At Avery’s home

Avery pulled into the driveway as Alexa sat in the passenger seat. Alexa gazed at the house as Avery parked the car. It was definitely not a small home, but it wasn’t a mansion either. The outside was brick and it had a garage attached to the house. It had a front stoop leading up to a red front door with a white frame.

Avery helped Alexa inside and Alexa looked around. As they entered the front hallway there was a staircase with a bannister that twisted up. As they entered the house and walked past the staircase there was a family room with a television mounted on the wall, a couch and armchairs pushed against the wall that had a big window and curtains looking out to the backyard. To the right was a tiled kitchen that had a table, a big island counter, and the usual amenities found in a kitchen.

Outside the kitchen was the laundry room which also had a cubby area where Avery helped put Alexa’s shoes and jackets away. She also emptied out the dirty clothes including the underwear that the flight attendant had given her. Alexa blushed as she remembered the incident distinctly in her head. She was unsure if she’d ever forget. Up the stairs were a few other rooms. There was the master bedroom at the left end of the hallway, an office room and bathroom along the wall and then a room that had pink wallpaper and a lot of Barbies and princesses. The bedsheets reminded Alexa of the ones that she used to have as a kid. “Is that…”

Avery smiled. “My daughter’s room. She still has a lighthearted side to her. Absolutely loves stuff like My Little Pony, Barbie, and Disney and she has no shame about it. You don’t have to stay in there though. I don’t have another room though since I converted the guest room into an office space for my work. I work from home remotely so that I could have access to my daughter at all times. I couldn’t exactly afford daycare or a babysitting service. My parents helped but they had their own jobs, so that was my solution.”

“That’s so amazing of you,” Alexa said. “I can’t believe you did all this just for your daughter.”

“She means the world to me,” Avery said. “I would do almost anything for her. Maybe even anything.”

Alexa nodded. “So where should I stay?”

“You can sleep in my room with me. It’s a queen sized bed,” Avery said as she pushed open the door to the master bedroom.

Alexa saw a big bed in the middle with drawers to the left and a bathroom to the left. The bathroom had a single sink, a mirror, and a walk in shower with a bathtub in it. There was also a toilet with a bidet attachment. “That was a gift from my parents,” Avery said. “I told them not to, but they insisted on renovating my bathroom for me. The bidet was my father’s idea as a joke. He told me it would wash out all the crap in my life.”

Alexa groaned at the dad joke and Avery smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “Yeah, that’s how I reacted too,” she said.

Avery placed Alexa’s suitcase on the chest of drawers and her own next to it. “Avery, thank you so much for all of this,” Alexa said.

“Why don’t you try the tub out,” Avery said. “I’m sure you could use the relaxing waters. It has a massage feature too.”

Alexa looked almost tempted but then said. “I think I just want to relax with you.”

Avery raised an eyebrow but nodded as she sat on the right side of the bed and then patted the left side. Alexa climbed onto the bed and scooted next to Avery. Avery wrapped an arm around Alexa, pulling her closer. Alexa leaned her head against Avery’s shoulder and sighed. “What’s on your mind, Alexa?”

“What if I don’t get the job?” Alexa mumbled. “Am I pathetic?”

Avery gazed down at Alexa and said. “No, you’re not pathetic. Getting a job is hard work. Sometimes you just don’t click with the job you think you want. Sometimes we end up in mysterious places. Now I don’t know about you, but I have my beliefs in at least God looking down and having our backs. Maybe it’s not exactly the way people think it is, but it gives me reassurance that maybe all this living actually has a purpose. I’m sure the skeptics would have a field day, but I needed it to empower myself. To know that things would be okay. Maybe it’s not true, but it still gives me hope. Have hope, Alexa. Things will work out in the end.”

Alexa nodded. “I… never considered where my beliefs lie. I never was convinced one way or another,” she said.

“And that’s perfectly fine,” Avery said. “There’s a beauty in not having or not knowing all the answers. Sometimes there isn’t an answer. Sometimes there will never be an answer. But all that matters is our mindset when approaching all of it.”

Alexa nodded. “I think I understand,” she said.

Alexa gazed at Avery. She watched her loving smile and felt like she was going to be okay. No matter what happened.