--The first days in RhyDin--
The room set aside for her was a single, one of the few the co-op had, and it was very small. There was a dingy little closet that could hardly hold a tenth of her clothing, a set of cabinets that she figured she would immediately jam full, a squat dresser with a wobbly mirror, and a singular light overhead. The old, plastic-y mattress on the floor didn?t give her a lot of space, either, making the room seem even more cramped. It was not like any place she?d ever had to stay, before, and honestly, she couldn?t say she minded that.
Thinking her mother had made a terrible mistake, Dulcie dropped her things to the ground and shook her head. The sigh came next as she stared into the haze on the opposite side of her lone window.
?You?re here!? came a loud voice that momentarily startled her out of her skin.
?Um?yeah?? Dulcie turned in time to catch the whirlwind of a woman jangling down the hallway towards her. Her linen skirt, all sage green and brown, swished and swirled around her legs as she moved. The off-white tank made her lack of a bra a little apparent and the woman?s cropped, black hair did nothing to hide it any further. Before Dulcie could determine how much space was left between them, the woman?s long, tan arms were outstretched towards her, and her hands were curled around Dulcinea?s biceps. Her many colorful, metal bracelets felt cold against Dulcie?s flesh.
?Welcome to your new home!?
***
Magnolia ran the building, as a sort of director, though she was quick to wave off the title.
?I?m not here to oversee you. I?m just here to help you adapt to our community. There?s very little direction needed.?
Dulcinea nodded with a smile, following a few paces behind Magnolia as she led an informal tour of the five-story building. Five stories, plus the basement. Magnolia kept trying to slow down, in order to let Dulcie catch up, but the younger woman made a point to straggle behind.
?We?ll go up, first. I want you to meet your neighbors.? She stopped and turned around to face Dulcinea. ?It?s the people that matter the most here, you know? I get that we don?t have the anything five star, but we have heart. You show me that in some ritzy apartment complex!? Magnolia stuck a finger straight into the air and twirled back around with a triumphant hoist of her head. It made Dulcie grin. If nothing else, Magnolia believed in her place, and maybe her passion really was enough.
They walked back down the hallway, towards the stairwell. Dulcie?s room had been almost at the exact opposite end of the hall.
?These few rooms are empty.? Magnolia pointed out three of the doors surrounding Dulcie?s. ?They?re all singles, too. So are those two.? She pointed ahead of them, towards the doors at the far end. ?Those ones are full, though.?
In the center of the hallway, on the left side, was an expanse of wall with only one door set in it. The right wall had five doors. The left only had four. Magnolia pointed at it, as if reading Dulcie?s mind. ?That,? she turned to look at the younger girl. ?Is the bathroom. It has a full bath, a toilet, sink, and mirror. You?ll be sharing that.? She seemed to be waiting for a certain reaction. She almost got it, too. Dulcie?s eyes widened at the discovery, but she didn?t let her mouth go slack. ?Don?t worry, though! The residents are really good at keeping it clean. You?ll learn.? That time, Dulcie?s mouth twitched. It wasn?t as if she?d never had to clean, before. Even with her parent?s money, her mother had always insisted she learn to do some things for herself. It was more the thought of scrubbing where strangers had just, you know, done their business. Magnolia laughed. ?You?re only sharing it with four other people. Well, three and a half, really. It won?t be too bad. Plus, you?re on the first residential floor?there?s another bathroom just down the stairs, but it?s only the toilet and sink kind. I?ll show it to you, later.?
?Roy! Get out here!? Magnolia called as they neared the end of the hallway. To Dulcie?s side, a door creaked open. Magnolia stopped abruptly and turned. ?So you are home! Lea, could you get your mommy??
Dulcie hadn?t seen the little figure, at first, but now the ?three and half? comment made a bit more sense. In the doorway was a round face peeking through the crack, belonging to a girl who couldn?t be any older than six. She was stunning; Lea had a heap of freckles, a little button of a nose, cheeks with the baby chub still attached, and big, coppery ringlets framing her face. Dulcinea was charmed, immediately. At Magnolia?s request, Lea glanced between them and nodded, before vanishing. In her place, Dulcie could now view the pastel walls of the inner room. The whole building was painted in ?happy colors??nothing too bright and garish, but definitely a change from the dark hallways she?d seen in other buildings. She smiled at some of the artwork on the walls. Was that a mural?
