Synchronicity for Six Pt. 10

"Tommy, come here and see!" Julie exclaimed from the bottom of the external stairs at the side of the garage. The recent sunlight had melted what snow had accumulated on the steps, and it was a very nice black metal staircase leading up to a door with six small window panels. She stamped her feet with eagerness while holding out a hand for him to grasp.

Grinning widely, he stepped quickly to her side and, hand‑in‑hand, they mounted the stairs. The door faced the west, so they could not see much inside, but it did look like a separate living space had been fashioned above the garage. Julie tried the handle, but it was locked. She groaned with impatience.

"What do you think, Tommy?" she asked.

"About what? This place?"

"Yeah, this place," Julie answered, gesturing to the space they were looking into but unable to see clearly.

"How do you mean, Jules?" He was slightly confused, unable to follow her train of thought.

"As a place for us, silly."

"Jules, it would be great if we could live together for the rest of this year; It's been wonderful having our apartment together. However, I need to be within commuting distance of where I'm going to be initially assigned by TWA. This fall you'll need to be within commuting distance of where you'll be student teaching. Don't get me wrong; I think this place," and he gestured at the apartment, "could be great for you this summer if we cannot live together then, and for us when we are home for visits." Julie's excited expression faded a bit as the disappointment of reality intruded on her dream. "Still, it will be interesting to see what's inside tomorrow."

"Ugh! Do we have to wait until tomorrow?" Julie whined softly. Spying her mother, she dashed down the stairs and ran over to Rose and Alan. "Mom, do we have to wait until tomorrow to see the inside? The realtor has the keys, right? You could call her up and have her come out and open up the place for us today!" Tom was carefully picking his way over to where Julie was addressing Rose and Alan, who were seated on the porch swing.

"No, Julia, we cannot. We have made arrangements to come out tomorrow after church and lunch. A lunch that I suspect will include Mr. and Mrs. Larsen. Your sisters are working today, and David won't be in until tonight. It would be totally unfair for us to see more today. Why do I get the feeling I'm talking to the 11‑year old Julie and not the 21‑year old version?"

That shut Julie up.

"It's just a little more than 24 hours, Jules," Tom commented, coming up from behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "It'll be fine. Let's go look at the rest of the house, from the outside." He led her away while Rose continued to sit next to Alan on the swing.

"Well, it seems like Tom's now on board with this decision," Alan remarked. Rose squeezed his hand in response and gazed lovingly into his face.

End Part 10