“O
h, Auggie, thank you for everything. You’ve given me the best graduation gift.” I can’t believe that just a few days ago, I became a college graduate. Auggie volunteered to fly out to Denver and make the long drive with me back home. I put up a bit of a fight at first. I know how busy he is, but what alternatives did I have? Drive home alone? Ask my mother to drive home with me? I don’t have the patience necessary for that. It’s a fifteen-hour drive from Denver to Chicago, then a thirteen-hour drive from Chicago to New Jersey. That’s a long time to be sitting in a car with anyone.

Besides, Auggie’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is roomy enough to fit both of us, my two year old mixed breed boxer Madeira whom I nicknamed Maddy, and all my possessions comfortably for the long trip to New Jersey. I am so thankful to have a friend like James August Deegen. I’ve always wanted a brother, and his friendship is the closest thing to having a sibling I’ll ever know. The purring of the engine as we drive along the highway is calming, relaxing even. I rest my head on Auggie’s shoulder and repeat two small, but heart-felt words, “Thank you.”

“What’s up, Jette, my Pet? You feelin’ blue?” He reaches over, grabs my hand, and gives me a comforting squeeze. We have a long drive ahead of us and I am determined to enjoy every moment. I don’t answer him right away. I just shrug my shoulders, shake my head, and give a small sigh. “Juliette Evangeline Fletcher, if you don’t tell me right now, I’m pulling this car over until you spill.”

“Oh, Auggie, nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Let me close my eyes for an hour and get some rest. You OK to drive for a little while?” I was up all night sorting through all the mental checklists locked up in my mind. I also have lists on my phone, on my computer, and in my recipe book. Occasionally, my need to keep things organized interferes with life, like last night, but mostly it helps me keep things in perspective.

Auggie lets me nap. I get to sleep for a solid hour, waking refreshed and energized. After that, we take turns driving. We only stop when we need to eat, use the bathroom, or let Maddy out for a stretch. Eventually, the landscape begins to resemble the home I know so well. Evergreen trees mixed with scrub pines and oak trees line the roads. An occasional deer can be spotted looking for food, sometimes in pairs. When we see the sign for the Jersey Turnpike, we both cheer out loud. It’s not that we love the Turnpike, no one does. It just means that our long car ride home is nearly over.

We are home in Point Pleasant just as the sun begins to hang low in the sky.

I will be staying at Auggie’s place until I figure out what I want to do. He is renting a beautifully updated ranch style home near the Beaver Dam Creek. I catch the first glimpse of my temporary home and I immediately fall in love. When I spot my old jalopy of a car, a rust-colored Dodge Neon, parked sleepily in the driveway, I wordlessly smile to myself.

As he gives me the grand tour, I immediately feel at peace. Although modest in size, it has the essentials: two bedrooms and a recently remodeled kitchen with antique cabinets, marble countertops, and all stainless steel appliances. It has an open floor plan with a generous island that separates the living area from the kitchen.

Auggie is staying in the master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. That means that the guest bathroom is completely my domain. My room is right beside it. Since it is only a rental property, it is pre-furnished, including the bedroom furniture. I am a very lucky girl, indeed.

I think I’m going to like living with Auggie. He has the whole house organized and decorated tastefully. He’s added just the right amount of color and flair to turn a pre-furnished house into a home. It’s simple, clean, and subtle. I’ll have to surprise him with something special to thank him for everything. Maybe I can bake him some cookies. I have to keep my baking skills fresh, anyway. The payments on my college loan will be starting soon, and I am not going to let my degree in Baking & Pastry Arts go to waste.

I plop myself onto my new bed and look around. The whole ride here, Auggie worried that I wasn’t going to like this place, especially my room. He couldn’t be more wrong. It’s true, none of the furniture matches, but that’s what gives the room character. The desk is a deep chocolate brown. The headboard is a repurposed whitewash door. The dresser is a painted six-drawer wooded chest. It’s definitely a mismatch, but once I put my touches on it, the room will definitely pass for shabby chic. I love a good challenge and this room definitely has potential. I make a mental note of all the antique shops that line the streets of downtown Point Pleasant. Most of them seem to have survived the super storm last Halloween. Finding the right accessories and mirrors will really bring the collection together. Now all I need is a job to bankroll my wish list.

I’m immediately brought back to reality when Maddy paws at my feet. She needs to go check out her new digs, too – the backyard. Quickly, I make my way through the kitchen, into the laundry room, and find the door to the backyard. Maddy gallops out into the fenced-in yard and immediately finds a marauding squirrel that needs to know there’s a new sheriff in town. It looks like she approves of our new home, too.

Auggie and I make quick work of unpacking the Jeep while Maddy joyfully plays outside. Immediately, I start opening up the boxes, bags, and suitcases that contain all my most treasured possessions. As I look around, I can’t help but be impressed with my own packing skills. It’s hard to believe that all these boxes fit neatly into the Jeep like the pieces of a three dimensional puzzle, with every piece fitting tightly with the next and leaving no space for anything else. The drive across country from Denver to New Jersey was a challenge, but we all made it home in one piece. Now I have to reassemble my life and my belongings.

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