Good Girl

Chapter 1- You're Not My Type

“I can’t believe it.” I tell myself as I pull the U-Haul up in front of my new house. I look up at the 2 story colonial and smile. I loved it from the first moment I saw it. It reminded me of the house off of the Notebook. It was within my budget too…

It needs work, but only cosmetic work. The bones of the house and the foundation are in great shape, the home inspector told me. The roof is good too, newly replaced. It just needs a lot of cleaning and an extensive paint job.

Every room needs work, except for the kitchen and living room. They are already done. They were completed last week, before I moved in. Everything else will get done after I move in. First I will work on the master bedroom and bath, and the outside.

I don’t think a paint brush has touched the outside of the house in over 20 years. By the veins that have claimed most of the downstairs porch, and all of the upstairs, I don’t think anyone has touched the outside of the house.  It’s okay though, the 20 grand I talked them down will help with all that.

When everything gets done it’s going to be beautiful… when it gets done. It may take a while, but it’ll be worth it. It’s mine, that’s the main thing. All of my hard work, through my 16 years of school has come to an end. All the late nights studying, the early morning cram sessions it’s over and this was my gift to myself.

My parents freaked when I told them I bought a house. They didn’t understand. It didn’t fit into their plan, their perfect plan for their perfect daughter. In their world the man buys the house. I don’t have a man though, and I was tired of being the prodigy, the perfect child. I wanted to live for me. So I went and bought a house.

I smile as I roll up the back of the U-Haul and start unloading the first box. The first of many, it’s going to be a long day. I smile when I walk into the house. Decorated in a contemporary colonial style, I feel at home when I walk into the door.

I put down the first box, and head put for the second. I do this probably over 100 times. I don’t stop unloading the truck until 8:00. I have been going non-stop since 11 this morning. I get to work blowing up the air mattress I bought, that will be my make shift bed until I finish my bedroom. All I want to do is fall into bed, but I know I can’t do that.

I have to first take a shower and then second eat. I have to have strength to finish unloading the truck tomorrow, so I can start on the bedroom. Before I do that I am going to call a landscaper to do the work I need done outside. Pulling the veins off of the house, and trying to save that weed-bed of a garden outside, when he’s done I can then call a painter to paint the outside of the house.

I have a lot to do, but first things first I need a shower, pronto. With my make shift bed blown up, I head to the bathroom downstairs to shower. It’s semi-finished. The shower is finished, it has tile, it has a toilet, and a sink. The only thing left is… well paint and a tub.

I get in the shower, and relish in the warmth of the water.  I sigh as I lean back to let it cascade down my head. After standing under the water entirely too long, I finally do what I need to do. I wash my hair, and my body. I sigh when I turn the water off, and am met my coldness. I shiver as I get out and dry my body off.

I slap myself for not bringing any clothes with me. I towel dry my long brown hair and open the door setting out to get warm, clean, dry clothes. I head into the living room, and I pull out some clothes when I hear someone knocking on the door. I wrap my towel tighter around my body as I go and answer it.

I expect to see one of my female neighbors who waved to me earlier. You know those friendly neighbors who cook you a casserole to welcome you to the neighborhood. I swing open the door, and my mouth drops open in surprise.