One-Eleven Trysting Street
by Cori Lark
“Births have brought us richness and variety. And other Births will bring us richness and variety . . . This day before dawn I ascended a hill and looked at the crowded heaven. And I said to my spirit, When we become enfolders of those orbs, and the pleasure and knowledge of everything in them, shall we be filled and satisfied then? And my spirit said, No, we but level that lift to pass and continue beyond.” —Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
CHAPTER 1
Renee turned right onto Trysting Street. She could see water ebbing behind the houses. Silver hues shimmered off small whitecaps as a spring breeze blew over the lake, through maple trees, around the spaced-out homes that tried to hide from the street. She slowed down her old jeep so she could read the address on the next mailbox: The Andersons, 109 Trysting Street. It must be the next house on the left, she thought.
Renee glanced at the time displayed on the jeep’s radio. Twenty minutes early, she pulled to the curb and put it in park. She opened the mirror on the sun visor, ran her fingers through her short, black hair, put on some Chap Stick, and closed the mirror. A white pickup truck loaded with a bed and box spring slowly drove past and backed into the driveway up the road. She figured that it must be one of the tenants Elizabeth had told her about on the phone. She took a swallow from her bottle of water, replaced the bottle in the console, and she drove a block up the road.
Renee waited in her jeep a few minutes. Two men were halfway through the door carrying the box spring. The house was fairly large, two stories high with dark wood siding and one huge window in the front. It had an air of familiarity to it that she couldn’t quite place. The lack of windows on the second floor bothered her. She was eager to take a look inside. She decided she must have window in her bedroom if she was going to rent a room here.
She walked up the long, blacktop driveway while admiring the large wooden porch that seemed to encircle the house. The smell of freshly cut grass helped her relax a bit. She was concerned if she’d be able to live with people she didn’t know. She would be living without the solidity she had at her own little rented house in the woods. On the other hand, she might not be alone, but the rent is cheaper. She might make a couple new friends. Elizabeth had told her one of the tenants was a man, actually a college boy. The only man she ever lived with was her father when she was a child. The other tenant is a college girl, she thought. I’m twenty-nine years old. I hope they’re easy to get along with.
After the two men carried the box spring through the doorway, a young woman appeared on the porch. She smiled at Renee. “Hello, I’m Marina. Are you here to check out the third bedroom?”
Renee looked up at the house; her gaze fell back to the girl on the porch. A few dogs started barking. The girls looked toward the road. They watched a woman struggling to pull her aggravated dogs along, but the animals became louder and continued to snarl at the house.
“Yes, I’m Renee Corey. Is Elizabeth Krueger here?”
“She’s in the back yard.”
The woman on the street gave one last pull on the leashes. The dogs cooperated, continuing their walk.
Marina eyed Renee. She wanted her second roommate to be a female. If she doesn’t take the room, she thought, Elizabeth might rent it out to another guy. It’s not that she didn’t like Eddie. She had met him last week when she decided to move in. He’s a fairly polite boy, but to live with two men probably wouldn’t be as nice as having another woman around the house. When she was a child she lived with her brothers. She remember how messy boys could be.
“I’ll show you, follow me,” said Marina.
“That’s okay,” replied Renee, “you look busy moving your stuff in. I’ll find her.”
“It was nice meeting you.”
“You too, thanks a lot.”
Renee walked around the side yard while admiring the porch around the house. She walked on toward the back yard. Shards of grass clung to her black combat boots. The cool breeze kissed her skin as it blew through her tank top. The porch became a deck extended about twenty-five feet as a semi-circle; it was outlined with built-in benches. Enclosed by a wooded fence with a flat-top railing, the deck came alive with the flowers spaced every five feet or so. Beautiful geraniums in yellow ceramic flowerpots boarded the dark cedar. Above it was a balcony of the same size. Large bundles of tea roses hung from its posts. Renee looked up to the top floor of the house. So the bedrooms are there, she thought, it’s gorgeous. From the deck’s opening a red brick path led the way through the yard down to the pier. She imagined herself admiring the view of the lake from the balcony.
