the girl in the green house » david dobrik au

one

LUELLA DIXIE EMMERSON

I forced myself out of bed a little past ten, knowing my mother would be talking if I stayed in any longer than that. She was very particular about everything I did, even though it was the start of summer vacation and my last summer before I went off to Yale for college. I deserved to sleep in a bit. She didn't see it that way. Being up late made you look sloppy, and Emmerson's were not sloppy people.

You see, we came from old money. The kind of money that would seemingly never go away... as long as we acted as we were supposed to. My dad was the type to have a sweater always tied over the shoulders of his button up, and my mom never left the house without a dress, heels and a fancy sun hat.

If I even considered leaving my bedroom in anything other than real clothes, I'd be in trouble. The only time I was spared the judgment was if I went to the gym, which meant I went every single day.

I did a lot of different things every single day. I went to the farmer's market to get fresh raspberries everyday, went to get a coffee everyday, went to the river everyday to sit and eat. My mother always allowed me to, as long as I was back by dinner and my dress, hair, and makeup stayed in pristine condition.

Our gym was in our house. After my mother realized I was using the gym as an excuse to leave the house, she bought every piece of gym equipment she could find and put it into one of the old guest bedrooms. We had enough to spare, she said. She wanted me to be happy, she said. My father would never dream of telling her no, so it happened.

That just meant I had to find a new task to do everyday. And thus, my raspberries, coffee, and river routine. Every single day, like clockwork. If I wasn't in the farmer's market laughing with Betsy Brinkman by noon, she'd probably call the police and report me missing.

This day was different. It was late May and just getting hot in Alabama. I didn't even want to do my hair, so I pulled it back in a braid. I really didn't want to wear my dress, but I did. Riding my bike in a dress was always worrisome, but leaving the house in pants never failed to make my mother angry, so I did what I had to do.

I had a light sheen of sweat at the end of my five or so minute ride to the farmer's market, but once I walked inside, the frigid building cooled me down immediately. I thought it was business as usual, until I saw him.

I had never seen him before, which never happened in Calhoun, Alabama. Still, his face looked like I knew him. He looked away immediately when I made eye contact, but that didn't stop me from approaching him. "Hey."

His eyes met mine, and an awkward smile grew on his face. He replied, "Um, hey."

His voice was the opposite of a Southern accent. I didn't know exactly where he was from, but it sure as hell wasn't here.

"What are you doing in Calhoun?" I asked.

"My, um, grandma. I'm staying with my grandma. She lives here."

"What's her name?"

"Maude. Maude Dobrik."

"The tailor?" my eyes lit up, and he slowly nodded, like he wasn't sure if he should be talking to me. "I love her. Sweet woman. What's your name?"

"I'm David. What's yours?"

"People call me Lulu," I told him. "My friends call me Lulu."

"What's your real name?" he cocked his head ever so slightly to the side.

"You just call me Lulu," I repeated with a light smile. "Me and my friends are meeting at Big Creek Park tonight, if you want to come. I'm guessing you don't know anyone here."

"I don't," he said. "And I don't know where that is."

"Do you have a car?" I asked, and he nodded. "Great. Have you seen the big green house? The really big one on the hill?"

"Yeah, I know that house."

"Great," I smiled. "Park at the bottom of that hill tonight at ten o'clock. I'll come meet you, okay?"

"Um, okay."

"Great," I said again. "Well, I'll let you go. See you tonight."

"Yeah, uh..." and once again the awkward smile found its way onto his face. "See you tonight."

I giggled to myself as he walked away. People that seemed nervous around me usually had the right to be; my family was without a doubt the richest and most important in all of Calhoun, but David didn't know that. He just seemed shy, which I found endearing.

After picking up my little basket of raspberries, I found Betsy standing behind the cash register, an excited and all knowing smile on her face. I saw her eyebrows raise as I approached, and she said, "You got yourself a little boyfriend, Lu?"

"No," I giggled, glancing back at the closing door that David was now leaving out of. "He's new in town. I told him we could be friends."

"He was blushing. Probably thinks you're just the cutest little thing he's ever seen," she teased. "It's 8.50, dear."

I handed her the ten, and told her to keep the change, as always. The pound of raspberries I bought every day were looking perfectly ripe, and I was more than excited. "I don't know if he was blushing. He's probably nervous. Seems like he's from the north. He doesn't understand southern hospitality yet."

"And you're going to show him?" her eyes glimmered with humor, and I rolled mine in return. "Roll your eyes at me again, and I'll call Margaret and tell her her daughter's caught an attitude."

"She'd believe it," I laughed. "But I know you'd never do that to me. You'd lose your most loyal customer."

"And I'd never get to see your pretty face again," she slid the basket closer to me. "You be safe out there, Lulu. And don't get into too much trouble with the new boy."

"I'll try. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, wait, tomorrow's Sunday. I'll see you Monday."

I took my berries and biked over to the diner, where I stopped to get a coffee. Berries were easy to keep steady in the bike basket, but coffee was a different story. Luckily, the diner was only a five or so minute walk from the park I went to sit at, so I usually just parked my bike outside and walked.

I sometimes brought a book or played on my phone, but today I just sat, staring at the water rushing over the rocks. The sun beat down on me, and I ended up putting my feet in to cool down.

There was only one thing on my mind: God, I couldn't wait to get the fuck out of Calhoun.

hmmm let me know let me know what u all think i felt ~inspired~ today lmao

Xoxo abby