44 Cherry Street
On-going saga of a fictional address in a magical town.
The apartments at 44 Cherry Street were still vacant, and the renovations were almost completed. The painters had applied gallons of pale grey paint, the dark grey granite had been installed in kitchens and bathrooms, the floors were sanded and stained, and stainless appliances had been installed. All that remained to do was to tweak a few last minute details and wait for appropriate renters.
A hoard of out-of-towners had looked at the properties, but none had found it the perfect fit. Word had spread as far away as Iran, and the president elect of that country found the town inhospitable to camels and misogynists. It would take someone from California to see the units and think that the $2000 rent for a one bedroom was a good buy. Luckily such a person had flown into town from LA to visit Stephanie, and liked Black Mountain so much, that she thought she might like having a small apartment here. She could see herself drinking coffee on the big front porch. She could imagine herself eating a delicious dinner at Milton’s where she had eaten with Stephanie. And she loved the mountains and the potential for long walks in the woods (Accent on “Potential. Perhaps in another lifetime! She was a city girl for sure and found walking on a surface that wasn’t paved scary.)
Susan had worked with Stephanie in New York in the early 1970’s. They were both unlikely Professional Girl Scouts and were constantly getting in trouble with the boss, Dagmar. They consistently checked out of the office ostensibly to “work in the field,” but actually went out for long lunches and then went shopping. They were paid a pittance, so they both maxed out their credit cards quickly in shopping splurges.
Susan was the gutsiest person Stephanie had ever known. She was a plain speaker and always said exactly what she thought. She frequently encouraged Stephanie to eat lunch at fancy restaurants they couldn’t afford, saying, “Just don’t worry about it!” Somehow, every time the waiter would approach the table with what should have been the check, but instead he would say,, “The gentlemen at that table over there have paid for your lunch.” That kind of thing happened all the time to Susan. Her charisma blasted out of her and swept up anyone in the vicinity. It never happened to Stephanie before or since.
They had reconnected after many years, and resumed their friendship as if no time had passed. Stephanie took Susan up to 44 Cherry Street and introduced her to Lorraine. Those two hit it off right away, and Susan took one look at the ground floor apartment at 44 Cherry St. and signed a lease. She would be a part-time resident of Black Mountain as soon as she rearranged her affairs. Black Mountain will never be the same!
