What should I wear? I don’t want to wear something that makes me look like a total geek, but I don’t want to look like I’m trying to impress him. Ariel fretted in front of her mirror. It is a study session for Pete’s sake. We’ve had plenty of those, and I never really felt the need to dress up… But this time, it’s at his house, and its one of those large fancy houses on Marine Drive, so I don’t want to look like a slob. On the other hand, I don’t want Joe to get the wrong ideas if I dress up. Ariel fell on her bed.
“It’s hopeless!”
“Ari?” Mir poked her head into the living room. There basement only have one small closet size room, and Ariel insisted Mira take it. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah,” Ariel groaned from her bed.
“What’s wrong?” Mira flopped down on Ariel’s bed, nearly causing her to fall off, “if you get me up at seven on a Saturday morning, there has better be a good reason.”
Dejectedly, Ariel explained.
Miranda screamed.
“Mira!”
“Oh my gosh! Ariel has her first crush!”
“It is NOT my first crush! I’ve liked over people before.”
“Fine, fine, but it’s your first crush in like the last 3 years, this is a cause for celebration.’
“Why should I celebrate? I can’t like him, since we move around so much. I don’t know when or where we’ll move to next, and we have to ‘disappear’, and I don’t want to go away feeling like a total wreck because of something that wouldn’t work out in the first place.”
“Ari. Come on. Don’t worry about that. Live in the moment. Carpe Diem, remember? I know you; if you like Joe enough to admit it, then you must like him quite a bit, so why not make a move?”
“When have I ever said Carpe Diem? And have you seen Joe? Girls fall over themselves trying to get him to notice them. I’m not gorgeous, I don’t stand a chance.”
“Regardless Ari, give it a try. You are gorgeous, you just don’t know it, and you’re so much more than just a pretty face. I can go on for an hour talking about what you’re good at.”
“Only an hour?” Ariel joked.
“Glad to see you’re humble as usual,” Miranda said sarcastically, “get up, we’re going to doll you up.”
Amid Ariel’s loud protests and many compromises, Miranda accomplished her task.
—————————–
“I can’t believe Mira talked me into wearing high heels.” Ariel muttered to herself. “Note to self Ariel, never wear high heels on public transit in the middle of the winter.”
Ariel looked down on her attire. Mira had dressed her in a simple form-hugging white sweater with dark skinny jeans and high heel boots. A silver chunky necklace around her neck completes the look. Because it’s raining, like it always is, Ariel wore her waterproof trench coat on top.
Ariel quickly walked up to the gate and pushed the door bell. Joe’s house is extremely large, and he has one of those electronic door opening systems.
“Ariel?” Joe asked over the intercom.
“Yup, could you open the door? It’s cold.”
The door buzzed and opened, Ariel walked in, and almost groaned out loud when she realized how far the gate is from the house. Clutching her trench coat closer, she carefully walked up to the house’s door. Joe really does have a cool house. From the front, it appeared as though the entire house was made of glass. The window panes are tinted, so people could not see in. The house seemed to have three stories, with the top and bottom layer slightly bigger than the middle, somewhat resembling a sandwich. The roof was domed and also made of glass; Ariel thought she saw plants underneath it. That’s funny Ariel, the only person with a greenhouse on their roof is Nana, and she’s been dead for years. You need to stop hallucinating.
Joe was waiting for Ariel at the font door; he practically pulled her in and slammed the door shut.
“Hey.” Joe smiled.
“Hey yourself.” Ariel smiled back as she took her trench coat and boots off.
“You look good.”
“Are you implying that I normally don’t?” Ariel teased. “Where should I put my coat?”
“In the closet. And you need to stop twisting my words Ari.”
Ariel slipped her coat on a hanger and hanged it up in the over sized closet. “I’m just teasing. You have a very nice house.”
“Thank you. It’s very…”
“Groovy.”
“Groovy?” Joe looked surprised.
“What?”
“You don’t seem the type of person to say the word ‘groovy’.”
Ariel smirked, “you of all people should know not to judge a book by its cover.”
“What’s that suppose to mean?”
“Figure it out.”
Before Joe had a chance to say anything else, Mike called out from the kitchen.
“Could you two love birds get in here?”
Joe blushed.
Ariel almost did. She raised her eye brows at Joe and walked into the kitchen. “Love birds?”
“Yeah.” Mike was sitting around the Island near the middle of the room. “I’m here to study, not watch you two flirt.”
