The Roommate (Trixya)

Chapter Two: Home Depot

"You sure you just wanna leave your stuff out on the porch like that?" Trixie called, pouring a healthy amount of cream into her coffee.

"Sure. It's just old clothes and besides...." Katya's voice grew louder as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, exhaling smoke as she reached the linoleum, "...the bears aren't gonna steal anything."

Trixie's mouth fell open and she wrinkled her nose, mug halfway to her lips. She set down her coffee and tightened her pink robe before she marched over to the swinging patio door and opened it, gesturing outside. "You'll have to smoke out there. I can't...It's so..." she sputtered, caught between her disgust and polite instinct.

Katya threw her hands up defensively and bustled outside, extinguishing her cigarette in a flower pot. She brushed ash from her fingers onto the flannel of her pajama pants and slunk back inside. "I'm sorry. I quit. I'm quitting."

Trixie, still flustered, folded her arms across her chest. "Yes. Good. Nasty habit. Can I get you some coffee?"

Katya offered a sheepish smile and nodded, squeezing past the taller woman to get to the refrigerator. She pulled out a carton of almond milk and uncapped it, accepting the mug of coffee Trixie handed her before pouring some in. She neglected to add sugar but simply adopted her previous perch on the kitchen island to sip her coffee.

Trixie watched her warily, her own mug abandoned as she patted at the pink rollers in her hair. After a beat of silence she ventured "So...Anything planned for today?"

"Mm...I thought I might head into town. Go exploring. Have you got a greenhouse anywhere nearby?"

"A greenhouse...I'm not sure. I know there's a Home Depot not too far from here that might have what you need."

"I'll see what I can find. What are you gonna do all day?"

Trixie shrugged, downing the rest of her coffee. "I'm not sure! My book club isn't until four so I'll have to occupy myself until then. There might be a bit of cleaning to do upstairs...and I'll plan dinner or something. Sort out my hair, too. Are you alright with vegetarian?"

"Oh, sure, no problem...Do you wanna come into town with me?"

"Oh, no, I can't. My son's s'posed to call me back today and I wanna be here when he does. I don't get to talk to him enough."

"Where does your son live?"

"Boston! Like you, kind of. He pays far too much for rent...That and his school is too expensive. I keep telling him he could just get a house in Wisconsin for all the money he spends on rent."

"What's he studying?" queried Katya, slipping from her perch on the counter to put her empty mug into the dishwasher.

"Design. Clothing design. For women. Lots of people think he's a homosexual...Lots of his friends are. Homosexuals, I mean. Not that I have a problem with that, it's just..."

"I'm gay."

Trixie's eyes widened and she waved her hands anxiously as if that would diffuse the tension that bowled into the kitchen. "Oh! Oh, I had no idea! I mean, you're from Boston. Lots of people from Boston are, and the pants and the Home Depot and the...Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

Katya threw her head back and laughed, earning a look of alarm from Trixie. "It's okay. I don't mind. I just thought you should know."

Trixie unwound a blonde curl from the rollers in her hair and twisted it around her finger, her lower lip caught between her teeth.  He drew in a deep breath and cut the  uneasy silence that settled between them. "I kissed a girl in college once. Once."

"That's not the same thing." She grabbed Trixie's mug and tucked it into the dishwasher beside her own. "Tell you what: I'll head into town. You have your little reading group-"

"Book club."

"Book club. And when I get home I'll make us both dinner and you can tell your son all about it when he calls. Sound good?"

"Sounds good. Are you sure you don't want me to save you a seat at my book club?"

"Aren't those for old people?"

"We are old people."

Katya tilted her head at that and gave Trixie another curious look. She shut the dishwasher and wiped her hands on a loose towel before exiting the kitchen and padding upstairs, leaving Trixie to smooth her robe and peer at her expression in the stainless steel of the kitchen sink.