First Impressions
CHAPTER 2
Disclaimer: If affection between people of the same sex offends you, this story is not for you.
First Impressions by StSciurus H
Chapter 2
I t seemed like a good idea. As soon as Edward Bennett had graduated from the Windenberg Art Institute, he had thought about moving out of his parents’ home to start a life of his own. He was sure he would be the next great artist, and that the world was waiting breathlessly for his first show. But now as he stared at the rental house he had just signed a lease for, he was having second thoughts, and, he admitted to himself, was a little bit scared. He had been working so hard to get to this point that he never realized what it would feel like to actually be on his own. First, he had had to find a job—a task much more difficult than he ever would have imagined. The human resources director of the Simsonian Museum in Willow Creek had given him a tight smile and said, “We have nothing for you now, but we will keep your name on file.” Edward was fairly certain that his resumé ended up in the trash. Then there were endless trips from gallery to gallery in Windenberg, Willow Creek and Oasis Springs, leaving a resumé behind, a follow up call to say thanks for the interview, and then nothing… Edward had just about given up hope of a career in art and was prepared to take a barista job at Brewed Awakening in Old Town Windenberg when he received a call back from the director of the Amúseum, a small art museum in Newcrest. Mr. Franklin offered him a
position as assistant to the museum’s artist-in-residence, Stella Girasole. The job was really not much more than being a palette cleaner for Ms Girasole, but it was a start! And Edward had studied her work while at WAI and knew that this was an opportunity not to be missed. So he had a job! His parents were both very pleased. “Oh, sweetie!” his mother gushed, “You are so, so very talented, and I knew they would love you!” “Mom, it’s only cleaning palettes for Stella Girasole,” Edward smiled reddening slightly. His mother, though she devoted herself to her family, was also a talented artist. (“The acorn didn’t fall far from the oak,” his Aunt Phillips would say.) She also talked constantly, dyed her hair green, and believed every word of celebrity gossip Gabby Anser wrote about in the Newcrest Digest. His father was much more low key. “I’m very proud of you, son,” he said simply, but with a warm look in his eyes. Edward’s father had done well for his family. He had worked his way up to vice president at DarCo and had moved the family
Way to go, son!
into a comfortable home in Windenberg when Edward and his twin sister Julia were too young to remember. It was the perfect place to raise a family. And it would be a hard place to leave.
Julia gave him a sardonic look, barely suppressing a smile. As twins, they told each other every secret hope, wish and plan. She knew The Job was just Step One in The Master Plan, as Edward had, to his regret, called it when they were talking one evening. He was a little envious of her, because as a computer engineering graduate of Newcrest Institute of Technology she had been recruited by several companies even before graduation. She had settled on a job at a startup called Bingley, a new search engine that she said was making
the techies tremble at Noodle, the search engine giant. Edward also suspected that his sister had a crush on the founder of the company, Chaz Bingley, who was a hottie by anyone’s reckoning. Edward had urged his sister to move with him when the time came, but she declined. “Somebody’s got to keep this place sane” she said. She also admitted that working long hours at Bingley left her almost no time to take care of herself. It was nice having their mother cook meals and do the laundry. “And I think Dad would be lonely without me.” Outside of the family, the first person he told about his new job was his best friend, Charlotte Lucas. The Bennetts and the Lucases were neighbors in Windenberg, and the children of the two families had grown up together.
i got a job! great job not really, but it’s a start no u turkey. i mean well done lol when do u start monday welcome 2 the daily grind
Charlotte was a blogger for BuzzBucket. As she described her job to Edward one day while they were having coffee at Brewed Awakening, “I have to come up with clickbait titles for lists of cat pictures.” “Surely there’s more to it than that,” Edward said. “You wanna bet?” she replied. They had had long discussions about what adult life would be like. Charlotte’s goal was to find acceptable husband material, get married and have children— period. “If he keeps me ‘in the style to which I have become accustomed’, I don’t really care what he looks like.” “Charlotte, I won’t believe that you’re that cynical.”
“I’m not cynical, Eddie—just realistic. And besides, what’s wrong with wanting children and a family? I don’t have any romantic notions like you do of having a great career.” “But you are a wonderful writer, Charlotte.” “That’s sweet of you. I may continue to write after I’m married—if that ever happens… No—don’t say ‘Of course that will happen’. I’m not looking for sympathy here.”
Edward had thought about relationships, too. He had dated a few guys in school, but nothing serious. He had decided even then that he needed to stay focused on a career. And now he had one! Sort of‌ Working with Ms Girasole was rewarding. She had led a fascinating life and that was reflected in her painting. She was easy to get along with and even expressed interest in Edward’s painting, offering to look at his current canvases for critique.
