Davis was really good at keeping his promise that I would sleep well last night. It really was a good sleep. Plus, it was so nice of him for letting me take a quite bit larger bedroom than his. The bed is bigger than mine in Detroit. It's a queen size.
I get up, stretch up, and take a deep breath. Feel really good. I felt like I haven't slept in a week and last night was the paid-off. I walk towards the small window seat that was installed right in front of my bed, with three small square cushions settled on it. A broken white lace rolled-up curtain brings cuteness to this corner. Even though the cuteness thing is not so me, somehow, I like it.
The fresh air directly filled up my room as I slide up the window. From here, I can see the woods right away. And it's not that creepy at all when I look into it in the morning like this, or maybe it's noon already. Beautiful. We can say that this window seat is the perfect place for reading books, breakfast banquette, daydreaming, and till fall asleep. It would be so relaxing by doing those things while observing outdoors. Moreover, it's surrounded by a silent environment.
As I looked down, I just realized there were lots of dry leaves scattered in the yard. Surely it was coming from lots of trees around here. And Mr. Fulton must not have a lot of time and energy for taking care of it. Oh, one more thing that I just realized as I scanned the yard, I couldn't find the car anywhere. Probably, Davis has left already. I sighed. Okay, this is it. What should I do right now? Well, maybe cleaning out the yard is a good choice for the first move.
How didn't I notice last night that these staircases have a unique design? It's wooden float steps. I stared at it while I went downstairs. As I reached the kitchen, my gaze fixed on the dining table, especially on the folded paper with something written on it. I open it and then read it in a low voice.
'Dear sleeping rebel, sorry for leaving you this early on your first Healy day. You know, a job's calling. But don't worry about your tummy's problem, there is bread. You know how to make bread toast, don't you? See you at lunch ... or dinner'.
'Sleeping rebel'? What the heck is that mean? Is that kind of another name for sleeping beauty? And how old am I was he thinking of that I don't know how to make a toast? It's just as simple as you just putting the slice of bread into the toaster, waiting for minutes, then it's ready to eat. I'm not going to burn this house down just by making bread toast, though. I rolled my eyes and toss out the paper.
Anyway, I still wanted to explore every corner of this house since last night, I didn't have any energy for that. This kitchen carries a certain rustic warmth and uses a neutral color scheme, which is brown, the original color of the wood. The walls, ceiling, kitchen cabinets, also dining table sets, all are made of wood. A maroon refrigerator adds a splash of color to this traditional kitchen. I love the part where the window which is placed on the side of the counter can be opened as wide as we need and connected to the backyard. We can use this fairly wide window frame like a bar table from the outside. Indeed, this design brings some comfort and freshness.
Then, I headed into the living room which was separated only by the door frame of the kitchen. It's a rustic living room. Cozy, comfortable, and welcoming. It brings the traditional to modern and chic. I think it is made of materials such as weathered wood beams and stones for the fireplace. What an impressive floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The comfort factor adds by a perfect seating arrangement which consists of a comfortable couch, cozy curl-up-in chair, and a coffee table where we could play board games or put snacks on it. The paint color and accessories are all in a relaxing neutral color. The installed large window in this living room invites the outdoors in. It definitely made the room shine even more. It's full of warmth and greens pulled straight from nature.
Ding!
My eyes widened in shock as I heard that weird sound. Was that the doorbell? Yes, I guess. But who is that anyway? I haven't met anyone else but Mr. Fulton since last night. Well, maybe it's him. I walked toward the front door to greet whoever is coming to this house.
"Hi! Good morning, Ms. Bloom. I'm Gloria Hudson. Your neighbor." A middle-aged woman with a friendly smile said as soon as I opened the door. Seeing her sincere smile made me smile automatically.
