Lizzy (2)

 

Because I was more or less trapped in this one-horse town, I ended up renting a 2-bedroom efficiency apartment several blocks from the main drag. My intention was to stay three years until my husband returned from overseas. Hopefully, we would move west or north by at least two state worth. I had never lived in this part of the country before, and, to tell the truth, I was finding it to be quite foreign. The appearance and the language was the same as mine, but I soon realized most of the social norms of the region were somehow still in the 1960s. I had already lived that decade thirty years prior. Now, seeing it as an adult, it was a slightly different experience.

Lizzy seemed to fit right into the society of the burg, although not as one of its model citizens, more like one of the poor and downtrodden. At least, that was the persona she exhibited when I went with her to various stores a couple of days after I got settled into my new abode.

She took me to her home, explaining the situation was temporary. To be accurate, I followed her home in my own vehicle. It was a sprawling brick ranch house in one of the better subdivisions just outside the city limits. The property was over one hundred square feet and had an oversized two-car garage. She wasn’t thrilled with the home, saying it lacked a certain character. When I asked her what she meant, her reply was: “It’s ordinary. Sure, it’s big, but that just has to do with the neighborhood.” I didn’t know what she was getting it, but didn’t ask any more questions about it either.

I met Lizzy’s kids that day. Monica was a young teenager with the typical obnoxious attitude so many her age must muddle through until they learn what being an adult really is. With Lizzy as her mother, however, there was some doubt the girl would shake it completely. Derick still had one more year of elementary school before he could level up to middle school. He should have moved on the year before, but, according to Lizzy, he had a teacher who had it in for him.

Despite the fact Lizzy had insisted I spend the afternoon at her home, she spent very little time conversing with me. Instead, she washed two loads of clothes and folded what couldn’t be hung up in a closet. When she was done with her chore, she invited me to stay for dinner. On the practical side, the thought of driving to the apartment in the dark didn’t seem like a good idea at all. After all, I didn’t know my way around town well yet. Emotionally, I was feeling a need to be alone with my thoughts and plan my life strategy for the next few days. Yes, I declined her invitation.