31. “Peaceful Easy Feeling”

31

"PEACEFUL EASY FEELING"

THE EAGLES

W ithin thirty minutes, we had all of the hair and most of the sand cleaned out of the foyer. Kari emptied the last dustpan into the kitchen garbage and pushed a blonde curl back into her always-messy bun. "What time should we expect Uncle Mike and Chris? Should we start cooking?"

"I told them seven. Chris is always early, and my uncle is always late, so I'd say right around seven, and both will look annoyed."

Kari laughed as she bent to dry her freshly scrubbed hands on the palm-tree-printed towel that hung from the oven handle. "Sounds a lot like us."

"I pulled the chicken out of the freezer last night and put it in the fridge, so it should be ready to marinate."

We got to work on dinner preparations, stopping periodically to check the recipe I'd hung from the fridge or throw Roxy little bits of carrot and trimmed chicken fat.

"I don't know how this dog isn't four hundred pounds. She will eat absolutely anything. I fully believe she would have eaten that seagull if she'd managed to catch it. "

"I have a feeling our lizard population has decreased dramatically since we arrived. I had to call a service to clean up after her in the backyard because I'm afraid I'll find a tiny femur sticking out of one of her landmines."

That mental image set off another round of laughter, and before we knew it, dinner was ready and Roxy was spinning in circles in the foyer. I checked the time on the microwave. "They must be here. Seven on the dot!"

Our party of two (three as far as Roxy was concerned) grew to four (five), as did the laughter that filled the entire house through dinner. Kari entertained everyone with tales from the twins' first month at school, and Roxy patrolled the floor around the dining room table, looking for any food that could have possibly escaped someone's plate.

"You've certainly had your hands full with those two," my uncle laughed, wiping his eyes after the last story. "How did they get their hands on that much plastic wrap?"

Kari sat back in her chair and folded her paper napkin, setting it on her empty plate. "I foolishly added them to our Costco account and they used their card to buy two giant rolls of cellophane. The RA called Nick once he finally found out it was the twins who had completely covered every toilet seat in the bathroom. He said they should have come with warning labels."

By then, everyone was roaring with laughter. When I stood to start collecting everyone's empty plates, my uncle cleared his throat. I looked up from the stack in front of me to see him giving Chris ‘the eye'.

Immediately picking up his secret message, Chris stood and said, "I'm going to get this all cleaned up. Paige, why don't you and your uncle go for a walk while Kari and I get to know each other a little better? Kari, I hear you're a fan of washing dishes. Do you mind giving me a hand?"

Never one to turn down a cleaning project, and always the first to pick up on subtext, Kari pushed her chair back and rose from the table. "At your service."

Again, I found myself walking the sprawling grounds with my uncle. It was clear he had something on his mind, and anxiety fought for space in my very full belly.

"So, here's the thing," he began. "No one enjoys these conversations about the inevitable day that someone we love won't be here with us, but sometimes these conversations need to be had whether or not they're comfortable."

The knot in my stomach jerked tighter, and an involuntary gasp escaped.

"Hear me out! The intention has always been for you to inherit my ‘estate' when I'm gone. I don't?—"

"What? I'm sorry, what?"

"Well, I won't need any of it at that point, so why not? Anyway, this move to Chris's house has accelerated the plan a bit; I figured they would carry me out of this house feet first. Life is funny, isn't it?"

I was stunned. Actually, ‘stunned' didn't even come close to adequately describing my mindset.

"Here's what I'm thinking," he continued. "This is actually perfect timing. Honey, it's no secret that you were in limbo in Madison and I think this is going to be so good for you. Here's what I'm proposing. We can go one of two ways here. I can either sell the house and put the proceeds in trust for you, and you can have a little peace of mind knowing it's there should you need it."

"Uncle Mike, I?—"

He didn't leave me room to protest. "Option two seems like a lot more fun. For both of us. I am attached to this house and I'd love nothing more than to not have to sell it. You might love this house as much as I do, and you've made short work of building a life for yourself here. A real life, not the one you were pretending so awfully at in Madison. So option two is for me to essentially ‘gift' you this house. I'm not sure about the legalities of that scenario, but I'm sure my attorney will know exactly what would need to be done. That being said, the next step would be one hundred percent your choice. I own the house outright, so you would only need to cover the property taxes, maintenance, and utilities. I'll get a list of typical expenses together so you can make an informed decision. I've been looking forward to this moment for weeks! Talk to me. Are you ok? You look stunned."

"Uncle Mike, I—I don't even know what to say. For once, I am speechless."

"Not even one sarcastic jab or joke? Wow! I have silenced Prolix Paige! Don't panic, honey. You've got some time to put all the pieces in front of you and really give it some thought. I'll get the expenses together and give you any updates from the attorney once I have them. Make notes about questions you have. I already know you'll have a lot, so don't hold back on my account. Take a few days, a week, a month. It makes no difference to me. But let me just say, honey, I'd love to have you nearby, and I'd really, really love it if you were the one living in this house. No pressure. But think about it. It could be pretty aawesooooome!" he finished in a singsong voice.

"I don't know what to say. I'm beyond stunned. This house is like your baby, and you want to just give it to me?"

