When Girlfriends Chase Dreams (16 page)

“Thanks,” Robin says. She pulls her neon blue tank top further over the waistband of her yoga pants. “Breastfeeding was a natural godsend for weight loss.”

“Really?” I ask.

Sophie answers, “Didn’t you know that? Breastfeeding is a natural calorie-burner. Can be a nice way to help trim off the extra baby weight.”

“And, more importantly, breastfeeding is really healthy for the baby.” Robin smiles, proud that she did an entire year of nursing, even when co-workers warned her that her figure up top, as she once knew it, would be hello-goodbye-gone-forever once she breastfed. For Robin, it was all about Rose. What was good for Rose was good for Robin.

“Okay, girls,” Sophie says, standing on the edge of her yoga mat. She snaps her fingers to get our attention. “We’re going to start with some meditation and deep breathing first.”

She then takes a seat and crosses her legs,
just
like I was thinking. That whole
ommmmmm
meditation pose. Robin and I follow suit, and an hour later our bodies are sore, our minds are calm, and, did you hear that? An
hour
later! We actually did an entire hour-long yoga session! My bum and triceps might be angry about it tomorrow morning, but I’m feeling pretty darn good about it right now.

“I’m proud of you, girls,” Sophie says. She rolls up our mats and tells us to rehydrate. “Yoga can be more strenuous than you think. Drink up.”

“Thanks for offering to do this for us, Sophie,” I say.

“Totally my pleasure.”

“So when’s the next session?” Robin inquires. She takes a big gulp of water. “We should do this regularly, right? To really tone?”

“As often as you like,” Sophie says. She joins us for a drink in the kitchen. “I don’t know how often we can do it
here
. I mean, if you want to do it every day or a few times a week, then we might want to look into classes.”

“Sign me up!” Robin is enthusiastic, and, luckily, I share her enthusiasm.

“Me, too,” I say.

“Or if you want to do once a week or something,” Sophie says, “we can do it here. I usually do yoga by myself on Sundays.”

“I’m signing up for classes, for sure,” I say. “I think yoga will be really helpful with keeping calm. I can do it, like, two or three times a week or something before the wedding. Oh!” I quickly pull my glass from my lips right as I’m about to take another sip. A splash of water lands on the counter. “And what a
great
way for me to tone up a little before the big day.” I nudge my elbow at Sophie’s side, playfully.

“True,” Sophie says, mid-drink. She smacks her lips loudly when she’s done and almost slams the empty glass down on the countertop. “First,” she eyes the both of us in a sneaky way, “who wants to mull over paint swatches and go buy some buckets?” A broad smile covers her lips. “For…the…café!” she sings.

***

The choice was tough, but Robin, Sophie, and I have finally decided on the paint that will grace the walls of The Cup and the Cake.

We’re sitting on squeaky fold-away chairs in the middle of the front dining area of the future café, the final paint swatches neatly laid out before us on a make-shift table. We’re bundled up in extra layers and thick coats, and Robin even grabbed a baby blanket and an emergency throw from her car to help keep us warm in the heatless café that is still very much under construction.

True spring weather is just around the corner, and so is the grand opening of Sophie’s café/bakery. The construction crew has torn down the last wall that was up for consideration, and they’ve successfully added on any new walls and countertops that Sophie finally decided upon.

“What’s left?” I ask. “Aside from the paint?”

“Too much,” Sophie says with a sigh. “At least the really expensive part is over with. With the bulk of the construction crew gone, now all that I really need help with is the lighting.” She points up at the ceiling where, save for the stark white bleakness of it, are some holes with protruding twists of wires. “I’ve ordered a gorgeous chandelier to go right in the center up here.”

“Oh, wow,” Robin says. “That’ll be beautiful. What a fun concept!”

“I got the idea from this salon in Paris,” Sophie says, scratching behind her ear. “Where I went to get my hair cut. Such a cute place, so sophisticated and quaint. So…Parisian. They had this breathtaking chandelier, and I think a piece like that would really make a statement here. Lots of light, but with chic style…”

“Perfect,” I agree. “And that’s it? Lighting? Paint?” I’m counting out the items with my fingers. “Obviously the furniture and appliances and stuff…”

Sophie sets down her Peet’s Coffee cup and walks behind the front counter. She knocks on the top of it and says, “I need to get these tiled. I already have the tiles picked out. Robin’s helping with the grout color.”

