Chapter 6
In the basement of The Villa is a small and humid laundry room. Just off the courtyard on the east side and down a narrow and somewhat steep set of cement stairs sits the bleak little room. Now laundry is not exactly a fun project for anyone but even less so for a young man with "better things to do", thought David. But when there's a job to be done, just do it.
Making his way from his front door and down the second floor stairs, David was half way down when he realized he had forgotten his book. Things are already starting out well, he thought. Back up the stairs David went to fetch his book. Back down the stairs across the courtyard with a sad little feeling as he looked at the pool and thought, I could be swimming if I didn't have chores to do. He quickly repressed his negative thoughts as it does no good to whine about a job to be done. Just get it done. He would tell himself this throughout most of his laundry days.
As David descended the stairs he was surprised at how steep they were. He thought that odd for an apartment building, even a bit dangerous. He was startled when he began to have concerned feelings for Frank, thinking that an older gentleman might have a hard time going up and down this steep, narrow pathway. Well, David thought, he may not be much of a friend but he's the only guy I know in The Villa so far. Did I actually just think him a gentleman, ha ha?
The laundry room was not what one would call an inviting locale. The Villa is a reasonably nice place but they must have spent most of the money on the courtyard because not much went in here, thought David. It was wall-to-wall cement and small, almost claustrophobic. A dingy combination odor of mold and dirt along with a lack of paint on the walls made it feel more like a dungeon than a cleansing place for clothes. Buck up, David scolded himself; laundry is a job not a walk in the park.
David, the planner, had his laundry routine down to a fine art. With the goal of wasting no time and risking no extra effort in this tedious weekly task, David would follow his routine and keep his mind in his book. It goes by quicker if I go through the motions physically but keep my mind on other things, he thought to himself.
First the colors; always colors first to check the water, to ensure the water is clear and dirt free. Dirty water won't always ruin your colored clothes, but it will quickly taint your whites, so it's colors first. David completed his beginning laundry routine and left his colored clothes to soak. Assessing the water for a minute he did the same with his whites and as they began to soak he sat down on the one little bench in the room and opened his book with a deep sigh. Ah, almost half way home, thought David.
It was only a few minutes of reading when David heard a faint sound coming from the top of the stairs. His first thought was maybe Amy saw me come down here and she's coming to say hello; or maybe just to do her own laundry. This gave David a positive upbeat feeling. But that feeling was whisked away quickly when he wondered if possibly Frank saw him come down here and was coming to give him more advice. Best to just relax and what will be will be. David decided to convince himself of this in a feeble attempt at repose.
As he heard the footsteps slowly begin to descend the stairs David closed his book and sat it on his lap. As the first foot came into sight just below the upper door frame he realized it was neither Amy nor Frank. Sensible shoes, David thought. An older lady's sensible shoes, not flats but not heels with good support. The kind you could wear all day and have something left to stand in the kitchen over a stove in the evening.
As the ladies progression down the stairs continued David was to notice the remainder of the attire. A pair of white socks pulled up about half calf but covered a bit by a long flowing dress with a nice flower pattern; not a summer dress really but nice for summer, thought David. A little heavy set with a sturdy foundation carrying a small basket, filled to the rim, with clothes. A time weathered but truly attractive face with medium gray hair. David thought, not white yet, just gray.
When Miss Donna realized she would not be alone in the laundry room today she flashed a gentle and caring smile David's way along with a hearty hello. "Why hey honey, how you doin' today," asked Miss Donna as if she were talking to one of her own grandchildren?
"Oh fine ma'am, and you," replied David with a grin in return?
"You know I'm great today hon. It's another beautiful day here in Kentucky, it sure is," said Miss Donna, with a nice southern drawl, and really meaning it.
David's first impression of this lady was good. He already liked her. She seemed genuine and smart. He felt surprisingly comfortable with her already and wondered if she thought this was the palace rather than the laundry room dungeon he was seeing. Cheerful was the word that came to David's mind. Yes, she sure is cheerful; a nice change from my last conversation with a Villa tenant.
Miss Donna started her entire laundry together, as she only had colored clothes David noticed. After leaving her things to soak, she slowly turned towards David with a look someone might have when meeting an old friend they hadn't seen in years, and said "I'm Donna Amery, but everyone calls me Miss Donna".
"Hi Miss Donna, I'm David Kerr," replied David with a smile in return. He was very interested in her way. David thought she certainly has a grace about her; she seems to calm everything, slows all things down and brings them into her time. She's completely likeable and friendly.
