We left the transporter station over an hour ago and made our way through the center of Yakima to the real estate office that Hope had shown me just yesterday. The office was quite empty when we arrived, the only person there being a lovely woman named Deborah.
"So," Deborah shifts in her seat, "what is it that you two are looking for exactly?"
"Well," Jean Luc looks at me and takes my hand, "we want to start a family so we're looking for a home that we can grow into."
"Are you looking for something close to the center of town?"
We look at one another, "we don't really have a preference."
Deborah scans the console in front of her, "price point?"
"We haven't really set one. We want something modest, but we're willing to spend a little more if it's something we really like."
She's focused, still scanning the screen in front of her as she scribbles notes on a stray piece of paper, "alright, Beverly, John Luke," she looks up, seeing us smile. I don't think she realizes how funny it is to her Jean Luc's name said with such a typically American drawl, "I have several properties that I can show you today if you like?"
Jean Luc is less taken aback than I was at the sight of the ground car. Sitting in the back seat he whispers, "I haven't been in such a car since I was a little boy in Labarre!"
"If we're going to live here, we're going to have to get one. They locals don't seem to take to hover cars."
"Apparently," he looks out the car window as we amble away from the town's center.
The scenery in this area is all very much the same and all very serene. We drive through fields growing corn and other crops. The horizon is graced with the forms of undulating mountains, some whose tops are covered in snow. The sky this afternoon is much like it was yesterday. The sun is hung high and its rays warm the mild summer air.
Soon, Deborah turns down another road, which takes us through a forest. The car's windows are down and the smell of the pines mingles with the cool air and blows through my hair. I close my eyes and I feel Jean Luc take my hand and entwine our fingers.
"Well," the car comes to a halt, "here we are." I open my eyes and the sight of the house in front of me takes my breath away. "Now, you said that price wasn't a concern so I'm taking a little chance in showing you this property. But, it is one of the nicest homes that we have for sale in the area without going too far outside of Yakima's city limits."
Jean Luc is just as speechless as I am as he opens the door and helps me out of the car. "It's absolutely stunning," he states. And it is.
"Yes, it most certainly is."
"Would you like to see inside?" Deborah seems almost amused by our reaction.
I stop a moment just to look at the house before we walk towards it. It's a large home, sitting on a raised bit of land, not quite a hill. It's a wood construction with a large-stone foundation. The front of the house is covered in large windows that reflect off the images of the trees that surround the house. There look to be about two generously sizes stories and even perhaps an attic.
It's quiet here. Not even Caldos is this quiet. I can hear the sound of the birds singing in the trees and the wind rustling through the grass. The grass under my feet is brittle and it sounds like it's breaking as we tread upon it.
The inside of the home is just as stunning as the outside. The front door opens into a foyer. The first thing that you see is a white staircase. Straight ahead is a hallway leading down into the kitchen.
Deborah leads the way into the belly of the house. "It's got 4 generously sized bedrooms and a 3 and a half bathrooms. It's fully outfitted with replicators and clothing recyclers, but you do have an option of installing a traditional washer/dryer set if you prefer. All the kitchen appliances are brand new; the previous owner was a professional chef so everything in the kitchen is high grade."
The kitchen is impressive. It's large and open with ample counter space and something that Deborah calls an 'island'. Not all homes in the 24th century are equipped with kitchens as elaborate as this. Many people find that with the convenience of the replicator they have no need for a traditional kitchen. However, Jean Luc and I find that having a kitchen is a necessity. For the past few weeks, we haven't taken to cooking. Even on the Enterprise we solely used the replicators. Now, however, we'd like to start living more elementally by preparing our own meals rather than depending on the handiness of modern technology.
"Here we have the dining room. It's big for a table that seats 12-18. It would be great for big dinner parties or even at Christmas!" And it is an impressive room. What strikes me so much about the house is how light it is. There are so many windows and the view from each window is unique. The front of the house looks out on the front yard, which is mostly trimmed green grass with the exception of the drier brown patches. The sides of the home are flanked by forest. But the back looks out on a large open field that stretches for acres and acres on end. There's plenty of room to make a large garden and even plant some vegetables and herbs.
"The living room is well-sized and the nice thing about it is these vaulted ceilings. The previous owner put a lot of work into the moldings around the edges." The ceilings are high and accented with large wooden beams that act to highlight the grandiosity of the room.
"Off the dining room here we have this small hallway leading to a home office and a nicely sized bathroom." I like the idea of the office for Jean Luc and myself. It could be a shared space where he grades papers and plans his syllabi. I could use it to dictate patient charts and read for my various research products. From what I can see, there is more than enough room in the office for both of us.
"Now I'll take you two upstairs – you've both been awfully quiet, are you two alright?"
Jean Luc looks at me and smiles knowingly. We're already sold on the home. It suits our needs and it's somewhere that we can grow our family, "yes, Deborah. We're sorry for being so silent – we're, uh," he looks at me, and I continue, "we'll take it." That just sort of tumbled out. I feel a little presumptuous and I look at my fiancé almost ashamedly. All he does is give me a reassuring nod, "yes – yes we'll take it."
"Are you two sure? I almost feel a little sneaky showing you the best and priciest property that we have right at the outset."
"No. It's perfect. In fact, it's not too expensive and we really love the house." And it's the truth. This property is less expensive than my one room flat in downtown San Francisco – however we won't tell that to Deborah.
"Okay then! Well, I'll just show you two the upstairs for posterity, then we'll go back to the office, sign the necessary paperwork, and then I'll give you two the keys to your new home!"
The upstairs is as open as the downstairs. It has a master bedroom with an en suite complete with a very large water shower, a sonic shower, a generously sized tub, twin sinks, and of course a toilet. The other three bedrooms are large and as we move in to see them I can't help but get excited. I wonder, as we pass through the first one, if this will be our daughter's room. I can see us painting it in hues of pinks and yellows. I can see Jean Luc setting up the crib and me agonizing over which mobile to buy. I tighten my grip on Jean Luc's hand in anticipation of this wonderful life.
/
"Well, you two, congratulations – you're home owners!" There's something so fundamental about signing our names on a piece of paper to signify what we've just done. Deborah hands us the antique keys to our home and we step out into the Yakima night air.
Jean Luc takes my hand as he heads in the direction of the transporter station. I stop though and pull him back to me, "hey" I whisper softly.
"Hey," he moves in to kiss me. The Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise never would have kissed his CMO on the sidewalk in full public view. But over the past few weeks, this wonderful man – if it's possible- has become even more wonderful. I would have taken Jean Luc in any way that he offered himself to me. But the man in whose embrace I am now locked in is the Jean Luc Picard that I dreamed of. He's unfettered and happy. He's carefree and expressive of his love. And tomorrow – tomorrow this man will be my husband and I can't wait.