well I know tomorrow I am going to start looking for a job. You know how strict my dad is… He will be completely harassing me about my every move as far as a job goes. I was thinking maybe like an authentic coffee shop or cool little surf place,” I answer. “Hmm… I’m not in such a rush to find a job. If something comes up then great, but right now I’m all about working on this Cali tan!” Fiona says as she strips down to her itty-bitty bikini and begins rubbing herself down with Banana Boat SPF 8. After a few hours of listening to the slow crashing waves, I decide it’s time for me pack my stuff and make some progress on my room. Even if Fiona doesn’t want to start the apartment organizing, there is no chance I will be able to fall asleep with that chaos. “Well beach babe, I’m off to sort out my room. As much fun as this is, I really can’t help myself. I need to do something productive,” I say apologetically to Fiona as I begin my trek through the sand. My walk back to the apartment is not very long. Along the way I see a little Mexican boy playing with his tricycle on the street, and his mother watching over him while watering her garden, which actually looked a little more like a mini desert. I give her a small, sweet smile and put my head down as I continue on. I unload my two suitcases; I didn’t bring much with me, just my favourite things. We traveled from Palmdale where we grew up, about two hours from Huntington Beach where we have decided to now call home. As I sit on my “new” single bed, it makes an awful creaking sound and I roll my eyes. That is going to be fixed. I grab my cellphone and dial my mom. “Hi, sweetie! I have been waiting all day for this! Do you know how hard it has been to resist calling you?” “I can easily imagine, Mom.” “What’s wrong? You sound off. I was expecting you to be so excited! Are you okay? Is everything okay?” “Everything is fine. I just feel disappointed. I was so excited to get out on my own and start a new life for myself. I don’t think I honestly realized the amount of responsibility I am going to face. You know how much I love Fio, but I am getting the sense that we are on different pages…”