David looked around the room remembering that there was only the one bench and he was on it. He slid over on the bench a bit as an invitation for her to join him on the hard wood seat. Miss Donna did, in fact rather than sit all the way at the other end of the bench as some people might do; she sat right up next to David. Now this would usually have made David feel uncomfortable; having someone he just met so close in his personal space. But with Miss Donna he felt perfectly fine and enjoyed the company without moving over a bit.
"You know I just love laundry day," said Miss Donna while watching her laundry soak.
"Wish I could join you in that love ma'am," David quickly replied with a downtrodden tone.
"Oh you don't like laundry huh, to me it's a day to clean up things and have a fresh new start; at least for a week anyway," said Miss Donna as if it were almost a religious experience for her.
"Well, I never really thought of it like that I guess, I see your point," said David.
"Oh David, I suppose everyday things gain more importance as you get older," surmised Miss Donna.
"Well if that means things get easier, or at least laundry day gets more enjoyable with time then I'm all for it," David said with a little laugh.
"Oh it does hon. Yah, it's the little things that matter. I always remember it's the little things," said Miss Donna.
David thought this a good outlook to have. He felt it somewhat matched his outlook on life. Not being a very material person he felt he had a pretty good grasp on what the important things were in life.
"Well David, I'd like to say welcome to The Villa, I've lived here oh about fifteen years now and I do enjoy it. I think you'll enjoy it too," said Miss Donna with a gentle smile and pleasant eye contact with David.
David turned a bit on the bench and took his book from his lap, setting it aside, and smiled a big grin at Miss Donna and said, "Why thank you Miss Donna, I believe I will too".
For about thirty more minutes small talk was the topic at hand. From pets, the pool, the great gazebos, the sun rises in Owensboro, to the quiet evenings at The Villa; Miss Donna and David hit it off well. They both knew they would be fast friends. As the small talk came to an end Miss Donna couldn't help but think to herself how when she tried to talk small with Frank he would usually say, "You'll never be big time if you're a small talker". It was nice for her to find someone who didn't mind a bit of conversation. One day she would change that Dr. Frank, she thought. Maybe he would be worth the effort, or maybe fixin' up the surliest tenant at The Villa was for the betterment of all.
"So David, tell me about yourself, where are you from, what brings you to Owensboro, what
're your hobbies and such," said Miss Donna truly wanting to know. David could sense this. She wasn't just waiting for her turn to talk. Miss Donna really had an interest in him. David appreciated this.
David provided Miss Donna with the normal generic background information provided to a new friend. He was polite, being short and concise and not seeming to be overly concerned with dominating the conversation with himself. David felt good about this and he hoped Miss Donna noticed it. She did and thought David to be mature beyond his years for it.
David did slow down a bit and take some time on his hobbies though. Love of music is less about me, he thought, and more about everyone, the world, the cosmos even. Miss Donna grasped this entirely.
"Oh I just love music David," Miss Donna gushed with a large smile. "Not to impose, but do you think you could play the violin for me sometime, I mean I love the piano too but there is just really something about the violin."
"Sure, what kind of music do you like," asked David?
"Well you know, people around here play the 'fiddle' rather than the violin and that means I hear a lot of country music, but I really like the classics myself," answered Miss Donna with an excited tone in her voice. "Classical music in the morning to get you going, and in the evening to put you down for the night, it's very soothing stuff."
"I feel the same way Miss Donna," David said quietly while taking a deep breath; as if taking in the thought of a fine classical piece.
David saw eye to eye with Miss Donna on this subject and appreciated someone with his taste in music. He didn't experience a great deal of folks while growing up in Virginia that liked the classics and didn't figure to find many in Kentucky either. This was a pleasant surprise.
"So, Miss Donna, tell me a bit about yourself," said David leaning back against the unpainted wall and crossing his legs, as if settling in to hear a nice story. Rather than go into great deal about her past Miss Donna chose to tell about her passion in life, her grandchildren.
Miss Donna resituated herself on the bench so she could make good eye contact with David and with a soft voice, as if telling a fairytale, she began.
"When I was a younger girl I made up my mind not to overlook things, but rather to appreciate all the little things in life. I made my mind up that a blue sky was happiness. You know if you want less you get more it seems. Happiness is a state of mind anyways, not an object to be bought or sold."
"When I had my children I certainly discovered that children aren't just the future they are the here and now. They are the spice of life. I found such joy and love with my kids. I couldn't imagine anything better. I didn't ask for anything better. When the Lord gave me grandchildren, I have four girls and three boys so far, I knew what true blessings were. Now it's not that having grandchildren is better than having children, it's just a bit different."
