assistant was bringing in another fresh batch. Rose decided to go window shopping wishing to get two things with a stroke of luck; one was the exercise, you know, more walking and secondly lift up her mood without the help of food. Was she cleaver or what? Rose congratulated herself quietly. In her way in she passed by the local gym and decided to allow herself some spontaneity so she went in without an appointment. She did not know if you needed one. Rose knew nothing about gyms so it was time to learn.
A young lady with a filer stopped her at the door with a flyer promoting a free ‘open day’ for everyone to try out the gym for free. What luck! Rose thought to herself.
‘One day only, ’ she said. ‘But I hope that it’ll inspire you to join us long term. There are prices for different membership plans on the flyers. There’s also information about different classes and facilities. Enjoy. ’ She smiled warmly and left Rose to enjoy some exercise.
After an hour spent at gym Rose was suddenly feeling more perky. Ah, not because she did any physical exercise there. Her dopaminergic system must have been visually stimulated: so many fine abs and pecs there. And then some of it might be related to the confidence that new factual knowledge gives people. She definitely knew now a lot more about the gym and herself. As Rose wasn’t a sport and fitness loving kind of girl she was happy to hear about the possibility of a no contract and 24/7 type of gym commitment with a key card access. To remember to bring a photo next time, she thought.
Rose had never been a sports fanatic and at her best she has been more a solo exercise adept; never been really into gym or sports clubs but the new idea of joining small boutique fitness classes sounded interesting to her and she considered giving it a try. And Rose got a cute trainer’s card. I suppose he gives them to everyone, she concluded with a sigh finding her way through the mall.
Rose had in mind to pay a visit to the new bra and underwear boutique that she visited a month ago in a hurry. That was a wardrobe-malfunction- emergency situation and the staff were very helpful. Now she had more time for browsing and hence she was expecting an even more pleasant experience there. Rose recalled with some excitement the various and exotic lingerie pieces that she would have seen in the shop during the previous flying visit there.
‘After anything special, ma’am? ’ she was asked on her arrival at the shop by the young shop assistant. She was a tall skinny blonde with blue eyes and a perfect skin complexion. Her manicure was of course French. Did she really just say ‘ma’am’, Rose asked herself? She never saw herself as old. As a matter of fact Rose didn’t feel at all old. Her grandma was old and her uncle was old but she couldn’t imagine people under fifty as ‘old’ yet. She wondered if a male assistant would be more helpful for shops like this but tightened her lips in a smile.
Rose left the shop after buying a gartered mini dress body shaper that was divine. She was assured it was the latest thing in fashion. Some seamless panties seemed necessary and looked great so she bought them too. Mission accomplished? Definitely! Rose suddenly felt more confident and socially refined but was she savvy? Probably not, however she felt like a dog with two tails.
When she got home she found Adele tending to her garden and although she seemed absorbed in her work Adele managed to see Rose just as Rose was turning quietly into her driveway. Adele flagged her down. She wanted to make sure that Rose remembered their plan to start work early the next morning. Rose was sensing that perhaps Adele was, in her own way, dreading a bit the idea of cleaning up a full house in one single day, even with so many hands to help. She had a similar feeling in the pit of her stomach but kept it to herself.
Rose spent the rest of the day sorting out her own knickers drawer. She wasn’t a lingerie addict but she liked to wear practical and pretty things. Rose could assure you it is very difficult to find those two qualities easily in the same product without burning a hole in your pocket. As she was currently unemployed and not receiving any social benefits she relied entirely on the check arriving monthly from her uncle’s estate.
So Rose didn’t have money to burn and tried to use her common sense when deciding how to spend the little money she had. Doing a regular inventory of her possession not only helped with cleaning and de cluttering but also kept her informed about what she had and what else she needed. This helped her to recognize a bargain when she come across one and prevented her from buying things that she already had plenty of.