“Almost done,” Robin says.

Robin: the hobby painter, and book cover artist by trade. Of course she’d be the ideal girl to get advice from when choosing grout. I may know my way around decoupage and rather basic furniture refinishes, but when it comes to having a fine artistic eye and knack for choosing complementary colors, Robin’s the natural choice.

“The bathroom needs lighting, tiling, and then basic decorative knick-knack thingies,” Sophie continues. “Kitchen is just about ready. Need to get all of the appliances installed…” She looks around, making a complete circle. “Yeah, that’s about it. Crazy, huh? Oh! And, of course,” walking back over to us, “setting up the tables and seating areas…all of the little decorative touches and things. Especially up front. That will be the fun part, though.” She plops back down into her squeaky chair, tucking one foot under her rear.

“And with the paint already chosen,” Robin says, “it’ll be a breeze to decorate.”

“Well,” I say, leaping up, “what do you say to going out and buying some buckets of paint then?”

“And, like, actually begin painting?” Robin says, looking from Sophie to me, and back and forth again, slowly and slyly.

“We’ve got the clothes already.” I gesture to my yoga outfit.

“Can we?” Robin says. She looks at Sophie imploringly.

“The walls are primed and ready. Chad and some of his friends came over and did all of that already.” She gives a half-grin. “So…yeah. I guess we technically can paint.”
 

“Chad, eh?” I tease.

“Please,” Sophie says. She grabs her keys from the makeshift table, snags her coffee cup, and ushers us to the door. “Don’t get started with that again.”

“What am I missing here?” Robin inquires. She pushes her glasses further up onto her nose.

“Nothing,” Sophie says. “Nothing at all.”

“Come on,” I say. “You? Chad? You actually
asking
him to come help you out? To be around you? You two together is—”

“Volatile,” Robin finishes.

“Is not,” Sophie says.

“Okay, maybe not all the time.” I get into the backseat of Robin’s car, tossing the pink, stuffed bear that’s on my seat into Rose’s adjacent car seat. “You inviting Chad over to help with your shop, though… Let’s put it this way: He’s not your first choice to help, eh?”

Sophie slides into the passenger seat and looks back at me. “No,” she answers like a stubborn girl. “For your information,
I
wasn’t around when he was priming,
and
I didn’t ask for his help. Of course, I’m willing to take it if he’s nice and can behave himself.”

I start to smile.

“Stop teasing me,” Sophie says. “If Chad wants to help I’d be a fool not to take him up on it.”

Robin pulls out of the parking lot and, after checking with Sophie about the hardware store we’re headed to, says, “That’s true. So, you really didn’t ask for Chad’s help at all? He just up and offered?”

“That’s right,” Sophie replies. She turns back around in her seat and gets situated comfortably. “
He
offered to help. All his idea. He said he and some of his roommates knew I could use a hand, and they wouldn’t mind helping out.”

“Yeah?” I can’t contain my joy. I’m wearing a full-on wide grin now. Was there something going on between Sophie and Chad? Again?

“I promised them free baked goods…free coffee…” Sophie says dismissively. “Whatever. The point is, they offered, they did a great job, and…”

“And?” I’m almost laughing now.

“
And
they’re also going to help install some of the appliances and maybe help with the furniture.” From her reflection in the rearview mirror, I can see Sophie’s cheeks turn a soft shade of pink.
 

“Uh-huh,” I say joshingly.

“Whatever.” Sophie waves her hands about. “They were nice. I left the place to them to do it—he’s an artist and knows what he’s doing with that kind of stuff anyway—so…whatever. I’ll take the help. God knows I need it.”

“And the painting?” Robin says. She looks in her side mirror and makes a lane change.

“He offered,” Sophie says in a factual tone. “But it’ll be
so
much more fun to have a paint party with you girls, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely,” I say, very excited to pick up the colorful paint we’ve just chosen. It’s going to be so cheerful. Some bright pink accents with equally bright teal accents, and neutral cream and yellow. It’ll look beautiful. Trust me, I can already see it!

