Bon Appetit

I never would have thought house hunting could become frustrating. This is the moment I have always dreamed of since I was a little girl. I did not fantasize of a big wedding or marriage, my dreams were filled with big, spacious homes, yards, pools, closets, and pets. My name is Magenta, I am a Manhattan native and that is all I need to say for you to understand my perception of living spaces and why my dreams consisted of homes and not boys. Boys were everywhere and accessible, affordable, spacious homes in NYC were not. It was just me and my mother growing up in a one bedroom, one closet apartment in the Lower East Side. We shared the bedroom together up until she passed when I was 19 years old and by this time I was already in college completing my biology degree. Losing my mother has been one of the toughest times in my life so it was only natural that it took a while before I could give up the apartment we had shared my entire life.

I met my husband a year after my mother’s funeral at my college graduation and two years later we were officially dating. I tried to fight the inevitable by saying I was only emotionally invested due to the loss of my mother, but the truth was, I used her death as an excuse to keep him around. I loved his presence, his conversation, his smile, his smell, his thoughtfulness, his generosity towards others, and my favorite, he’s one of those handymen who can build anything. He was who I was looking for in a man without ever looking. I was pregnant a year later at the age of 23 and that is when family life started for me. We stayed in my mom’s apartment for about three more years and another kid later until our neighbor from the first floor moved out. We jumped on the opportunity to take a 3 bedroom apartment on the first floor in the Lower East Side.

Fast forward six years, add another child plus my enrollment into Cornell University’s Pre-Vet program and that equals buying a home in Ithaca. My goal after my biology degree was to apply to Cornell’s program back then and become a veterinarian, but my life slowed down after my mom’s death. Then I started a family and my primary focus was being a mother. Now it’s mama’s time to shine and I have the most supportive husband to be able to do so. Others would say I got lucky all around, but I don’t consider it luck, it truly is my time to shine. Fabian, my husband, is a Super to a building on the Lower East. This building was just sold and a demolition date has already been scheduled. Instead of discarding the tenants without regard, the owner decided to give the tenants cash for keys. Additionally gave the Super, Fabian, a very favorable severance especially after he heard we would be moving to Ithaca. He told Fabian to keep his number as he would be contacting him in four years with plenty of opportunity as the Lower East Side would be drastically changing.

Change was in the air. We had appointments the rest of the week to see houses in Ithaca so we booked a hotel and decided to make it an exploratory adventure as well. We will tour the neighborhood an hour before each house tour in order to make the best possible decision for our family. All three children would be with us because this is as much their home as it is ours, it will be the family home.

It is Day 4 of house hunting and my excitement has turned to anxiety as none of the houses felt right. There was always something wrong, something that couldn’t be compromised so we had no choice but to move on. There was no settling.

“Babe! This house does not have a bathtub in any of the bathrooms either!” Fabian shouted from the inside of one them.

“What is up with that?! Has there been a discovery against bath taking that we don’t know about?” My question is directed towards the realtor and while he chuckled, he shrugs his shoulders,

“It’s a saving money thing. Won’t use as much water if you can’t run a bath.”

“Shouldn’t that be my choice? It’s my house.”

“Like I’ve said before, you can always add it.”

“Dang and the kids loved this yard. Family!! On to the next one!!” I shout.

Day 5

“Yard too small” We all say together.

Next!!

Another living room kitchen combo? Next! Bedroom without a closet? Next!

Day 6

At this point, my faith and patience are thin. I really thought this would be easier.

“Babe, if we don’t find something today then…” Fabian cuts me off,

“Then there is always tomorrow.”

“But tomorrow is the last day” I say half whining.

We make a right onto Applegarth Road and the GPS announces in three quarters of a mile the destination is on your right. What a beautiful block I thought, but I still wasn’t excited like I was on day 1. The houses were gorgeous and very sturdy as they were made with brick. The block was tree lined with beautifully colored buds and you could hear birds chirping. The car stops at the end of the block in front of the last house. I love a corner home. My excitement rises a bit. The walkway to the front door is a stone path lined with marigolds and morning glories. The grass is perfectly trimmed and the front door has two column pillars that exude elegance. My excitement rises even more. We enter the home and it looks like it has never been lived in before.

“The last an owner lived here was about 10 years ago…” a voice echos from across the room,

“Everything is brand spanking new from the floors to the ceilings, walls and drawers. Hi, I’m Judd Jacobs, the realtor for this marvelous home.” He reaches out to shake all of our hands, including the children.

“Hi, Mr. Jacobs…”

“Please call me Judd.”

“Hi Judd, I’m Magenta, this is my husband Fabian, and these are our children, Elle, Em, and O.”

Judd laughs and before he could say anything, the three kids say simultaneously,

“Can we go see the yard?!”

“The yard can be where we begin if you like.” Judd responds gesturing towards Fabian and I.

“That would be nice and the kids can continue to play there as we look around.”

Judd leads us from the entrance way through the kitchen which at glance has a granite island, dishwasher, microwave and there’s room for a table. There sliding glass doors in the kitchen that lead to the yard. Judd slides the door open and we step out onto a wooden deck. The deck was big enough for a BBQ grill, a medium sized side table, and a sitting bench. There were stairs that led down to the grassy yard. The yard had a new swing set with a slide and a pool. It also had a large tree that provided a nice shady spot on sunny days. I watched the children run down the stairs and laugh their way to the swing set. This felt right. O slides down the slide and goes running when his feet hit the grass. His arms are straight out mimicking an airplane when he trips and falls.

“O! You ok, baby?”

“Yea mom I just tripped over this rock.” O picks up the rock that caused the fall,

“Mom! It’s a pear.”

“Yes, O, that is a pear,” replies Judd, “that is one bonus that comes with the house along with the swing set and pool, a pear tree. There is also a game room through the downstairs sliding doors with a ping pong table. Collect a pear for each of us and bring it here, please.”

The children happily comply and bring us all a pear from the grass that has apparently fell from this here pear tree. The pear was soft upon touch and I could smell the juicy sweetness. I bring the pear to my lips and I felt this cool cloud of electricity travel from my lips to my jaw and down my throat. The hairs on my arms stood and I felt a little lighter on my feet. My mind and body instantly knew I was eating a pear, I could feel that it was a pear throughout my body. I knew the tree it came from, I felt the roots and branches. I could taste every genetic component that made up this pear’s DNA. Was I vibrating?

I didn’t realize my eyes were closed as I slowly opened them. I expected everyone to be around staring at me with odd faces like “Magenta, what was that?”, but I was alone on the deck. The kids went back down to play and Judd and Fabian were in the kitchen washing their hands. I know the look on my face was “Magenta, what the hell was that?”

I look down at the bitten pear in my hand expecting it to glow or something. My hand was filled with pear juice and instinctively I picked it up and licked the juice off. My body and mind reacted the same way with my hairs standing up and I could taste my entire genetic material. I could taste my family history, where my grandparents were from, what they looked like, their personality, and what ailed them. I felt and knew things I have never known before. I stumbled backwards from the confusion at what was happening. My fear wanted me to run out of there, but curiosity led me down those stairs onto grass towards the pear tree. I took my sandals off and stopped at the pear tree barefoot. I looked at the pear tree up and down, sizing it up. I felt a soft breeze and I knelt down onto the grass and kissed the ground. I instantly felt all that Mother Earth was and I was engulfed by it. Then there was a whisper,

Go find Jaclyn, Cecily, Iris and Ivy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven't met Jaclyn, please read Vision

If you haven't met Cecily, please read Do You Hear What I Hear?

Stay tuned for Iris and Ivy