1. Meet the Girls

Jo’s smile had frozen in place. The soften lines became hard as she tried to hide her honest reaction by releasing her smile. The dark pools on her face that worked as her eyes widened. I had guessed that this would be  Jo’s response to my news.  She patted my arm with her long elegant fingers and gave a faltering laugh. Pearl was a little more honest.

“You are kidding me!” Pearl scoffed as she threw her painted crimson ringlet hair back causing the curls reverberate like a sound wave. “You didn’t! Nissa get out here! Wait till you hear what Timmarie did this time.”

I bit my bottom lip chewing it keeping my lost words to myself as groped at the keys in my pocket. I had planned on offering one to Pearl but maybe if I invited the other girls when she wasn’t around I would not be obligated.

Nissa floated out of her room. She smiled, locking her chestnut eyes on me. In her arms up signaling for a hug and in I went.  She held me for a moment too long. Telling me how she missed me with her firm grasp not allowing me to leave.  She leaned back still holding my arms. Cocking her head to the side She stared at my face with a unyielding smile.  This was my queue to speak.

“I bought the vagabond house.”  I smirked and shirked my shoulders.  Jo and Pearl both let out notes of unbelief to compensate for Nissa’s silences. Nissa’s smile never weakened, it actually grew larger.

The Vagabond house was a dilapidated old house that sat in the middle of a newly refurbished part of town. A developer came in and tore out many old houses and stores and replaced them with a strip mall sort of thing.  The local paper said the developer  was trying to make the “Meth Mall” into a Soccer mom’s shopping paradise. My friends and I had watched as building after building was torn out. Nissa lamented the loss of the old homes as the rest of us dreamed of the stores that would take their places. Among all the chaos Nissa pointed out a large house with an awning and a wraparound porch that must have always been there but we had never noticed it.  Pearl named it the Vagabond house because it had the looks of a building that had traveled throughout the world and centuries seeing sights we could only dream about.  Soon thereafter, Pearl and Nissa started to talk about the house as if it were some cute guy in one of their classes.   “I went to see the Vagabond today.” or “I sat and had coffee with Mr. Vagabond.” JoJo, Rose and I began to dread the day they would tear down the house, fearing another post break up Nissa.

“Well darling are you going to introduce us to Sir Vagabond? I have been dreaming of the day when we would become better acquainted with him.” Nissa cooed, her eyes sparkled and she began to bounce up and down upon her dainty, maryjane covered feet.

“SHUT UP! Did you freaking really buy the HOUSE!” Pearl bashed her words against Nissa’s response.

“She didn’t. Timmy love. Tell us the truth. Like, you didn’t buy a house.” Jo wedged her naturally tanned fingers between our pale skin,  Releasing me from Nissa’s grasp.  Something about Jo’s deep ebony eyes made me want to lie. At that moment Rose walked in the door with a bunch of sorted papers.  Kicking the door closed with her feet she shuffled through the papers handing them out to each of us without looking up.

“So I talked to admissions and we technically aren’t under contract until the semester starts. Plus I haven’t paid yet so what are they going to do? Keep the money I haven’t given them? So I am on board as long as I can have my own room again.  Ah, I grabbed some forms for the rest of… So we can get… ” Rose finally acclimated to the tension in the room. She sifted her weight back on to her left much loved tennis shoe.  “What is going on?  Are you guys not coming?” Rose swept her unwashed her hair up into a messy pony tail.

Everyone stared at Rose gaping at her.  Rose looked at me and peeled off her hoody  sweat shirt and plopped on the dorm stiff couch.

“Going where?”  Jo questioned.

“Ah, Timmy? We still moving into the Hobo house aren’t we?  Or are they not coming?” Rose questioned as she pulled a pen out of her gym shorts pocket.

Pearl spat out one of her four letter words. I shhhh’ed her and Jo blanched. “Well I think a curse word is mandatory at this point.” Pearl had the habit stomping her words down like a two year old stomping their feet.

I grinned slightly, nodded my head and proceed to pull the keys out of my pocket.  “Would you girls like to move into the vagabond house with me?” I held the keys out for them all. Nissa’s arms gracefully extended. She picked up a key and turned it over in her pale hand.

“I believe I must confess. I am slightly disenchanted that these keys are so everyday like. Sir. Vagabond should be honored with skeleton keys.”

“Nissa, we would have hobos living in sir vagabond, if there were skelton keys.”  Rose responded

“Hun, I will find you an old skelton key for a key chain okay?” I fold Nissa’s digits over the small sliver copied key. When her fingers didn’t curl back out I knew she was on board. Which meant Pearl wouldn’t protest. As I made this realization Pearl snatched a key and began sliding her key onto her key ring. Jo still stood there staring. Out of the four of them I knew she would be the hardest to convince. Jo loved people and moving off campus would be hard for her. On the other hand, I knew she wouldn’t leave us.

“I have to call my mom. I might talk to Issica to see if I can still live with her.” Jo mumbled as she reached for a key. “Will you save my spot until I figure it all out?and Like,Who else is going to live there? And like can we see the house? And but um how much is it going to cost?”

“Josphine, it is awesome. You will love it.” Rose wrapped her arm around Jo’s narrow shoulders. “I saw it. It needs work. We can chip. Timmy said if we all help out, the rent will stay half the price of the Dorms.” I nodded in agreement when Jo looked at me for confirmation.  Yep, It would still be hard to get Jo on board she had more scholarships than the rest of us.  Our Jo hit the gene pool jack pot when it came to college scholarships, actually when it came to everything,  One fourth Japanese, Half Africa, another quarter black foot Native and all American practicing messianic  Jew.  She stood at five feet nine inches with curves that would make Aphrodite green with envy.  Unfortunately since she attended a prodomaniatly white private school her dark skin acted like an invisibility cloak and kept the boys on campus from seeing how gorgeous and smart our JoJo is.

“Oooo. Can I paint the walls? Oh MY Nissa! WE HAVE TO DO a Mural!” Pearl Raised her arms in the air allowing her bangle rings slide to her elbow as she did a little spin. A little smile played on Nissa’s lips.

And so it began. When I came back to school two months ago this was not my plan. My goal was to get away from my pompous brother who was trying to fix our family and their heathen ways. He was making my parents and me miserable. So I took off early for school in hopes to find some peace a state away. I told my parents I was going to stay with some friends until the dorms opened up. Instead I just slept in the back of my beaten up 1981 mustang. Not the most comfortable but slightly more accommodating to my situation at my parents house. When I returned to the town that held my private college I found the Vagabond house in slightly better spirits, with a new paint job and new neighboring building. During the days I would sit in the new coffee shop that sat across from the vagabond house. I drew sketches of the people I saw walking up and down the street and reading random books that I never quite finished.