Empty Closet

Untitled Part 4

Cathy opens the front door and my lower jaw hits the floor along with my shoulders. "Wow. Aunt Cathy." Are the only words I can form.

"First stop, the Grande hallway." Cathy says as she spins around. There's enough room to hold a rock concert complete with a mosh pit and crowd surfing. I know my aunt's still talking but I can't hear a word she's saying I only watch as her hands flare ahead of me. I'm mesmerized by this house, my new home. I ogle over all the arches that lead to other rooms then  bring my focus back on the foyer. The walls are pure white with thick crown molding edging the ceiling. On my left, an elegant Louis XIV table with a vast mirror hanging above. A Sliver frame with a picture of her family sits in the middle next to a crystal vase filled with fresh flowers. The floors are so shiny they gave the impression of being wet, I step with caution. An enormous stairway cascades from the middle of the foyer, each step is wide and deep. The railing is made of thick iron that molds into vines flowing down into each step. They direct up into what appears to be two separate houses.

"Follow me dear." Cathy's voice pulls me back to reality. We make our way up the grand staircase, I savor every step as I glide my hand over the cold metal railing. I take my last step onto the landing we turn left and proceed down a long wide hallway. If I could do cart wheels or back flips I would, there's that much room. My aunts' heels echo in front of me. On my left are large double doors and, on my right, floor to ceiling windows. My eyes follow along the tree tops.

"Betsy are you ok?" Cathy stands still, confusion takes over her face.

"Um...what...yeah, sorry the view is beautiful." I stutter out. My eyes locked on the trees. I step so close to the window my nose meets the glass causing it to fog around my face.

"Yes, it is dear, you're looking at miles of nothing but trees. It's so relaxing and peaceful." She glances out the window for a split second, a smile grows over her face. Abruptly she pivots on her toes and continues down the hall. "Your room is right down this hall, it's the fourth door on your left. This of course is the left wing of the house." Explains my aunt as she extends her arm like a flight attendant.

My feet stumble under me as I walk faster to catch up with her. "Where exactly is right here Aunt Cathy? I'm going to need GPS to get around this place." I scan up and down the hall.

"Betsy you are so silly. You will learn quickly." She takes my hand dragging me deeper into the house. "I'm so glad you are here this is going to be an amazing year for you." She stops and points to a tall door. "Here's your room dear." She smiles like a Cheshire cat. Then lifts her chin towards the door, "now go, put your things away and get settled in. We'll meet by the pool for lunch before we go shopping at the Plaza." I'm frozen, staring at her without blinking. Her hands gesture towards the door, "go on Betsy. Go."

My head snaps back, "shopping for what?" I respond maybe a little too harsh, but she caught me off guard. I never go shopping especially on a whim, she said it so nonchalantly.

Cathy put her hand on my shoulder giving me a stern look. Then says with sincerity, "dear I saw the small suitcase and bag Mr. Peterson brought up for you. You're going to need a whole new wardrobe and I will not take no for an answer." Her eyes dart back at the door, "go dear get settled I'll see you when you have finished." She kisses my cheek, turns and gradually disappears down the hall.

I stand in front of the doors to my new room trying to digest everything that's happened. After I've slightly straight my thoughts, I inhale deeply, extend my hand towards the stainless-steel doorknob. Opening the door, I gasped blinking rapidly trying to focus my eyes. I tell myself to let go of the doorknob, but I couldn't. My hand and brain aren't communicating. I take three deep breaths hoping the oxygen will awaken my motor skills. Finally, my brain convinces my hand to let go, it drops to my side. Carefully I take one step into my new room, my eyes shot down to wall to wall cashmere soft white carpet. "WOW I hope I don't spill anything on this," be careful I remind myself. A large T.V. hanging perfectly centered on a plum colored wall caught my attention. I shake my head and scan the room further.

In the middle sits a California king canopy bed, ten adults could sleep comfortably in it. Sheer material wrapped perfectly around all four posts. I gently slither my hands over it, wrapping each finger as they glide down. "WOW, this is beautiful." A white down filled comforter lays untouched over the bed along with different shapes and sizes of throw pillows that line the headboard.

I sit down gently, as I mold into the bed. "WOW," falling deeper into the bed, "this is amazing I could stay here all day," I reach my hands above my head and point my toes a smile stretches over my face. "Oops." I realize my aunt is waiting for me, I jump up to start unpacking. I grab my toothbrush, blow-dryer and lotion then slip off my flip flops and melt into the carpet.

"I can't believe I have my very own bathroom." I say to myself as I move across the room. I shrug, "I guess taking to myself will be my new thing, until I make a friend or get a pet." Opening the door my eyes go wide. Not only do I have my own bathroom, but it is bigger than our whole trailer. Nope I stand corrected, it's larger than the entire trailer park. Glossy white counter tops shimmer like diamonds. Illuminating lights create a frame around an enormous mirror that hangs over the counter top. A white sunken bathtub and walk-in glass shower catches my attention from the corner of the room. I pad towards the shower and poke my head inside. Silver shower heads cover the ceiling and a marble bench wraps around the entire shower wall. It'll be a hard pick between baths or showers in this bathroom.

After taking in the bathroom I gather my clothes. Slip my flip flops back on and walk over to the double doors of my new closet. When I pull open the doors, hundreds of lights brighten one set at a time.

"Holy shit," I scream as I peer into the gigantic walk-in closet. No, it's not gigantic it's a whole other room. I venture further in and grab a few velvet hangers. I hang my seven faded t-shirts and one long sleeve shirt. Then place three pairs of jeans on the shelves that line an entire wall. I stand in the middle of the room my hands drop to my side as I openly stare at the massive shoe holders built into the wall. I glance down at my only pair of shoes I have, black ragged flip flops. "Who could ever fill a closet this large? It's so... empty." I shake my head taking slow long steps backwards out of the closet.

Standing in the middle of my room I spin around and notice French doors between the bed and bathroom. I skip over and pull them open, I step out onto a breath-taking balcony. The sound of birds chirping echoes in the background. This is the most beautiful yard I've ever seen. I rest my hands on the railing and lean over slightly. I have a full view of the massive pool below. The clear water shimmers in the sunlight, unlike the cloudy unskimmed pool at our trailer park. Sixteen large statues form a fence around the pool separating it slightly from the yard. The back of the house wraps around both the yard and pool creating more layers of privacy. My head spins, maybe from leaning over the balcony or all the excitement mixed with extreme humidity. I shake it off as I walk back into the air-conditioning and collapse onto my cool soft bed. Ok maybe this might not be so bad after all.