Carol could barely contain herself during work the next day. She actually made extra tips and all she could contribute it to was the fact that her excitement at going to see the house was spilling out of her and getting the attention of the clientele. She knew she was grinning like a Cheshire cat because her face hurt from the action by the time that Michonne dropped by to pick her up.
Carol got in Michonne's car and tossed her apron over the back seat. Michonne grinned at her.
"Excited?" Michonne asked.
"I can't remember when I've been this excited," Carol said. "I don't know that I ever have!"
"You look pretty damn excited," Michonne said with a laugh. She pulled the car out of the parking spot and drove toward the housing development. "Now remember, Ty picked out one for you because he thought it was the nicest one, but if that isn't the one that you want, you don't have to take it."
Carol nodded. She knew that Michonne had asked Tyreese about his suggestions on the houses. There were about three different floor plans and he said that, in his opinion, there was one of them that was nicer than the others and gave you a little more space. He'd also apparently scoped out the lots and narrowed it down to two that he thought were nice locations that had that floor plan.
Carol couldn't even talk to Michonne in the car. All she could do was sit there, clutching the handle on the door and try to wrap her mind around the thought that she was actually going to pick out her house. And it was going to be her dream house. She was even getting the entire yard fenced in with a small little white picket fence so that Lincoln could run and play in the front and the back without any worries. Everything about the house was going to be perfect.
She knew that it was probably ridiculous to Michonne and Andrea that she was so excited, since both of them teased her about not having loftier goals, but she couldn't help it. She wanted what she wanted and she'd always dreamed of having a home…her home.
She'd never considered the house where she lived with Ed as her home. As soon as she began to realize the kind of life that she was in for with him, she'd stopped even trying to imagine it as some kind of home. It was a hell, and she didn't think that the feeling she associated with the idea of home and the feeling she associated with the idea of hell should go hand in hand.
The house itself was just a structure, and she understood that. The little dollhouse like building would be designed to be the perfect little structure to house her dream. It would be decorated like she wanted and painted the way she wanted, but the house was just part of her dream. The other part, clearly, would be the home part and that she related to so many other things that circled around in her mind.
Her home would be a place, at least in her mind, which smelled like clean laundry, and good things baking, and it would be safe and secure and comfortable. It would be a place where there was only room for love. She'd share it with Lincoln, and maybe even with Daryl if he wanted to be a part of it, and eventually she may raise her children there. In her mind, this home meant so much to her that she would have felt silly putting into words for anyone else, and the house was just the first step to getting there.
As they pulled up at the development, into the driveway where Tyreese was standing and waiting on them, Carol resisted the urge to give into her five year old self that wanted to burst out of the car like it was Christmas morning and all her wildest dreams were about to come true. Once Michonne had stopped the car, Carol waited eagerly until she opened her door before pushing open her own.
Tyreese circled around the car and Carol watched as he gave Michonne a quick peck of a kiss. Carol didn't know why, but she felt awkward even watching that. She hated to feel like she butted in on anyone's intimate moments, even when they weren't that intimate. She blushed a little and looked away, surveying the lot and house in front of her. It wasn't done yet, but she'd known it wouldn't be done. It was close to being done and awaiting her orders for the final touches.
"Ready to have a look?" Tyreese asked, drawing Carol's attention back.
She smiled and nodded, again hoping not to appear too overenthusiastic.
Tyreese gestured for her to go ahead and she started up the path toward the house. She walked along, quickly, knowing that Tyreese and Michonne were behind her. When she stepped into the house, she almost squealed. The floor plan he'd chosen because he thought it was the best was the one that she'd been imaginarily living in. She would have hated to insist on an inferior floor plan, so she was glad the two coincided. She wandered through the house, looking around at the unfinished rooms as though she didn't already have the entire place pretty much memorized.
Carol circled around now, looking out all the windows and examining the view carefully from each window, paying special attention to the one in front of the sink. She was sure that if the two houses they were going to look at were identical and the lots essentially the same, it would come down to a decision of which view she preferred while standing at the window in the morning. At least that's what she'd decided.
Once she was satisfied, they went and looked at the second house and she passed through it with the same thorough inspection. In the end, though, it was the first that had won her affections.
"Fine," Tyreese said. "Then consider it reserved for you, specially. The rest of the houses just have plain white shutters, but Michonne informs me that we'll be painting yours to your specifications and if you get me your choices for the house by the end of the week there won't be any problem getting everything in the house ordered and installed in time."
"And what about the fencing?" Michonne asked.
Tyreese chuckled a little.
"Get me that and it's no problem to get that installed too. We have similar fences going up around a few other houses around here. It's just another minor detail," Tyreese said, smiling at Michonne.