As Rose was tucking back the bras, panties and hosiery she heard the noise made by the arrival of a text message on her iPhone and asked herself ‘who could be? ’ As kids they were always encouraged to guess who could be calling. It was a game started by grandma who believed in helping the kids to develop their gypsy instincts and capacity for predictions. Rose was not sure if it worked.
The message was from her neighbor Adele. She was checking if she could borrow some sugar and two minutes later there was a knock at Rose’s front door. It must be Adele, Rose thought when going to open the door. There at the door, looking seriously at her was Angela. No uniform in sight just plain jeans, bare feet and a ragged T shirt but she was lovely. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was still wearing makeup. No jewllery at all. Even the wrist watch was missing. She looked tired and somehow tense, Rose noticed.
‘Trying to have a sweet tooth moment, huh? ’ Rose said while opening the door for Angela and gesturing to her to enter. She assumed that Adele sent Angela to pick up the sugar. ‘Sucrose, fructose or glucose? ’ Rose asked and as Angela was not answering Rose continued: ‘White or raw sugar? ’ Rose was the one doing all the talking while guiding Angela to her living room. She was definitely not in search of a healthy nutrition, realized Rose.
Angela was lowering herself in the seat when she opened her mouth to speak and for the first time Rose noticed her discomfort. It did not look like pain, more like embarrassment, she told herself.
‘Whatever you have Rose, ’ she said without much energy. It must’ve been a rough day at work, decided Rose.
It was the easiest explanation that Rose could come up with at the time. Rose barely started searching through her kitchen cupboards when Angela left the chair and joined Rose by the kitchen counter. She was pacing and fidgeting. Was she going through some withdrawal or was this the manifestation of shock after some bad news? To Rose’s surprise Angela started to make some small talk.
‘Do you like Brisvegas Rose? I mean would you consider living here? ’ Angela wanted to know.
‘Haven’t thought about it… but the city is nice, ’ Rose replied casually. ‘I’m not after a life full of thrills. I like peace and quiet, ’ she added.
There was some silence then and both of them seemed absorbed in their own thoughts. Angela was the first to break the stillness. ‘I’ll be staying with my aunt for a while. Everything’s too expensive around here, ’ Angela continued.
Rose just nodded listening to her. There was definitely something bothering Angela but they barely knew each other so Rose could not ask her. She had to wait for Angela to bring up the topic, whatever that was. Rose was wondering if it was related to James in some way. Whatever it was it had to wait for a while as Rose was not linked with the local grapevine to be able to get the local gossip. What a conundrum.
‘Raw sugar, huh? Good nutrition? ’ Angela said with the beginning of a smile when Rose handed her the pack of sugar and then Angela left with a hurried thank you said with a strangled voice.
It was kind of odd but then not everyone is in possession of high social intelligence and conversational skills, Rose concluded and left it there. She’d need to get used to her new neighbor as Rose wasn’t planning to make enemies from Adele and the local Police force. Things will never be the same around here from now on, thought Rose thinking more about her friendly relationship with Adele and time spent together. In a way Adele was her local grandma but Rose would never dare to admit that out loud.
Crooked Minds
They had a had big day yesterday trying to clean up Mr
s. Capeletti’s house and although there were quite a few helpful hands around there was so much work to be done that by the end of the day everyone was exhausted. Probably everyone is having a day off today, Rose told herself with a deep sigh. But they did a good job and Rose got some satisfaction from that. Not only did they save some good, old memories through old photos and books that Adele and Mrs. Capeletti cherished together, but they also found stuff for recycling and donating.
Rose knew that the police were there before them to investigate the scene of the alleged murder and although she looked around she could not understand why someone targeted Mrs. Capeletti and would want her dead. But then Rose was not a trained police officer and didn’t know what to look for. Rose thought sometimes that she would’ve liked to look into such matters and bring justice to people but she didn’t like the idea of wearing a gun or having to work 9 to 5 and sometimes afterhours. She thought that she would not have time left for a family or to enjoy life. Not that at the moment she had much choice but idle around this house.
With these thoughts in mind Rose was driving at high speed on the M5, the highway that linked the city with the coast. She was engrossed in her