"Oh, hi! Mrs. Hudson. I'm Delilah." I politely stuck out my hand. But that woman couldn't return my handshake due to there is something in her hands. Smells so good anyway. Okay, this is awkward.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Here." She handed me a big oval plate, looks like it was still hot. "My daughter and I made this apple pie this morning just for you. Hope you like it." She smiled at the end of her sentence.
An apple pie, hmm, definitely something I can't refuse. "Thank you. It's very nice of you, Mrs. Hudson. I love it." Seemed like I couldn't cover up my happy face. How can I not? My tummy is growling by its smell only.
"Actually, you can call me Gloria. It will familiarize us more."
"Oh, sure, Gloria. Umm, would you like to come inside? Although it's still a bit messy inside, there is a place for us to chat." Here, I'm trying to be a friendly neighbor. Even though I didn't really like it to get strangers into the house. I'm not good at small talk, though.
"Well, thank you for your offer, but unfortunately I have to hurry to get back home. I can't leave my daughter alone at home for long." Thank goodness.
I frowned, to make my fake disappointed face look real. "Oh, too bad. Maybe you can ask her to come with you next time, Gloria. So that we can get to know each other."
"Yeah, sure. Or you can just come to my place. It's about two houses from here. There, the dark brown one." She pointed at a house that, although a little far away, could still be seen from here.
I followed her index finger toward the house and said, "Sure, I will."
"Well, I'm glad to know you, Delilah. See you next time."
"Nice to meet you, Gloria. And thank you again for this delicious thing."
"You are welcome, Delilah. Enjoy." We exchanged the friendliest smiles before waving our hands.
I feel a little embarrassed by having this apple pie in my hand. Shouldn't I as a newcomer here deliver to the neighbors as a sign of warmth introduction? I'm going to tell Davis and talk about what we're going to do for our neighbors later. The important thing right now is that I can enjoy this apple pie alone. What a great time. Don't worry Davis, you'll still get your pie later. But, not as much as I would eat. A wicked smile flashed on my face.
Finish with the business of my growling tummy, I walked out. Now I have more energy to clean this yard covered in dry leaves. With this quite big broom that resembles a witch's, let's get this started! I rolled up my sleeves and start to sway the broom. I have no intention of finishing it today, but at least my yard would become more decent to glance at. It never occurred to me that sweeping the yard could be such a fun thing. I feel that way because of the supportive environment that invites calm and freshness. Besides, I don't really have meaningful activities in my boring daily life. Therefore, this could be such a new thing.
Forty minutes have passed, and I feel a bit of pain in my palms which may have been caused by the long enough firm grip on the broom handle. Apparently, this broom is quite heavy. I found that my palms became red as I released the handle. Maybe it's time to take some rest. After all, the yard looks cleaner for now. A pride-of me-smile flashed on my lips. You did a good job, Delilah. I know it sounds too much, but there's a certain satisfaction inside of me. Certainly, it was a really rare activity for me to have. And Davis must be glad to know this. I giggled to myself.
"Geez!!"
My heartbeat kind of stopped for a second when I turned around and met pair of dark brown shoes right in front of me. It's just too close that made me shocked. I mean, how come this figure came this close to me without making any sounds? My eyes widened. Then I start scanning with a very slow-moving upward eyes ball.
Starting from the shoes, looks like it's a man's size. He's wearing black jeans, a navy plain shirt, and a black denim jacket in which the buttons are left open. His palms show that he has a pale skin tone. Our height difference, he's probably six feet while I'm five feet and six inches, made me have to slightly look up to get to his face area.
Oh, man! I gulped when my scan ended on his face.
The man who's standing in front of my face right now absolutely has a gorgeous face with that sharp jawline. The shiny medium-length dark brown hair that styled in naturally messy and pulled back, which seemed like he only used his beautiful fingers to tousle it gently, made him just that perfect. I can't help but my mouth slightly open as I met those warm but sharp brown eyes. I'm fascinated. Beautiful. Then he flashes a small smile on his red lips. More beautiful. Is it getting hotter in here or is it just me?
"Hello, neighbor."