Page 2 of Where We Found Our Home
After my nap yesterday, I spent the rest of the day unpacking. Once I got started, it was easy to get everything put away. It’s not like there was much to unpack. Just my clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies, my laptop, some photos, and my books.
My couch, bed, and TV are all supposed to be delivered tomorrow, so I decided today I would explore my new city. I haven’t written anything for my book in two weeks, so hopefully some good old-fashioned people watching will inspire me. I throw on a red T-shirt bodysuit, jean shorts, and my red Chucks. I grab my laptop bag and go through my normal security routine before heading out.
I live in downtown Austin, so there are a lot of places around me, but I don’t feel comfortable walking around the city alone so I‘m going to drive. I probably won’t go far, but I’d rather have my car close to me in case I need to make a getaway. My first stop is 2nd Street District. When I first decided to move here, all my Google searches said that 2nd Street District had everything you could possibly need from retail to restaurants and entertainment. Google was not wrong. This place is incredible. I’ve already discovered a few restaurants I want to try and a few clothing stores where I know I can get into a lot of trouble.
I’m observing a statue of Willie Nelson when the smell of fresh baked goods draws me to a small coffee shop called Sasha’s. My nose tells me I need to go in there. The outside has a modern feel to it, but the inside is bursting with color. The walls, the counter, and the tables are a sleek white, but the chairs are all bright colors. It looks like a rainbow threw up, but…it works. Everything flows together beautifully. I feel immediately relaxed and happy being here.
There are a few people scattered throughout the shop, but none of them are paying me any attention. I like it here. A little girl is perched at one of the hightops coloring, in her own little world.
Behind the counter, there’s a gorgeous black woman who eyes me curiously. Her hair is in a big, wild, curly fro that I envy. She has on white jeans with a striped, multicolored shirtdress and large gold hoop earrings. There’s a tall white woman working with her. She’s wearing her chestnut hair in a messy bun, sporting blue jeans with a bright yellow racerback tank top, and is busy making some sort of latte.
I walk up to the counter, and the black woman greets me with a warm smile. “Hi there, welcome to Sasha’s. I’m Sasha.” I’m not surprised given that her colorful outfit matches the aesthetic of the whole place. I wonder if wearing bright colors is required for all employees. “What can I get for you?”
I take a quick look at the menu. “Hi, Sasha, can I have a large caramel brûlée macchiato, please?”
“No problem. Is that for here or to go?”
“Here, please.” This is as good a place as any to try to get some writing done.
I pay for my drink, and Sasha tells me to pick a seat and she’ll bring it over. I decide to sit at one of the booths so I’ll have enough room to spread out. I pull out my laptop and bend down to plug it into the outlet. When I come back up, I nearly trip Sasha and then marvel at the fact that the macchiato is in an actual mug instead of a paper cup. That’s adorable.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Here’s your macchiato. I’m not sure if you like it or have any allergies, but I brought you over a banana nut muffin too. You looked like you could use an extra pick-me-up.”
Holy shit, how did she guess my favorite muffin? And why is she so nice? It unnerves me.
Calm down. Some people are just nice. Don’t make it weird.
“Wow, that’s so nice of you. I love banana nut. Thanks.”
“No problem. You new around here?”
Oh Lord. That question again. It makes me uncomfortable but not in the same way my creepy neighbor did. Sasha seems like one of those women that if you aren’t careful, she can get you to spill all your secrets. She’s one of those people you just want to share with. I don’t need that in my life right now.
“How’d you know?”What? Why did I say that? Don’t engage. See, this is exactly what I mean.
“You just seem…never mind.” Now she has my attention.
“Wait, just seem what?” She looks in my eyes, and I don’t see pity, but there’s understanding there.
“Lost.” Damn. Yeah, definitely can’t come back here. She’s another Brittany, seeing too much. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I want her to leave me alone, but for some reason I also want to reassure her. “No, it’s fine. I am new here. This is my second day in town.”
I wait for her to ask where I moved from and try to figure out how I’ll deflect that question or what lie I’ll tell, but to my surprise and delight that question never comes. “Well, welcome to Austin! I don’t know if you live around here. If so, you’ve probably already seen that there’s a lot to do downtown, but even if you go farther away from the city, there’s still so much to do and see. I think you’ll like it.”
My grin grows at the fact that she didn’t ask where exactly I live. She seems to pick up that I’m uncomfortable answering personal questions so she doesn’t push, but she’s still sweet. I didn’t even realize my shoulders had tensed up, but they relax the more she speaks.
“Thank you so much. I’m loving it so far.” Just then, the little girl I saw coloring walks over to us. Now that I really look at her, I’m positive that she’s Sasha’s daughter. She has the same curly hair—though hers is lighter than her mom’s—the same brown eyes, and the same smile. She looks to be around five, and she makes my ovaries hurt.
Kids are probably not in your future at this rate.
Thank you for the reminder. Jackass.
“Mommy, you making a new friend already?” Oh my goodness, her cuteness goes up three notches right then. Her voice is the epitome of innocence.
Sasha laughs and hugs her daughter. “Let me live, little girl.” She turns to me. “She’s always inserting herself into my conversations. This is my daughter, Nevaeh. Nevaeh, this is…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
Deep breath.“Ciara.”
