Page 23 of His Atonement
When I pull up to the front of the house, I stop and look up, way up, at the three story plantation style mansion and smile.
I cannot wait to unpack my camera and photograph the hell out of this place.
My birthday present to Allie—January 7th, in case you were wondering—is going to be a huge photo album with the most meaningful pictures I can take.
I already started it years ago, after we turned twenty one with pictures from our epic LA invasion, and I continued adding to it over the years with the intent to give it to her when we turned forty.
A birthday she'll definitely spend without me.
It has loads of photos Granny took of our dads as little boys, us with them, years we hold close to our hearts. There are pictures from our various graduations, Granny and Gramps, holidays, and other significant events. There's a whole section in it on her pregnancy with Daisy, the delivery, the few days after. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do the same for Lily, but I added a ton of pictures from when they visited before Granny passed; the girls with her, the four of them with her, Allie and I with Granny. And now I'm going to add a whole new section on her life here, her family, the clan she loves so much.
I'm going to include everything and everyone I can so that when I finally go, Allie will have a beautiful reminder of how much I love her and her family.
A reminder that even without me, she will never be alone.
Well, hello there depression, so nice of you to drop by.
Better smoke a fucking bowl or else that depression is going to turn into anxiety too, and then my OCDs will get out of hand and I will wind up making quite the scene.
So, I end up smoking two bowls before I feel normal enough to go in, and thank fuck I did because even with Allie's countless descriptions, I still was not prepared for this place.
High ceilings, wood floors, but probably bamboo or hickory or some shit, ‘cause it looks expensive as hell. Everything looks expensive, but almost deceptively so.
To the untrained eye, all of the furniture and decor in the foyer as well as the Earth tones can easily hide the luxury by creating very specific vibes; warm and inviting, rustic and lived in. You don’t notice right away that the wood flooring cost thousands and thousands of dollars because of the worn but beautiful rugs sitting on top of it, just like most people wouldn’t notice that the rugs themselves are most likely Perusian and just as pricey.
Between my travels and college degrees, I can see a lot of the sneaky-rich decor just in the foyer alone; beautiful, but not over the top antiques that are worth small fortunes without looking like it, priceless paintings and nick knacks scattered amongst the vintage mudroom benches and repurposed vanities.
It's not lavish, not posh or pretentious, but you can tell there was a lot of thought as well as funding put into this place, and it is all so incredibly beautiful.
This house is gorgeous, really, and makes me even happier for Allie because she's obviously in good hands.
I kick my flip flops off and line them up by the ridiculous amount of others under a bench, glance up the stairs, down either end of the hall but continue toward the back of the house.
Muffled male voices come from behind a closed door, then hits a crescendo, a mix of cheers and boos, a ton of cursing and a death threat or two, and I smile. Allie said her husband and his brothers recently found Mortal Kombat for their PS5 and it sounds like they enjoy it.
For a minute I consider joining them, think about dropping in unexpectedly on the boys, but I hear a familiar honk come from the other end of the hall and move toward that instead.
Another perk of living here?
I get to spend tons of time with Posey, Grace, and Casey.
Those girls have been Allie's BFF's since she moved here, well, Grace and Posey have. Casey didn't move out here from the east coast until she was done with her degree in child psychology, but still. Every time I visited before Granny got sick, the five of us spent ridiculous amounts of time together, had more fun than I've ever had, and they came out to Cali a few times when I convinced Al to visit.
Those girls are badass. It is so cool they are all married to brothers, and if Cora fits in so well with them then I'm sure I'll love her too.
Also, babies.
Between Opal and the flower children, I am going to be in baby heaven and that is another huge plus in my book.
I enter the dining room to find the girls seated around the table, Posey and her gorgeous face at the head of it, cracking up and honking like a goose.
Gracie is to her left, that orange bob perfectly styled, her mossy gold eyes crinkled at the corners while she giggles. She looks the exact same as the last time I saw her except for the glasses, those are new, but she totally rocks them.
Casey, the bitch, is as stunning as ever and does not look the least bit like she had a baby less than two months ago—just like Allie who is even hotter after two babies so close together—her blond hair cut into an adorable pixie, brown eyes full of glee while she laughs and nurses Opal.
Allie is to Posey's right, Lily in her lap sucking on a pacifier that looks like an elephant and next to her is an absolute knockout, a tiny little thing with long dark hair pulled into a braid, the most intense blue eyes dancing while she sings and claps.
And there, dead center of the dining room table, jumping and shaking her booty is Daisy Mae, performing for the lot of them.