“Really,” Ariel was sceptical, “I don’t think studious is how anyone would describe you.”
Mike grinned, “It isn’t. But at least you two have stopped flirting.”
“Is that how you flirt with girls Mike?” Ariel joked.
“Nope,” Mike grinned. “But that is how Joe flir- ow!”
Joe smiled beatifically and pretended he hasn’t pinched Mike, “can we start?”
Before Mike could get another word in, Joe opened up the accounting book and started talking at lightning speed. Poor Mike had no chance.
——————–
“I give up!” Mike tossed his accounting book in the air.
“Oh come on Mike, it’s really easy, you just do these-“
“Joe,” Ariel interrupted, “I have to agree with Mike. We’ve been studying for too long, and things don’t make sense anymore. Can we take a break?”
“Please?” Mike whined.
“Fine,” Joe leaned back in his chair, “My head is starting to hurt too. Does anyone want more coffee?”
“Yeah,” Mike pushed his mug over, “thanks.”
“Do you have hot chocolate?” Ariel asked.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Thanks.” Ariel pushed her mug over to him.
“Joe?” Mike asked.
“Yeah?” Joe asked while brewing coffee.
“You should show Ariel the greenhouse.”
Ariel’s year perked up, “Greenhouse?”
“Yeah,” Mike answered, “Joe’s got this great greenhouse on his roof. It’s really cool, he’s got all sorts of plants in it.”
“I didn’t figure you to be a gardener Joe.”
“I’m not, my mom is; she really loves that garden.”
“Why?”
“My grandmother’s friend had a greenhouse on their roof. Mom and Dad got married in it, and so when my parents had this house built, Melissa designed on for her.”
“Melissa?” No way.
“My mom’s friend.”
Nana? It can’t be. There are no other greenhouse gardens in the world like Nana’s…
“Can I see it?” Ariel asked.
“Sure, I’ll take you up there.”
—————————
God. It is Nana’s garden… Ariel started to get emotional. No way. How? Nana never mentioned she designed another greenhouse garden. The one at her house was designed by her and put together by her and Granddad, why would she design a second one?
“Ariel?” Joe waved his hand in front of Ariel’s face.
“Yes,” Ariel stopped her daydreaming. “This garden reminds me of the one that my Nana used to have.”
“Really?”
Ariel nodded. “The lady that designed this, she must have really liked your mom.”
“I don’t know about that, but my mom was very fond of her. Mom was an orphan, her parents died when she was very young, and Mom grew up in an orphanage in Kitchener, that’s in Ontario by the way. Melissa was one of the volunteers at the orphanage and she was very kind to my mother. She supported my mother financially for University, which allowed her to get a B.Com. and become an entrepreneur. She has a very successful career.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, according to Mom, she and Melissa’s son were engaged. Except they were more like siblings, and then they both met people they really love, so that didn’t happen.”
“Really? What was the name of the Melissa’s son?” It can’t be Dad… can it?
“Matthew.”
It is Dad. Wow.
“Why did you ask?”
“Just curious. So how did Melissa feel about your mom marrying someone else?”
“She was a little disappointed, but she really liked my Dad and Uncle Matthew’s wife, so she was happy. They had a double wedding in Melissa’s garden.”
I didn’t know Mom and Dad got married in Nana’s garden….
“Really?”
“Yeah, but then Mom had a fallout with Melissa’s family when I was not even a year old I think. She said it was over something stupid, but Mom’s really stubborn, so she didn’t try to get in contact with Melissa’s family until 5 or 6 years ago. Unfortunately, they moved, so we don’t know where they are anymore.”
“That’s a shame. How do you know this so well?”
“Mom constantly talked to me about it. She feels really bad, and I guess after hearing it so much, I remember it really well.”
“Do you know if your Uncle Matthew had any children?”
“I don’t know. Mom never mentioned any children.”
“Oh.” Ariel sighed in relief. Good, he doesn’t know about me.
“You’re curious.”
“It just sounds like a wonderful story. Both my parents died when Mira and I were young, and we have no other family. So it’s just us.”
“Oh. That sucks.”
“I know. I miss my parents.” Ariel smiled wistfully, then teasingly. “Do you think we should go down stairs before Mike jumps to the wrong conclusion again?”
Joe laughed, but inside he felt a bit disappointed, “That’s probably a good idea.”
