After being behind the wheel of my “vintage” Chevy for nearly 4 hours, I am happy to have made it from New York City to Middle Valley with the car behaving well and in one piece.
It’s a little past lunch time as I slowly cruise into town, stretching my neck to check out the sights. It’s been over a year since I was last here and things look pretty much the same. I’ve been following the news so I wasn’t expecting to see significant changes but the new administration in the mayor’s office is bound to have effects on Middle Valley once things get going.
I am here today primarily to find a place to live. Bernie completed his article about Hilltop and is moving on to a much longer piece about Carson and how his short duration was hugely impactful on the town.
Bernie has already made a trip out west to gather information about Carson. Early on, he came to recognize the depth of what he is up against and he reached out to his boss at the Atlantic about getting someone, asking for me specifically, to assist him. Bernie convinced the Atlantic to hire me and locate me in Middle Valley to work on the Carson project, which I knew would certainly give rise to a book. I would be a researcher, writer, organizer, and proofreader and I may share a byline on a book. The potential for a byline was very attractive to me and when Bernie offered me the position, I accepted with no hesitation.
I met with Bernie briefly and surveyed the office we would share. Bernie and I had already talked about our working relationship before I arrived in Middle Valley so that was not an issue for us to discuss today.
My goal today was to find a place to live. After accepting Bernie’s offer, I contacted Shirley when I was still in New York for help finding an apartment, hopefully near the river. In no way was I willing to live in a hole on the back streets of Middle Valley as I had done before. I called Shirley to let her know I was in Middle Valley and would like an appointment to look at apartments as soon as she could fit me in.
Shirley was not able to meet with me until tomorrow so I headed over to the Riverside to see Cassie and whoever else happens to be there this afternoon. I was hoping to get caught up on the latest in Middle Valley.
“Good afternoon, Cassie!”, I called out as I enter the Riverside. Cassie excitedly comes out from behind the bar and gives me a huge hug.
“Been awhile! How have you been? Are you here for a visit? Or are you here to get mixed up in our crazy mumbo-jumbo world of crime and politics?”, she replies.
I gives Cassie a quickie of what I’ve been doing and why I am here. I probe Cassie a little about what she has seen in Middle Valley recently and how the new mayor will run things.
After an hour and two drafts, I decide I need to move on. “We gotta talk more tomorrow. I’ll be looking at apartments but I’ll stop in afterward. Right now, I’m gonna go over to the Golden Pillar and claim my room for the night. Maybe have a couple more drafts and dinner there.”
Cassie continues, “Before you leave, walk over here with me. I’d like you to meet my sister, Jill.”
Cassie introduces us. We exchange pleasantries and each take a quick turn describing ourselves and what we are up to. We conclude cordially with a sincere promise to talk more tomorrow.
At the Golden Pillar, I run into Bitsy. We have a welcome back drink and talk local politics a bit, including what is likely to come down in the next few weeks. Bitsy finishes her drink quickly and has to leave for another commitment. I have dinner alone, following and followed by another drink, before retiring for the night.
Next morning, Shirley picks me up at the Golden Pillar and we proceed to check out several apartments. Shirley knows I will insist on a direct view, or nearby view, of the river so that saves us a little time. We talk politics, with Shirley especially expressing her surprise that Wanda has become the new mayor and wondering if Wanda can handle it. Shirley claims she is not disappointed to have lost the election and I really do believe her. Not a job everyone would want. If she had become mayor, her real estate business would have suffered. As it stands, the election loss was a positive thing === it provided her business significant exposure beyond what she had previously.
Shirley knows her business — she quickly finds me a very nice apartment that meets my requirements — second floor of a Victorian house that has a raised deck that faces the river. I decide to take it, and I leave the paperwork details to Shirley. I head over to the office to spend the rest of the afternoon there with Bernie.
If my old Chevy is up to it, I will drive back to New York in the morning. I will clean up loose ends at my office there, and I will move to Middle Valley late next week.
Jenny Page