From the corner of the yard a harsh voice called, “Hi there!” Renee recognized it as the woman she talked to on the phone. A big woman, with a head full of coarse, blond curls, was locking up a small shed built of particleboard and a black, shingled roof. As the woman approached, Renee was surprised that she looked almost sixty years old.
The older woman rubbed her right hand on her large, denim hip before offering it to Renee. “You must be Renee. I’m Elizabeth.” Her smile was welcoming.
Renee shook the strong gripped hand. “Hi. Sorry I’m so early, but I didn’t know if I would be able to find the house too easily. Your direction were very good.”
“Good, good. I’m glad to hear that. Let’s take a look around.”
“The yard is great. Do you take care of it all yourself?”
“Oh, yes, dear. I love to work in the yard. Joseph, that’s my husband, bought this house last year. He did some restoration inside while I began getting the yard back in order. We own some other property, but I take care of all the footwork for this house. Now that spring is here I can plant some new flowers and such. I love to work in the yard.” Elizabeth laughed. Her deep voice seemed to echo across the yard. “Oh, I said that already, didn’t I? Anyway, I don’t go into the house much. The cleaning is up to the tenants. But, if I do come in, I always knock. Oh, yes, and if you have a rowboat or a paddleboat or whatever, even a pontoon is okay, feel free to dock it by the pier. If you decide to rent here, it will be your place. Yours, Marina’s and Eddie’s, that is. If personal problems come up, it’s not my business, but if you have any problems with the house, let me know. I want you to be comfortable. Follow me.”
Elizabeth guided Renee through the patio doors from the deck and into the house. She was hoping she could rent this third room today. That would please Joseph.
Renee walked in after Elizabeth. She froze momentarily. The room in front of her seemed to ignite her heart. Her pulse sped faster. Burgundy carpet spread under her feet. She recognized the imitation Monet, which hung above the fireplace set in red brick. It had always been one of her favorite paintings, Impression-Sunrise, 1872. Before it, a cherry wood coffee table centered a television, recliner, rocking chair, and couch. The cherry walls would make the room look very dark if it weren’t for the huge window next to the front door.
She ran her fingers through her hair and took another step, following Elizabeth to the middle of the room. She thought she saw something, a movement out of the corner of her eye. The fireplace was empty. It must have been a breeze from the chimney flue or something.
Her eyes followed the front window up to the ceiling. Above her, rafters held beauty constant. Loft styled, the stairs let up to an indoor balcony. She could hardly wait to get upstairs. She was speechless trying to take it all in.
“Well, obviously this is the living room,” said Elizabeth. She walked toward the front door. Two other doors stood apart by about fifteen feet between the front door and the stairway. She turned the brass knob on the door closest to the stairs, opened the door, and flicked the light switch. “This is one of the bathrooms,” said Elizabeth. Renee peeked in to see a full-sized bathroom with two laves, a large mirror, and plenty of lighting.
The next door revealed a glorious library. “We didn’t do much to this room, just cleaned it.” Elizabeth explained. “Most of these books came with the house, but we bought some at the used book store to fill the few shelves that had been empty. Feel free to read any of them. Joseph and I don’t read very much.”
Renee nodded to Elizabeth’s remarks as she followed her out of the library to a swinging door on the opposite side of the living room, which led to the kitchen. A gray tiger cat jotted across the floor. Elizabeth jumped. “Oh, dear!” She placed her right hand over her heart. “Sorry, those cats scare the life out of me sometimes. They scurry so fast. I guess they take some getting used to.”
“Cats?”
“Yes, dear. I hope you’re not allergic. But even if you are, don’t let that discourage you. They won’t go into your room, not in the third bedroom that is.”
“No, I’m not allergic,” replied Renee. “I love animals, but you said cats. How many are there?”
“Only two. They’re Marina’s. I wonder where she is. Probably getting another load, she said something about her dresser earlier.”
“I met her out front. She seems nice.”
“Good. Good. You’ll meet Eddie, too. He’s upstairs, I think. Are you ready to check out the upstairs?”