Carol couldn't contain her excitement any longer and she wrapped her arms around Tyreese as a thank you. He laughed at her and hugged her back.
"Carol's already got the check, so we're going to head to the bank and start getting all the financial business taken care of," Michonne said.
"Sounds good," Tyreese said. "You can stop by and look at it any time you like."
Carol nodded and thanked him. She headed back to the car, leaving Michonne and Tyreese to say whatever goodbyes it was they had to say, not wanting to invade their moment. She was on cloud nine anyway. The plan, now, was to go to the bank and get things rolling so she'd be ready to move in her little house just as soon as it was ready for her.
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"Does it have a garage?" Andrea asked, sitting back in the chair with her feet up, her box of mystery Chinese noodles resting on her knees.
"Yes," Carol responded. "It's not huge, but it does have a small garage."
They were studying for one of their classes, which meant that Daryl and Merle were off entertaining themselves, or more than likely just shooting the breeze with each other across the hall since Merle avoided the Watering Hole these days and the temptation it provided for him to drink now that he'd achieved his unmentioned level of sobriety.
Right this moment, though, they weren't exactly studying. They'd ordered Chinese food and were discussing Carol's new house over their dinner.
"Is it big enough for us to use, though?" Andrea asked.
Carol considered it. She knew that Andrea was already planning the salon of their dreams, or at least the salon of Andrea's dreams, but she was beginning to wonder if she really wanted her garage converted into a salon. If she worked there, she wasn't going to want it attached to her house. It might mess up the feeling of her little home to have clients coming back and forth. She didn't want people disrupting her home.
"I don't want to have the salon in my garage," Carol said finally.
"I thought that was the plan," Andrea said, cramming far more noodles in her mouth than should have gone in at any one given time.
"That was your plan," Carol corrected. "It didn't have a whole lot to do with me."
"You liked it," Andrea mumbled through her mouthful of food.
Carol nodded.
"I thought I did, but now I've thought about it. Why have it in anyone's garage? There are plenty of little businesses that have shut down and keep shutting down in Sweet Junction because someone got the idea to open some little boutique or another that never gets shopped at. Why don't we wait until we know we're going to do this thing and then we invest in one of those little places? If we split the costs then we both own the place, fifty fifty, the location is better, and neither one of us has to live right up under our work," Carol said.
Andrea considered it a moment and finally nodded, shrugging a little.
"I guess it could work," she said. "If you think we could afford some place. I mean we aren't exactly rolling in money…well I'm not…you're doing a little better these days."
"The money I'm getting from Ed is going directly into the house. That's it, and I figure that Ed owes me that. He owes me something and it might as well be my house," Carol said.
Andrea nodded.
"I'll agree, he owes you the house. How would we afford a business, though?" Andrea asked.
"We'll start putting away for it," Carol said. "Hell, when we finish school we'll work double time for experience, put away money, and then we'll get a good deal where we can make payments on the place."
"Too bad you can't exactly get investors for a hair salon," Andrea said.
"It doesn't matter," Carol said. "Look how long we've waited to do this." She gestured at the books lying on the table. "I suppose we can wait a little longer to own our own business."
"Sure gonna be something when we do, though," Andrea said.
Carol nodded.
"Finish eating," she commanded. "We're never going to get to own the business if we can't pass the classes."
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"How long ya reckon it's gonna last, lil' brothah?" Merle asked.
He and Daryl were at the card table eating pizza and playing a half ass gambling game that Daryl was pretty sure that Merle made up while betting matchsticks they'd dug out of the designated junk drawer.
"What?" Daryl asked, taking another bite of the pizza and wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"This thing ya got goin' on with ya lil' sweetheart, Carol?" Merle asked. He pulled another slice of pizza out of the box and put it on the table next to him.
"For fuck's sake, Merle, use tha damn paper towel I gave ya," Daryl growled. "An' stop bustin' my fuckin' balls about Carol. I'm sick a' ya shit."
Merle shook his head and moved the pizza slice to the paper towel.
"I'm serious, boy, I ain't just bustin' ya nuts," Merle said.
What bothered Daryl most was that his brother was sober and he knew right this minute he was serious. It was about as close to a heart to heart conversation as you ever got with Merle.
"She's buyin' one a' them damn houses in that nice ass little development. Her lawyer friend done helped her pick it out with my damn boss man. Ya girl's steppin' up, Daryl," Merle said. "Ya ain't seen this shit before but I'ma tell ya a little bit 'bout tha damn world, baby brothah…people start changin' one damn part a' the way they live an' all that shit changes."
Daryl eyed Merle across the table and took another bite of his pizza. The card game, it seemed, would go unfinished at least until Merle had gotten what was on his mind off of it.
