The Make-Up Artist: Part 2

Chapter Forty Two: The Treehouse

As you make your way around the somewhat familiar territory, you have a sense of nervous exhilaration swirling throughout your body. As if you're in a dream that seems real but you know it isn't. You aren't questioning your decision, you made up your mind back at Lisa's shower that this was the right move to make, you are just unsure of the reaction of the other concerned individual. Pulling out your phone, you quickly read over the details again and make your way outside into the cool November air. Not being exactly prepared for this weather, you feel a slight chill go down your spine as you wait on the curb for a taxi. Finally, a sleek black vehicle comes to a rolling stop in front of you, and you hand your suitcase to the driver as he approaches you. Opening the back door once your luggage is safely stowed away, you wait for him to return and give him the address of your intended location. The driver informs you that your destination is approximately two hours away and you groan audibly. His eyes flick to you in the rear view mirror and you plaster a tight smile onto your face.

"No worries", you mumble and silently seethe that you have to wait even longer than you already have. It seems like ages ago that you finally made your decision and this last leg of the journey will definitely prove to test your patience. Now that you know what it is you want for your life, you want that life to begin as soon as possible. Glancing at the time on your phone, you see that it is already late afternoon. Where did the last twenty four hours go?? Resting your head back onto the seat, you close your eyes and try to relax, knowing that what awaits you at the end of this trek will indeed be worth the wait. Or at least you hope so.

You doze in and out of consciousness along the bumpy roads and glance occasionally at the various towns and countrysides that flash through the window. Eventually, the towns become fewer and farther between and the landscape turns to that of lush forests and sprawling greenery. Your heart begins to beat harder in your chest as you realize you must be close. Opening up your email once more, you glance over the long description for the hundredth time and wonder again if your presence will still be welcomed.

Finally arriving at your destination, your heart begins to pump erratically in your chest as the car comes to a rolling stop atop a crunchy gravel driveway. Looking to your left outside the window, you see what appears to be a cozy country cottage set against the backdrop of trees as tall as the eye can see, and is surrounded by well manicured shrubs and lush green grass on the front lawn. A stone pathway leads to the front glass double doors and just as your eyes travel to said doors, a middle-aged woman comes bustling out of them. You watch her as she hurries past a lit stone fire pit, her gaze set intently on your vehicle, so you turn the handle and step out to meet her. Before you can even speak, she opens her mouth to greet you.

"Hello miss, welcome to The Woodland Retreat. My name is Mrs. Susanna." You wonder briefly if this is her first or last name, but she continues on. "May I have your name?" You give it to her and tell her why you're here and her eyes crinkle at the sides as her mouth softens. "Oh yes, very good, let me just take care of your cabbie."

"Oh, I can do that", you call after her, but she is already making her way around to the rear of the vehicle where your driver has pulled your suitcase out. They exchange a brief conversation and she hands him what you assume is some cash pulled from a small fanny pack at her waist. Afterwards, he goes back around to the driver's side and she hurries back over to you.

"Very good, that's settled and I'll just grab someone to collect your luggage."

She begins to move away again but you stop her this time. "No no, it's just the small bag, I can manage it." At this her eyes crinkle again but her mouth turns down at the corners. "Are you sure miss? It's really no trouble..."

"Yes, I'm sure", you insist.

"Very well, if you'll follow me then?" She asks, turning and indicating for you to follow. You do so and follow her back down the stone path she just took moments ago. She leads you inside the cottage through the double doors and your mouth falls open in surprise at your surroundings once inside. It looks like anything but a cabin on the interior, but rather a modern suburban home you might find back in Beverly Hills. Mrs. Susanna walks quickly so you barely have time to notice the sleek wood floors, white-washed walls and pops of greenery in every cozy corner. Before you know it, you are going through a back door and back out into the woodsy nature-filled landscape out the back. She leads you down a winding rocky path to the right, then a sharp left onto a different path past another fire pit, and then another cottage comes into view. This one looks more like a traditional log cabin, with a little curved staircase off to the right that leads to the front door. There are lights strung all along the outdoor balcony with a huge fern growing beneath it. The sun is beginning to sink behind the trees and you notice several strands of lights wrapped around the trunks of the massive trees twinkling to life which makes you smile. A small round window is in the center of the front facing wall with a cute round table and two chairs sitting below it on the balcony. You smile softly at the quaintness of it all. Taking you up the steps to the front door, the pleasant woman unlocks it with a small key pulled from her fanny pack and says, "This...is our Butterfly Treehouse", as she swings the door wide for you to step through. The floors are lined with the same wood you saw moments ago, and the walls have the same white-washed paneling as the main house; but you can tell that this space is meant for fewer guests than the main house, just for one or two people. In fact, it's set up much like a studio apartment, with the kitchen only separated from the bedroom by a half wall. Similar to your first apartment in L.A. but on a much more glamorous scale. In fact, the term "glamping" comes to mind as your survey your surroundings. Peeking into the bathroom, you see a large glass walled walk in shower, a huge garden tub and clean modern accents throughout the ensuite space. The bedroom is small with a full-size bed in the center, but there are floor to ceiling windows on two of the walls that make you truly feel as if you are in a tree house. In fact, out of every window in the entire space, all you can see is greenery.