You, You, You

ARE YOU HERE?

Izzy’s P.O.V.

It was a little less than a week before the Double J Wedding, as we were fond of calling it now, and I was beginning to feel at home in my new place after spending the last two days unpacking and decorating.  Jeff and Mike were kind enough to help me every step of the way during my house hunt, and after a little poking and prodding from them I settled on a beautiful, old two-story bungalow nestled in the woods right on the sound. I resisted at first because of the house’s proximity to Eddie’s—to the home we used to share together.  It was only a few minutes down the road, technically making us neighbors even though the houses were spread very far apart.  Eventually the guys convinced me I was being ridiculous and that I’d be an idiot to pass on this little gem.  They were so right.

The place was simple enough—a wooden post and beam house, part of which was painted a peculiar shade of moss green that I knew most people would consider ugly.  I loved it, and the asking price was considerably lower because of the exterior and the age of the home.  I thought it was absolutely perfect in every way I could imagine: spectacular views from the porches, a lofted second floor containing the master bedroom and bath, the sub-basement that I’d convert to a mini-studio, and the biggest den fireplace I had ever seen in my life.  The kitchen was the only overly-modernized portion of the house, complete with double convection ovens, a bread making station, industrial-sized cooktops and adjacent eating space for fifteen people.  That really sealed the deal for me—I wanted something on the rustic side, but I also wanted a place where I could nurture my inner chef and gather my friends around me.  This home practically had my name written all over it.

The final moving day was a breeze and with everyone lending a hand, we were able to finish up in time to christen my kitchen with a shared dinner of simple pasta and wine.  It was a wonderful evening which we ended with a bonfire down by the water, guitars in our hands and laughter filling the night sky.  There was just one problem.

“Hey, space cadet, what are you doing over here all by yourself?” Ruby approached me at the picnic table while everyone else participated in a group sing-along of The Kinks’ Lola over by the fire pit.  “You’ve been staring at that one tree across the way for the last twenty minutes.” She sat down on the bench beside me.

“Oh, I’m just thinking, Roo.  Really, I’m fine,” I replied with a gentle smile.  “Thank you all so much—this has been such a perfect day.  I am just so… happy.”  I said this with a genuine warmth coming straight from my heart as I glanced over at the fire and chanced upon Stone and Liz looking in my direction.  I gave them a thumbs up for their tipsy singing efforts and turned back to Ruby.

“I’m happy you’re happy, lady.  I really am.  This place is gorgeous and it’s all yours now,” she told me.

“What about you?  How are you and Stone handling the separation?” I asked carefully.

“Oh, us?  We’re actually getting along better now than we ever did before.  It’s funny… we rushed into living together and all of these crazy things, but… I think everything going south somehow strengthened our friendship.  Which is what it probably should have been in the first place.  I’m actually feeling pretty great these days myself,” Ruby explained.  She and Stone had been broken up for a few months now, but it wasn’t a messy breakup or an angry one.  Apparently they came to the conclusion that they were too similar to be a good match, but as friends I had a feeling they’d always be close.  I was glad to hear Ruby felt the same way.  Glancing back over at the bonfire, I saw Liz approaching the picnic table with Stone close behind, while the others launched into a Bob Dylan classic which no one actually knew all the words to.

“We just wanted to come say thank you for dinner—it was perfect, Izzy.  This house is perfect,” Liz gushed as she and Stone plopped down on the opposite side of the picnic table.