The Artist's Amour (BWWM) ✓

Chapter 2: The House

I was awakened by a beam of light coming through the window and ever so gracefully blinding my eyes. Mother Nature: 1, Aria: 0. I groaned to myself as I regrettably pulled my body up from under the soft cotton sheets. I felt something sticky on my face as my fingers went up and slowly peeled away a fake eyelash from my cheek. Classy Aria, very classy. I slid myself out of bed and grabbed a towel from the suitcase before making my way out of the bedroom into the hallway. There was a series of doors I had to try before I found the bathroom. As I entered, I looked around the beautifully lit room. The bathroom was something out of a movie. The walls and bathtub were made of marble stone and the floor was concrete tile.

I waddled into the room, towel in hand as I approached the shower.

"Moment of truth." I whispered to myself as my hand reached out and turned the knob. Water shot out of the overhead faucet and fell into the drain. "Oh thank Jesus." I breathed out, releasing the breath I didn't even notice I had held in until now. I reached back and tied my braids away from my face before pulling my sweater over my head and shimmying out of the leggings I had. I stepped in and opened the bar soap I had snagged with the towel as I stood under the warm water and began to wash myself clean.

~

After the shower, I threw on some minimal makeup and a pair of ripped jeans with another large knit sweater. This would have to do, I decided as I slid my boots back on and grabbed a notepad from the suitcase.

"Alrighty, time to make a list," I spoke to myself. "I need: new bedspread, food, cleaning supplies, and a job." I spoke to myself, writing everything down. I had decided to do the interior cleaning first then work on the exterior along with the reprinting of the walls. In order for me to afford everything and still have a place to live, I was going to need a job. And fast. I reached into my suitcase pouch and pulled out the envelope of money I had. I had about 3,800 saved, which was enough to hold me off for a while, but not forever.

I slid some bills out from the envelope and tucked the rest into the suitcase before grabbing the keys and heading downstairs. The house seemed less creepy and more alive with the rays of sun lighting up the area. "Oh! And light bulbs, we need lightbulbs." I noted to myself as I opened the front door and turned the lock before closing it again. The town was only about a 10 minute drive further down the road, so it wasn't all that horrible. I unlocked the car and got in, reversing it back onto the road before continuing down the tarmac.

The town came into view almost instantly as I pulled the rental off onto the side of a street. The place was lively and littered with people going too and from shoppes and cafés... Coffee. I most definitely needed a coffee machine. I headed into the hardware store the was directly in front of me and was greeted by a short stalky man in plaid button down and some worn jeans.

"Well well, looks like we've got ourselves a visitor!" The man chirped, greeting me with a large smile as I entered. I smiled back at him, nodding kindly as I walked towards the front of the counter. The mans face was handsome for his age, he looked to be around the late 50's.

"What brings you here, m'lady?" The man asked, his smile growing. I couldn't help but crack a grin.

"I moved here last night actually, turns out my living arrangement isn't exactly the most ideal so I was hoping I could grab some tools here to fix the place up a bit?" I replied, taking a look around the store.

"Oh perfect! What were you looking for?" The man asked, making his way around the table. He was around my height, maybe 5'6ish though as I stood at 5'7.

"Well, I tried to turn on the lights last night and there was a spark, so definitely some new light bulbs." I nodded, following the man.

"Spark you say? You might want to check your electrical post love." He replied, slowing down to look back at me.

"But I took a shower this morning just fine?" I replied, confused. He chuckled gently to himself before he continued.

"The shower is heated by gas, not electricity." He explained, walking further down another isle. I internally face palmed as I continued to follow him.

"It's okay though, lucky for you, I know a guy."

"Oh, you know a guy?" I asked, smiling slightly but this mans fun personality.

"Yep! He's not much, but he's handy with a tool belt. I can send him over later this week if you leave me your address. My names Pete by the way." He nodded as he grabbed some lightbulb boxes from the shelf and handed them to me.

"Thanks Pete." I replied, smiling as we walked back towards the front to drop the boxes on the counter. "I'm Aria." I said, extending my hand to shake his.

"Well Aria, was there anything else I could grab ya?"

"How about some cleaning supplies?" I asked, as he jumped into gear, leading me back down a different isle.

"This one will help clean your bathroom," he said, handing me a bottle, "this ones for floor and walls, "he handed me another bottle, "and this one is all purpose for anything else you might need to clean."

"Thank you." I replied, bringing the three bottles up to the counter. Pete began to ring up as I write the address to the home I was at. When he finished, I handed him the note along with some cash.

"Jesus Christ, who the hell bestowed upon you the Old Creek?" Pete asked, as he glanced at the address.

"Old Creek?" I asked, as he handed me my change.

"Yeah. This house is a nail away from collapsing." Pete replied.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I replied, shaking my head.

"How about this, you let my Son help you fix that place so I can sleep easy, yeah?" He asked, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I couldn't possibly have him do that." I replied, shaking my head.

"How about, you buy all your materials here and not at Milly's across the street, and I'll give you a half off deal on my son." He offered. I chuckled, nodding back at him as I decided a second hand wouldn't be too bad.

"Would you happen to know if there's any place hiring?" I asked him, hoping to kill two birds with one stone here.

"Actually, I do believe the elementary further downtown has some positions available if you're interested. My grandson goes there." Pete replied, writing down the address.

"Thank you!" I yelled over my shoulder as I headed out the shop with the supplies in one hand and the address in the other.

Time to get hired, I thought to myself as I pulled out from the side of the street and headed in the direction of the school.