"How's that Miss Donna," asked David with a growing interest in her opinions.
"Well hon," continued Miss Donna with a grin on her face. "It's not as scary. When you have your kids you hope you do the right things. You hope you raise them proper, you set a good example, and you watch out for them and bring them up to be good folks. Even on your best day as a parent you fear making mistakes, or at least I did. So while I loved it, there was always a pause in my giddy up, kind of an uncertainty."
"I suppose you could say with grandchildren the practice is over and you're ready for the big game," said Miss Donna with a hearty laugh. "With grandchildren it just seems more natural. The mistakes you made with your children you've learned from and don't worry about making with the grandkids. It's not better than raising children but the difference is that you kind of know what you're doing now. Just don't seem to worry so much."
"I do love the grandchildren," said Miss Donna in a way that let David know she could go on for hours about them. "The Lord can give you lots of things in this world but grandchildren have been my favorite so far."
"That's sweet," said David as he reached over and touched the back of Miss Donna's hand. Miss Donna placed her other hand on top of his hand and said with a soft grin and a little tear in her eye, "Thanks hon".
"So how do you like the Villa so far David," asked Miss Donna feeling she had spent enough of the conversation on herself to this point?
"Oh I've really enjoyed it so far," replied David in a fairly noncommittal way, as if he had not made up his mind just yet.
"Well, give it some time," said Miss Donna with an understanding tone. "This old place tends to grow on you with time. I have a lot of good memories here."
"I'm sure it does. The courtyard is very nice," said David.
"Yes, it certainly is isn't it? The building itself isn't much to brag about, although the apartments themselves are really nice and clean, but the courtyard is something else. I've spent many afternoons reading out there in the gazebos and of course the grandchildren love the pool for birthday parties and such," Miss Donna said with a twinkle in her eye when she mentioned her grandchildren again.
"So The Villa's been good to you over the years then," asked David?
"Oh, yes there're a lot of good folks here and it's not too boring with all the different personalities. The rents really haven't gone up much, it's clean and they sure do take care of the courtyard." Miss Donna was looking up at the ceiling now and smiling as if she were remembering many good days here.
"Do people come and go a lot," asked David just to keep the conversation going.
"Oh, I spose we have a few each year that move in then move out fairly quickly but actually more stay for quite some time. That's good ya know. Kinda makes us all like a family here at The Villa; or at least a tight nit community anyways." Miss Donna got up and strolled over to her soaking clothes to check their progress. She also checked David's just as a favor. "They both look pretty well ready," she said to David while shaking her head up and down slowly.
David and Miss Donna finished up their laundry side by side, almost as if a team. Miss Donna worked slowly so she could remain company for David while he finished up his whites. David noticed this and appreciated it. She sure is a kind and polite person, he thought.
With a polite nice to have met you and parting, Miss Donna and David made their way back to their respective apartments. Miss Donna immediately felt she had made a new friend here at The Villa. She pretty much makes friends with everyone she meets. Miss Donna is the kind of person that if you don't like her, you probably don't like people in general. Something Frank should really think about, I think.
As David reached his apartment he began pondering the meeting with Miss Donna. Certainly more uplifting than his meeting with Frank earlier; Miss Donna was great. He wondered when they would meet again as he was already ready for another conversation or even just small talk with this wise kind lady. Yes, lady that's it. She's a lady, that's what makes her so gracious, David thought while smiling with basket in hand just inside his front door.
Shaking his head a little to bring himself back to the here and now he made his way to the bedroom to fold and store his clothes, but could not keep his mind off of the joy of having this new, and really first, friend here at The Villa. Why should he, he thought, it's good to have nice thoughts about folks. It's good to be happy.
Over dinner that evening David continued to think about when he might converse with Miss Donna again. Would they meet in the laundry room again, would they bump into each other at one of the gazebos with book in hand? He thought a lot about what Miss Donna might read. Being a bit of a book worm he was always interested in what others thought about books. What they read, recommended, enjoyed or disliked. There would be lots of new and exciting things to learn from, and about, Miss Donna. Just getting to know her would be a good experience, he thought.
He ended the evening with a calming thought. Miss Donna is so polite and inviting I can bump into her in the laundry room or I could simply go by her apartment to chat. She wouldn't mind that I'm sure of
it. Yes, David had found a genuinely good person here at his new home.