Silver Currents of Change

Chapter 34

In early June, Zarah was living in her own home. In Jackson. One she paid for herself. The day she moved in, Harvey surprised her with a brand new car and told her she wouldn't hurt his feelings if she refused it, but he really wanted her to have it. She loved it and planned to keep it. It was a brand new, pearlescent white 2008 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. He knew she wasn't materialistic, and that made buying stuff for her a lot more fun. Unlike his wife, Zarah would never define who she was based on any material thing she owned. The car, he told her, was a replacement for the used white Honda CRV that got smashed when the treetop fell on it. She never replaced it, so, with her permission, he parked the Porsche in the garage next to the red Mercedes gift that she returned before moving to California. Knowing how much she loved the convertible, he insisted on keeping it as her company car, and she drove it until she went to Malibu. At her request, while her mother was visiting, he took the Mercedes back to Wilson Publishing and parked it in her reserved space at work.

By late June, her mother and aunt had come and gone after staying  for two weeks. They had a lot of fun reconnecting—cooking, shopping, talking, and just catching up on each other's lives. Hilda was proud to show her sister how well her baby was doing working as an editor, writer, and publishing consultant for WPI. Buying her own home, her Aunt Liz said, was a good move for a modern young woman. It was the way of smart working girls, to be self-supporting before settling down. That way, her aunt said, she'd never have to "settle" for any man she didn't love, just to get by.

Casa de Brion, as Harvey called it, was located on a cul de sac called Strawberry Circle in a nice area of West Jackson, fairly close to Jackson City University. It was near enough to be a short drive for her, if or when she ever decided to teach classes at her alma mater, and it was still far enough away to be in a real neighborhood, not a low-rent district designed for students. An old neighborhood with stately homes and well-kept lawns, it hinted of old money, Southern charm, and refined gentility. It was a great location because it provided a straight shot into downtown Jackson where Zarah worked, and she didn't have to get on any major thoroughfares to get there.

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The home was a renovated, three-thousand-square-foot ranch, with four bedrooms and four full, and one half baths. Zarah saw it as another blessing. Another fabulous home she got to live in, with another fabulous kitchen, and another beautiful and spacious layout—all the things she loved about their Malibu home, minus the ocean, the beach, and the canyon views.

Harvey tried to get her to change her mind, but she insisted on paying for it herself, in cash. She didn't want to be bothered with a mortgage. Realizing she was dead set on what she was doing, her man assured her it was a good investment. Before she even saw it, he convinced her to let him have it restored and renovated, from top to bottom, with no expense spared. When she moved in, it had a new roof, new paint, new windows, and beautifully restored hardwood floors throughout. The designers he hired added carefully selected lighting and Persian rugs in the living and family rooms, but left the rest of house empty. Except for built-in dressers and drawers of all kinds, it was Zarah's canvass, just waiting on her to decorate and fill it with things she loved. While making the home her own, she converted one of the bedrooms into a dance and exercise studio with mirrors installed all around, from floor to ceiling. In that room, she added dance rails, mood lighting, and a built-in Bose stereo system with surround sound. It was a special room, a retreat where she could spend countless hours working out frustrations, keeping in shape, and just enjoying something she would always love—dancing. Although she splurged on the dance studio, she promised Harvey she wouldn't get too carried away furnishing it. They agreed it was a temporary residence, and their plan was for her to sell it and to move in with him after he was free.