"This house was like my baby, but all the work I put into it was just a distraction from my loneliness. I've got an amazing companion now, and he keeps me plenty busy at the store, so no use hanging onto what's no longer serving me. Like I said, the intention was always for this house to go to you when I was gone, but now I get to be here to witness you enjoying it. Assuming, of course, you decide you want to stay here and hopefully keep the house. Please don't make me pack up all this stuff."

As we completed our circle and rounded the side of the house, uncle Mike put his hand lightly on my arm to stop me before we reached the back door. "I know I'm pushing hard for you to stay here, but no matter what, the choice is yours." He hugged me as my stunned silence stretched on. "Just know, if you choose not to keep the house, you have to help me pack and unpack," he whispered in my ear, then ended our hug with a hearty pat on the back and his signature breathless laugh.

I didn't know if I had enough space in my head for all I had to unpack as it was, but I knew one thing that always helped me think a little better.

"I think it's time for dessert, although, at the moment, the cheesecake I picked out seems woefully inadequate considering the circumstances."

"Cheesecake sounds perfect. They should be done with the dishes by now, so it's probably safe to go back in. Ready?"

When we walked back into the kitchen, Chris was standing in front of an open cabinet drying the last plate, Roxy was posted by the sink waiting for leftovers, and Kari was wiping off the already gleaming island. She looked up as we entered, and it was clear she could see the shock on my face. She shot me a questioning look, to which I responded by widening my eyes, giving her the universal ‘you are not going to believe this' look. When Chris turned around and saw us, he sent a conspiratorial wink my way.

"All set?" he asked, looking at my uncle who stood next to me, the tall, thin Duke of house gifting.

"Yep! Who's ready for cheesecake? Paige has promised this will be the best we've ever had."

"Oh, it'll be memorable, alright," I quipped, and as soon as Chris turned around to reach for dessert plates and my uncle headed toward the fridge, I mouthed to Kari, "Oh my God!"

I hoped my face had come unfrozen enough to convey it was a good "Oh my God" instead of bad, but either way, it was going to be tough to hold this news in until after they left.

By some stroke of luck, the cheesecake managed to loosen up my vocal cords enough that I could carry on a normal conversation through dessert, and within a half hour, we were all standing in the foyer saying our goodbyes.

Chris was the first to step forward. "It was lovely to see you again, Kari," he said, hugging my friend. "Please come back often, and bring more stories about those boys of yours. They must have been so fun growing up."

"Oh, yes, just a regular barrel of monkeys, those two. Depending on how long Paige stays here, I may be back for another visit. Probably over the winter. It was great to meet you too, by the way. The aesthetic in Dash of Flair is other-worldly and I can't wait to hang up everything we picked out for Nick. He could use a little more style in his suitcase."

My uncle was next to hug Kari goodbye. "That man wears way too much paisley. Thank you both for dinner. It was fantastic, as was the company. Paige, honey… when you recover from your shock, call me. In the meantime, I'll get to work." He bent and wrapped his long arms around me. "It's gonna be great. I know it," he said just loud enough for me to hear. "I love you so much, and I'm so happy I got to be here to witness your reaction. I have never seen you this quiet in all the years you've been alive. This is absolutely the best!"

I squeezed him back and whispered, "Thank you," still too disoriented to come up with anything more eloquent, praying I didn't seem ungrateful.

We stepped apart, and his delight was written all over his face, his smile as close to ‘ear to ear' as one could get without physical harm.

"See you ladies soon," he said over his shoulder as they made their way toward the driveway.

"What the hell was that all about?" Kari asked as soon as they were out of earshot .

"First, let's grab the rest of that rum. This is a conversation for the pool."

For the next hour, Kari and I floated on our rafts, sipping pi?a coladas and discussing my uncle's offer. I was so glad she was with me as I processed all I had heard that night, because no one could deconstruct and analyze a situation better than her. As usual, she began with the hardest-hitting questions first.

"What do you want to do? This is a life-changing offer, Paige. But, at the end of the day, it has to come down to what you want for your own life. Can you see yourself living here?"

I took a moment to answer, knowing she wasn't going to like my response. "I can. I don't know if I can afford to live in this house, but I need to wait until I have all the information to make a decision. But, whether or not I decide to keep this house, it's looking more and more likely I'll end up staying in Florida." I looked over at her just as she pushed off the side of the pool with her foot and spun my way. When she was facing me, I put my foot on her raft to keep it still. "Are you ok?" I knew the answer to my question, but couldn't help but ask it anyway. Her feelings had always mattered to me, and that was never going to stop.

"I mean, I'm going to have to be, right?" Her voice caught and broke on the last word and she swiped at a tear with the back of her free hand. "I kind of knew I was losing you to this place when you drove away. I've been preparing myself for this moment ever since, but hearing you confirm my fears hits differently. That was hypothetical. This is real."

Our straws declared our cups empty at the same time, breaking the silence that stretched between us as we floated through our own thoughts .

"I'm getting cold," she said into the darkness settling around us.

"Let's go in. I'll put on a movie, and we can make popcorn and cuddle up in the den."

"‘ Say Anything '?"

"Of course. What other movie is there?"

Later as we polished off our bowls of popcorn and washed it down with Dr. Pepper, I felt my throat tighten as I wondered how many nights like this we'd have if we were living thirteen hundred miles apart. As usual, Kari was able to read my mind. "This will never change," she declared in a voice so small I barely heard it.

"Pinky promise," I swore. And I meant it.