The second phase of his Master Plan, however, was just as difficult as the first. Shortly after beginning his new job, he started scanning real estate websites like Quillow and HomeTesters for rental listings. He soon discovered that there was very little to rent in the Quad City area. Windenberg was all expensive single-family homes for sale—not for rent. Apartments seemed non-existent. The few houses for rent seemed to be mostly in Willow Creek and Oasis Springs. After several months of searching, he came upon an ad in, of all places, one of his mother’s tabloids, The Newcrest Digest. It was a real estate ad for HotPoint Carpenter, the big real estate firm, and specifically for
S COOKIE KWAN
Your Real Estate Professionals
“Best agent in the Quad Cities” Call: KL5-3300
O
L
D
their best agent, Cookie Kwan. He knew it would be a long shot, since he wanted to rent and not to buy, but he called the telephone number in the ad. He was surprised when Cookie Kwan herself answered. “Cookie Kwan here. How may I help you?” “Uh… My name is Edward Bennett. I’m looking for a place to live.” “Yes, Mr. Bennett, how many bedrooms?” “Uh… well, just the one. You see, I’m really looking to rent a place. I’ve been searching the internet, and…” “I’m sorry, Mr. Bennett, but I only handle buyers and sellers of real estate.” “I understand. It’s just that…” “It’s just that what?” Edward had to think fast. “Would name dropping help?” he wondered. “My good friend, Stella Girasole, recommended you,” he lied, hoping Cookie Kwan had heard of the painter he was assisting. “You know Ms Girasole?” “Why yes, I do. I work with her nearly every day.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. “You know I found her the house she’s living in now.”
“Yes, of course. She’s very happy there!” He thought to himself, “In for a penny, in for a pound.” “And you’re an artist as well?” “Yes, indeed! I’m not quite as well known as Ms Girasole, but… Anyway, I’m not at a point in my career that I want to be tied down to a particular place, so I’d like to rent something for a while.” “As I told you before, I don’t handle rentals.” Edward was crestfallen. “Yes, of course. I understand.” Perhaps it was because he sounded so pathetic or because he had mentioned Stella Girasole, but Cookie Kwan did not hang up. Instead, she continued, “I will spend one afternoon with you looking at rental houses. As you have discovered, there is not a lot available, but I have access to some landlords you won’t find on Quillow.” Edward was profuse in his thanks, and they made an appointment to look at houses the following Saturday. When Saturday came, Edward made an excuse to his parents that he was going to meet Charlotte. Again, that wasn’t exactly a lie, because he did plan to meet Charlotte at the end of the day to talk about what he hoped would be his
new place. He had, however, told Julia what he would be doing, and she wished him luck. If he had been filled with optimism at the beginning of day, by the end of the day Edward was near despair. He and Cookie had looked at one dreary hellhole of a house after another. One place in Oasis Springs was even missing a stove in the tiny kitchen. The representative for the landlord who was in the house at the time of their visit told them, “I’m sure we’ll put one in eventually. But you young kids eat out all the time anyway. You don’t really need a stove.” When they were out of earshot of the representative, Edward asked Cookie, “Who owns this dump?”
Cookie, who had soon realized that Edward was only a young man out of school and not the man of the world he pretended to be, had nevertheless warmed to his naïve charm. “These last couple of houses seem to list only a management company, Desiderata Inc. It’s funny. The actual owner of these properties is hidden in a way that even I can’t uncover. But, listen. We’re near the end of the day, and I have one more place in your price range. This one’s in Newcrest. Would that be acceptable?” “Oh, yes! That’s where I work!”
“Yes, I know, Mr. Bennett,” Cookie smiled. Edward smiled back sheepishly. The house in Newcrest was like night and day compared to what they had looked at earlier. It was a modest, two-story modern structure nestled among some much grander dwellings. It was “fully furnished”— that is to say, it had furniture in it. Not high end by any means, but perfect for a young man starting out in life. It also had two bedrooms, should Julia ever decide to move in with him! Edward couldn’t believe his luck. In fact, he was suspicious that a house like this could be in his price range. But Cookie reassured him, “DarCo is the landlord. This is one of Mr. Darcy’s project houses.” “What do you mean?” “Mr. Darcy—you know who he is?” (Edward nodded. He had heard of him. In fact, his father worked for Mr. Darcy’s company.) “He started a program to build affordable rental housing throughout the Quad City area. This was one of the first houses built. You’re lucky it came onto the market again.” There was no question that Edward would take the house. They went back to Cookie’s office in Willow Creek, and while she was preparing the necessary papers, Edward texted his father, forgetting that his father didn’t know what he was doing.
u never told me that darco is into real estate What do you mean, son? u know the project for affordable housing Oh, I see. That’s one of Mr. Darcy’s personal projects. Not really DarCo. What’s this about? i rented a house What?!? i thought it was time i started out on my own Have you told your mother? i was hoping u could tell her And you’re supposed to be an adult? ok i’ll tell her Just so you know, Edward, I’m proud of you. thx dad
The next day at breakfast, Edward’s father, not letting his son off the hook, broached the subject. “Edward, don’t you have something to tell your mother?” Edward’s face reddened. He had been hoping to put it off, but he announced his plans to move to Newcrest. In the end, it didn’t go as badly with his mother as he feared. Yes, first there were tears. “You’re still just a boy! How will you eat?!” Then… guilt. “I guess we’re not good enough here for you. At least your sister still thinks it’s okay to live here.” (At this point, Julia got up from the table and said, “I’m outta here! Good luck!”) Then, when Edward’s father mentioned that the house would need new curtains and some fixing up… acceptance. “Let’s go to Willy Wilkins [a department store in Old Town Windenberg] this afternoon and look at fabrics!”
So Edward found himself at the beginning of the next month staring at the front door of his new home. He finally said to himself, “Life is an adventure, right? The only way to go is forward!” He brought his few belongings into the house and decided to set up his easel immediately. He found a position near an old mirror where he could see himself and began the painting which he had already decided to call “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”.
H