“And,” I say, deciding to drop the razzing, “I love the spontaneity of it. Some yoga…now some painting….Oh!” I just about shriek. “This is so much fun.”

“You don’t have some wedding thing you need to be doing?” Robin asks. She looks at me in the mirror. “No projects that you need to get done? Wild wedding work to do? You sure it’s okay we just randomly go and decide to paint like this?”

I heave a sigh and am about to respond when Sophie says, “Nope.” She pops around the corner of her seat. “Because you’re de-stressing and
calming
down today, right, Claire?”

“Exactly,” I say. “Hanging out with you girls and actually
not
doing wedding-related things is a relief.
Exactly
what I need.”

I sink further into my seat and watch the clusters of sidewalk-lining trees pass by through the window. Spring is definitely around the corner—the cherry blossoms are beginning to sprout up into tightly closed buds and choruses of birds can be heard round every corner.

God, I love Seattle in the spring. There’s nothing like coming out of a cold, dreary, and cloudy autumn and winter to see the promise of hope and newness of spring—the flowers about to bloom, the grass and shrubs about to become vibrantly green, and of course the emerging sun that reminds you that flip-flop season and the chance to wear torn, cut-off jeans almost
all
the time has arrived.

***

You know, for one amateur painter, one DIY painter, and one brilliant artist, the walls of The Cup and the Cake are beginning to look like a professionally done job. It’s brilliant. Really brilliant. The entire place has its first coat of cream paint done. The blinding white of drywall is gone, and the place instantly feels warm and inviting.

Robin and I are halfway through with the second coat in the front room, while Sophie’s finishing up work in the back kitchen. The spontaneity of the painting and yoga, of which I can really start to feel the effects (yeah, my body is
sore
), are turning out to be a great distraction from all things wedding.

Getting to hang out with Robin and Sophie is a lot of fun, too. It’s so nice to have your best friends all in the same city. All of us were worried that someone would get a job that would take one of us out of Seattle after college. Of course, we all figured Emily would take up and leave. She’s originally from Boston and wanted to go to a university clear on another coast, hence UDub. Add that fact to the various study abroad trips during school and her penchant for traveling whenever, wherever and however she can, and it wasn’t exactly a shock that she wouldn’t necessarily stick around Seattle in a permanent way. She’s the girl who left…but only in spurts. At least she always finds her way back here somehow.

But the rest of us girls all live so close by, and I love it. I really can’t fathom how tough it would be to pick up and move to another city, far away from them. Girls’ nights or spontaneous painting parties can be taken for granted sometimes. I have to remind myself now and then that I’m a really fortunate girl. I’m so lucky that I can do that—swing by one of the girls’ places and go shopping or start a massive paint project just like that, no real planning needed.

There are plenty of friendships post-college that find physical distance wedging its way between. That would be so hard for me. It really is so simple to pick up the phone and make a coffee date; or buzz on down the road and in ten or fifteen minutes’ time be on your BFF’s living room floor watching a re-run of
Will and Grace
or
Friends
; or be there lickety-split to help a friend in need, who’s in tears over a jackass man or because of a really crappy day at work…or because she’s just PMSing badly.

Living far away from my friends would mean kissing all of that goodbye. Sure, I eventually would make new friends, or, rather,
more
friends. It wouldn’t be the same, though. You know what I’m talking about? That connection that you’ve made with a girl or a group of girls, like, years ago? You met under similar circumstances or were just at the right place at the right time, in need of a friend, and BAM! There’s Sophie, your new best friend for life.

You know the friend. That girl you met while standing in line for tickets to the next installment of the
Twilight
series (and only far after the fact do you wonder why in the
hell
you froze your ass off to see such a flop of a film). You two started chatting about the super long line, how cold it was, about the film you were dealing with the aforementioned troubles over, and, before you knew it, you become Facebook friends and plan a coffee date.
 

Those two girls you met in the most boring and mind-draining political science class your first semester in college. A few exchanged jokes, giggles, and then cell phone numbers, and next thing you’re lying out on the campus green trying to get your suntan on, chatting, joking, laughing…best of friends.