?Magnolia! H?who are you? I?m sorry, that?s rude!? There was suddenly a hand in her face. Upon closer inspection, she found it was attached to a new female. Lea?s mother, obviously, by the appearance of the larger, kinkier curls, only a shade darker than the child?s. Her face was longer, though, with a sharper nose and darker eyes. The only speckles she had were dried paint on her skin. ?New resident, huh? I?m Ariel, and this is Lea.? Her smile reminded Dulcinea of her own mother. She took the hand offered and gave it a good shake, already beginning to feel her mom?s ?I told you you?d like it? setting in. Not that she?d ever admit it. At the introduction, Lea peered up and around at Dulcie. The look of curiosity and awe made the Bohannon girl crack a grin. Poor thing. Magnolia and her mother were already much taller than she was, and here Dulcie stood, at least two inches taller than the pair of them. She tried to remember what it felt like to be that small.
?It?s good to meet you. I?m Dulcinea, but I like Dulcie, too. She?s beautiful.? She added the last in a light aside to Ariel, using her chin to nod at Lea. ?And so is that.? She indicated the painting on the inside wall of their apartment, now able to see the rolling meadow fields.
Ariel smiled wider at the compliment, setting a hand on Lea?s head. She craned her neck to eye whatever had captured Dulcinea?s attention. ?You like that? Thank you! That?s one of my favorites, too. Do you paint??
Dulcie shook her head with a laugh. ?I can barely even draw.?
?Maybe we can work on brightening up your room, together. The ones down there are so cold.? Ariel made a face as she glanced down the hall.
?I try, you know! I figure I?d let the new people pick the walls they want.? Magnolia chimed in.
Dulcinea nodded at the idea, warming up at the kindness already shown to her. She could tell it was deeper than lip service. The two women continued to chat, fielding questions her way every so often. Dulcie focused on trying to get Lea to wave to her. She succeeded just as Magnolia insisted Dulcie finish her tour.
?Gorgeous, aren?t they? We?re still waiting to hear the voice on the little one, though.?
?What do you mean?? Dulcie asked as they walked down to the next door.
?Oh, Lea doesn?t speak. We?re not sure why. The doctor says her mouth is fine, and she?s bright. She just isn?t ready, yet. We have to give her the time.? At the parenting talk she felt like rolling her eyes, but the use of the word ?we? had her chest swelling.
***
After another two hours, she?d met almost all the other residents. There was Roy, (who lived on her floor), a lanky man who apparently baked the most delicious breads, cakes, and so on. Across from him was Dylan--entering into his late twenties and soft-spoken. That was all she got right off the bat. On the floor above, there were larger apartments. One of the triples housed Nico, Marc, and their son, Ty. They were a sweet little family. Nico was almost as tall and lean as Dulcie, and just settling into the motherhood thing. The full-sleeve tattoos looked adorable curled around her drooling toddler. Marc was on the shorter side, sporting impressive side burns and a laid-back smile. The first double across from them belonged to Renee and Shelby, a pleasant and petite couple of middle-aged lesbians. Shelby was quick to pinch Dulcie?s side?she said she?d be prettier if she had more meat on her. What else could Dulcie do but laugh at that? The last double on the floor was empty, for the time being.
The fifth floor was home to Magnolia?s double, which she shared with her husband, Jonas. Their son, Ezra, was in the single next door. At sixteen, they decided he needed his own space. The owners of the double next to them were a geriatric couple, who were currently off visiting their family. Magnolia said they were in excellent shape, and that they might even outlive her. The final apartment, the second triple of the building, belonged to Marc?s pregnant sister, April, her boyfriend, Manny. They had caught them on the way out.
The rest of the tour was pretty straightforward. The second floor was the lounge area. It was open wide, with only the stairwell and bathroom closed off. Couches, pillows, chairs and the like were scattered around; children?s toys littered one corner, near a small TV that had rows of board games and video tapes on the shelves surrounding. Art supplies were in another section, for all to enjoy, along with a larger TV for adult viewing pleasure. Instruments had been left out in perfect trust. Another quiet corner housed the building?s library.
The first floor was split into three big rooms, with a hallway connecting them to the front door and the stairwell. One was a huge dining room, with a large, circular table for easy conversation and joint dinners. Another was the shared kitchen, which Magnolia explained was stocked full. They all shared grocery responsibilities, with everyone chipping in money for joint items. A legal pad was set on the side of the fridge, to write down special requests. There was a little area for quick, solo meals to one side, and cabinets and cupboards stuffed full on the other. The last room on the floor (besides the small bathroom), was a room strictly for yoga, meditation, and other quiet activities that the residents didn?t otherwise have space for.
?All laundry and excess storage goes to the basement. We share laundry duties, too. Did you want to go have a look?? Magnolia asked, turning to smile at the Bohannon girl.
?No, thanks. I think I?m just going to doze.? Dulcie smiled, fiddling with her key.
?What do you think of our place, Dulcinea??
She looked up at the question, not even hesitating. There wasn?t a need for a white lie. ?It?s growing on me.?