"We was all equals, Daryl. When she ain't had a pot ta piss in or a window ta throw the shit out of," Merle continued. "Hell, if ya ain't got shit, ya gon' be most comfortable with other damn people ain't got shit 'cause ain't nobody there judgin' ya ass fer ya piss poor situation. Now, though, she gon' be livin' with a buncha snotty ass people got more than they need. Ain't gon' take her long ta start wantin' ta fit in, be all fancy an' shit like they is, an' she ain't gon' need no damn redneck boyfriend crampin' her style. She's got money now, boy, an' she ain't gon' be on tha same damn level we is no more."
Daryl wiped his mouth, chewing at his thumb a little.
"An' I ain't just bustin' ya ass neither, 'cause Andrea? She's good as gone too, ya can mark my word. Ain't no need gettin' all damn attached ta her. They doin' this schoolin' shit now. Gonna be educated broads an' workin' women. Ain't gon' be waitin' no tables and rubbin' damn elbows with the lower rungs a' Sweet Junction society. Hell nah…gon' be some a' tha upper crust an' gon' wanna look like it too. You an' me both, lil' brothah, we on the way out," Merle said.
"Ya don't know what'cha fuckin' talkin' 'bout," Daryl said. "Ya just keep runnin' ya damn mouth but ya still full a' shit."
Merle chuckled. He took a bite of the pizza and chewed thoughtfully for a moment.
"I seen it before, Daryl. Once they move on up a lil' then you'll see what tha hell I'm talkin' 'bout. First they'll try ta make tha damn shit OK. They'll go, lil' bit by lil' bit tryin' ta change us both. Soon as they see that tha damn dough's set an' these biscuits ain't changin', then they'll move tha fuck on," Merle said. "Ya mark my word, lil' brothah, we both on tha damn way out with them. Ya might as well start gettin' used ta the idea so ya don't get'cha lil' feelin's crushed so damn bad. I know ya sensitive an' shit like tha lil' princess ya is…but it's gon' be just me an' you again soon enough, Derlina…just like it always was."
"Shut the fuck up, Merle," Daryl growled. "Damn! Can't even have no fuckin' decent evenin' with ya 'cause ya got ta be runnin' ya fuckin' mouth. I shoulda just stayed at work an' earned some extra fuckin' money while they was studyin' their hair shit. Least Hershel Greene's fuckin' cows got damn better personalities than you do."
Merle chuckled again.
"I'm sorry, Derlina," he said in a condescending tone. "Did I hurt ya feelin's?"
Daryl rolled his eyes at him and flung some of the match sticks in his direction. Merle laughed in response.
"Fine, Daryl. I ain't gon' say nothin' else about it, but don't say I didn't warn ya when ya right back here campin' out with ya ole brothah…'member Derlina, blood's tha only damn thing ya got sometimes. I'm tha only one ain't never left ya, an' I ain't goin' nowhere, no matter how many a' ya damn princess fits ya throw over that woman ner any other ya get a whiff of once she's moved on ta greener pastures," Merle said.
Daryl bit off the pizza and realized he didn't really want the rest of it. Merle was quiet now, but he might as well be. He'd already run his mouth off to his heart's content.
Daryl wanted to believe that Carol wasn't like that. He wanted to think that a house was just a house and it wasn't going to be any different than her living at her little apartment across the hall except it would be a longer drive if he wanted to go back and forth between the two places, but he had to admit that Merle's words had him concerned.
He wasn't ever going to be some high crust individual. He didn't have it bred into him and it wasn't something that he wanted. There was a lot of shit about his life he'd be willing to change, but he never wanted to be one of those people that walked around and looked down their noses on people…looked down their noses at him. He'd rather have people look down on him any day than know he was the kind of asshole that was doing the looking down.
He couldn't see Carol looking down her nose at anyone, and he'd never seen her judge anyone since he'd known her, but now he wondered if that was because she didn't feel like she was in a position to do so. He knew that she was supposed to be getting a decent amount of money from Ed, and she was moving into a nice neighborhood, but he wondered if that was really enough to change who she was or how she acted. More than that, he wondered if something like that was enough to change how she looked at him.
Daryl tried to turn his attention back to the stupid game that Merle was now interested in playing, but his mind kept wandering. It wasn't something that he could very well come out and ask Carol about. Even the people that thought they were better than everybody else would tell anyone that they didn't think they were. They never saw how it was they acted because everyone around them acted the same damn way.
No, it wasn't something that she could predict or plan. It wasn't something that he could get off his chest and expect her to assure him that Merle was wrong about how it was that some people got to thinking they were better than others. It was just one of those things that he was going to have to hope wouldn't happen, and he was just going to have to find a way to suck it up and deal with it if it did.