Ice-Cold Judge Julie
The following Saturday, Adam, David and I took Julie to look at the little house, which was near completion except for a couple of small repairs and décor pieces. I wasn’t excited to have her in what had previously been a Julie-free domain, but I genuinely hoped that seeing her husband’s business investment looking fresh and new would make her happy. We could all benefit from her good mood, at this point, since clearly we were all suffering from stress.
Dave and his wife dropped the kids off with a friend (I had to try not to ask questions about this, but couldn’t help being entertained at the story about her and the day care) before we all squeezed into the bench seat of the ute and headed to the city center.
It was a beautiful December day and just becoming very hot after breakfast, but our moods didn’t match the blue skies and streaming sun. Of course, everyone tried to seem cheerful as we traveled towards the skyscrapers of downtown city with our legs rubbing against one another’s. When we pulled up in front of the little property, I breathed out a huge sigh of relief and a real smile replaced the plastic one I’d fixed on an hour earlier.
Instead of following Dave out the driver’s side door, Julie slid across to the passenger door and put a hand out so Adam could help her down from the squat vehicle. I guessed the marriage was still as rocky as it had sounded during their fight the other day. She linked arms with Adam and walked importantly to the threshold of the cottage, ignoring the exterior of the home completely. Dave threw his hands up in frustration as she trotted right by his amazing work on the woodwork without so much as a glance. I gave him a sympathetic smile as we followed her and Adam inside.
When the new hall track lighting came on, all of the project members smiled. I couldn’t help but be proud of myself and the guys. We had taken a very questionable, awkward property and truly made something beautiful out of it.
“Take a look, Jules,” Adam said to Julie, who was hesitant to remove her sunglasses. “Have a walk-through. Dave and I did the repairs and took down an old separating wall, but Mel really brought the space to life.”
I beamed as Julie silently stalked through the handful of rooms, eyeing the bold but slightly undersized furniture that Bernie and Alex had helped me locate. With the living space opened up with the removal of a superfluous wall, I’d been able to place seating for 5-6 people as well as the stunning accent chair and a few modern, almost-invisible shelves along the walls. A flat-screen television was mounted on the far wall, and the little coffee table I’d shopped for with my friends was placed delicately between the seating area. It was lovely, even if I did say so myself. Though it was small, I could see myself contemplating the purchase and hoped other people would feel the same way.
“One queen bed?” Julie asked, her heels clicking down the tiny tiled hallway from the bedroom.
“Um, yep. Just the one bedroom,” Dave answered. “We figure it’s a starter home for a young couple, or a retirement house for a single, retired person. Either way, a pretty good find in the city center, wouldn’t you say?”
She was silent for a few minutes, continuing her short trek around the small kitchen and back into the living room. Though I didn’t expect her to appreciate much about the kitchen – it was tiny, after all, and she didn’t show much interest in her own kitchen at the best of times – I loved looking at the beautiful brushed-steel appliances I’d found at a great cost. They gave an impression of high-end minimalism, an idea I had really come to appreciate while working on the space.
I felt like the clack of Julie’s heels on that tiny, tiled floor were causing physical pain to my stomach. She doesn’t have to love it, I reminded myself. The buyers do. She’s only here so we can make her feel like she’s an important part of Dave’s life and work. Right. I straightened my shoulders and sat down in the accent chair to await her verdict. The guys hovered.
“So?” Dave asked again. “Whad’you think, love? We’re pretty proud of ourselves, I gotta tell you. No reality-TV-style infighting, no calamities. About ready for the open house, just a couple more things to finish!”
Julie ran the arms of her sunglasses through her fingers and shrugged her shoulders. “I would have done things differently. But I guess it will do the job. Anyone interested yet?”
My heart sank. Seriously? That’s the best she can offer us after weeks of work? What a fucking bitch. I’m so finished with her. Outwardly, I kept a neutral expression on my face, reminding myself to look forward to the sale of the property and the recuperation of Dave and Adam’s money. Once that was sorted, I could disentangle myself from this weird situation and concentrate on my own future, not that of a spoiled, ungrateful woman.
“Not yet, babe. We’ll start advertising next week.”
“Good.” She put her sunglasses back on and fluffed her hair. “I don’t know what you three are planning for the afternoon, but you can drop me off at the mall. I’m meeting the girls.” With her quick heel clicks to the door, Julie cut our moment of triumph short. And to make it worse – probably just to irritate me, I felt – she grabbed Adam’s arm at the door and walked slowly with him back to the vehicle.
I followed behind silently while Dave secured the property, and heard their low conversation.
“You really have to give the guy some credit,” Adam was saying. “He did a great job on the woodwork out here. See, if you look…”
“Oh don’t bother,” she cut him off. “I know it was you who did the real work. Honestly, I don’t know why I ever left you for your idiot brother. What a stupid decision to make. Look where it’s led me!” Shaking her head, she climbed into the truck and began tapping at her phone. I stood frozen on the spot, Adam looking back at me with his mouth agape. I cocked my head sideways, silently asking him if what she’d just mentioned was true. Had they seriously been a couple before she married his brother? His apologetic expression said it all.
I nodded to myself and cheerfully turned to Dave. “I’m going to walk from here, Dave, I’m actually meeting someone too. Have a great afternoon, guys.”
Without looking at Adam again, I walked away.
...end of sample.
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