In Parched Gardens: Book 2

Chapter 3: Aroma of Books And Coffee

Natalie walked out of the library in the late afternoon and felt the warm sun on her face. She adjusted her glasses slightly and squinted into the westerly sun. A slight wind blew past her and she brushed several blonde hairs out of her face and continued toward her car.

Hoping in, she drove south toward North Lake Road. She stopped at the stop sign there for a moment as a few cars drove lazily past and she looked at the Wagner River Bowling Alley to her left and Cecil's Tavern straight ahead. Even though she'd grown up in Allbrook and lived here all her life except for a few years during college, she'd never been in Cecil's Tavern. She really didn't like the smell of smoke. It gave her headaches. And Cecil's was permeated with that smell, largely because it had an attached cigar lounge for many years.

Driving west on North Lake Road, Natalie took her time. Even at a slow pace, she'd get there in about five minutes - earlier than she'd told Maria to meet her. She'd gotten out of work sooner than she figured. So she drove slow enough to examine Allbrook around her. She passed Greenway Court, with its vet, doctor's office, and dentist. She liked her doctor and her dentist well enough, but she hated going. She really liked the local veterinarian. She'd brought her two cats there many times, and she loved Doctor Clarckson. Her husband, Mr. Clarkson, had always been nice to Natalie too when she'd had his English class in highschool, but he was a little too bubbly for her, especially back then. But Linda was great.

Looking up to her right, she saw Saint Luke's. She'd never been there, but she did appreciate the architecture. Beyond it, she could see Sundial Hill and the apartments at its crest. Once she'd gotten her job at the library and moved out of her parents' house, she'd actually lived there for a year. But she found her house on Hill Circle not long after and had fallen in love with it.

She passed the North Shore Stip Mall with its gas station, the Highlands Pub, Clara's Boutique, the Allbrook Florist, and a fast food place. She'd parked in the parking lot there countless times throughout highschool. She had very fond memories of working for Fin's grandparents at the florist. She still visited the florist sometimes now. If she walked behind her house and across one field, she could walk the backway to the strip mall. It was only about a five minute walk. And she'd started to like the clothes at Clara's more and more.

Still she drove, passing the Allbrook Volunteer Fire Department building, the dry cleaners, the state wine and liquor store, Marcy's Hair and Nail Salon, and the coin laundry. Now she passed Birch Road on her right, which meant she was "outside" of Allbrook according to the standard of most people in town. Technically she was well inside the city limits, but it did feel like you were just outside the city here. To her left, she followed the shimmer and shine of the Morninglass River as it meandered away to the east. To her right, she saw the Allbrook Dog Park in the distance, then the Crestwood Sports Complex. Though she couldn't see it, beyond that was the sprawling network of Allbrook High School, Morninglass Middle School, and all their sports fields.

She'd made it the intersection with Crestwood Road. Turning left, she quickly crossed the only car bridge over the Morninglass on the western side of town and then almost immediately turned left onto Southlake Road. She could see the parking lot she was headed to in front of her now, across a field. Pulling into the complex, she found a parking spot near the bookstore, the Yellow Wood, and got out of her car. She was surprised by how busy the parking lot was, but then she realized a few new movies were showing in the small theater beside the bookstore. She looked down at her watch and realized she had a few minutes, so she crossed the parking lot to the other side to spend that time wandering around one of her favorite shops in town - Vanilla Vinyl. It was an ice cream and record shop, and she loved both.

Walking down the aisles of records, she picked a few up and examined them. She'd bought a record player not that long ago and she really liked the sound. Sometimes in the evening, she'd put on a record, make some tea, and sit with a book in her living room. If it was cold, she'd start a fire in her fireplace and cover up with a blanket on the sofa. If all was going perfectly, it would be raining outside and she would listen to the record play softly, the fire crackle, and the rain patter against the windows around her. Looking down at her watch again, she realized it was time to meet Maria, so she left the store and walked across the parking lot.