Renee looked around the kitchen. An island with a sink and a range sat in the middle. A silver, marble-patterned Formica counter-top stretched from a back door to the refrigerator and dishwasher to the swinging door connected to the living room. Wooden cupboards that were painted gray were set above the counter-top. The linoleum floor was also a marble pattern. To the right stood a kitchen table with four chairs. To the left was another door, partially open, where the cats ran into. It was dark. “What’s in there?” she asked, pointing to the door.
“That’s the cellar. Marina keeps the litter pans down there. Otherwise, it’s pretty empty. Would you like to go down there and take a look around?”
Renee walked over to the door, opened it wider and flicked the light switch. She could only see the stairs leading down to a dark room. Too eager to see the upstairs, she told Elizabeth it was fine to move along.
Elizabeth could not tell how the tour was going. Renee wasn’t saying much at all. She thought again about how pleased Joseph would be if she could rent the last room today, this week at least. “What do you think so far, dear?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s absolutely beautiful. Much bigger and much nicer than my house.”
Elizabeth led Renee back into the living room.
“That’s right. Where did you say you rent that house.”
“In Two Rivers. It’s about twenty minutes south of here. But, they raised my rent last month, and this place is closer to my work.”
“Where do you work?”
“Well, I spend some time working at the music store on the west side of Green Bay. And, I make some money selling my paintings. I take an art class every fall, and last year I was an assistant teacher for a freshman art course. So, I’m also closer to the college if I move here.”
The two women approached the bottom of the staircase. “Oh, how nice. You know, Eddie and Marina go to school at the college.”
“You mentioned that on the phone. I didn’t recognize Marina, but maybe I might have seen Eddie. What’s his last name?”
“His name is Edmund Dunstan.”
“Doesn’t his father work at the college?”
“No, I don’t think so, but he has donated a lot of money to the business program, I’ve heard.”
When they were halfway up the stairs, a tall man with short, blond hair curling around the outline of his face leaned out of a door at the top. His smile was reserved, yet noticeably charming. To his left, the hallway and balcony stretched out in front of two other doors. An open door to his right revealed another bathroom. “Please, call me Eddie,” said the man in the doorway.
“Eddie, this is Renee Corey.”
“Hello,” said Renee.
“Welcome to our home. Don’t worry about me at all. I’ll try not to bother you too much. I’m usually consumed with a book. Did you check out that library?”
“Yes, it’s great.”
“I’m easy to get along with. And Marina seems like a lovely lady, don’t you think?”
“Yes, she’s very nice.”
There was a short pause in the conversation. Renee looked toward the closed doors.
“You should stay for dinner tonight.”
“Well, thank you. Let me take a look at my room before I accept.”
“By all means. Elizabeth, take this lady to her room.”
“Eddie, be a dear and turn off the sprinkler for me, would you.”
“My lady, it would be my honor to serve you.”
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head to the left and right. He’s such a charmer, she thought. Eddie leaped past them, down the stairs.
“He seems fun, polite,” said Renee. Again, she thought about the lack of solitude she would be giving up. But, this house was so much nicer than her current home. That should make up for it. And, her room had a door, of course. Privacy is not lost, just hindered a bit, she thought.
Elizabeth pointed to the next door. “This is Marina’s room.” She walked to the end. “This is the room you would be renting.” She opened the door to a large empty room with hardwood floors, white walls, and a patio door at the other end.
That same familiar feeling she had upon first sight of the house returned to her. Renee walked into the room, her boots thumping across polished wood. She went to the patio doors. Outside was the balcony she saw from the back yard. She walked out. The wind had died down. The lake, partially surrounded by evergreens, oaks, and maple trees, lied calmly in the shadows and stretched out beyond the horizon. The sun was behind her. Although it was till fairly bright out, a crescent moon floated above the lake in the eastern sky. It felt like home, and she realized she had already made up her mind. Elizabeth came up next to her.
“I’ll take,” said Renee. “When can I move in?”
Thank you for reading Chapter 1 – Original Draft by Cori Lark in The Live Editing Experiment: One-Eleven Trysting Street. Follow the Short Stories category for more.
Chapter 1 – Original Draft by Cori Lark
