“I’ll be right back,” I said, going to the downstairs bathroom across from the gym. I washed my hands and checked my face and teeth. I was good.
When I came back out, Piper was gone, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed. Natalie was typing something on her phone.
“She just went upstairs to change,” Natalie said, looking up at me.
“Oh, well, I should get going anyway,” I said. I wasn’t here to socialize. I was here to teach yoga and then get out so my client could get on with her day.
“I can’t make it to yoga tomorrow, but I’ll see you on Sunday,” Natalie said, following me to the door. I glanced once up the stairs, hoping that Piper would reappear, but she wasn’t there.
“Sounds good. Tell Piper I’ll see her on Tuesday,” I said.
“Will do.”
I stood on the porch for a second and then walked down the steps toward my car.
My chest had a hollow feeling that I didn’t like. I got in the car and put on some music to hopefully shake it off. I needed to film another class today.
On Saturday Julia dragged me shopping with her. Hollis and Ellie had been conscripted by Amanda to do a family cooking class. I thought it was nice of them to do something with just the three of them.
“Okay, how do we feel about jeans?” Julia asked.
“No,” I said. “I gave up jeans like three years ago and didn’t look back. I’ll wear other pants, but no jeans.” I just didn’t like the way they felt on my skin.
“Okay, no jeans. We can work with that,” Julia said, going through the racks. “What about these? They’re linen.”
She held up a pair of off-white loose pants that for some reason reminded me of Piper.
“Maybe,” I said.
“You’ll have to get some seamless undies to wear with them, that’s the only downside,” Julia said, moving to another rack. She started just handing things to me at this point and I let her. If dressing me like a doll was going to make her happy, it was no problem for me to indulge her for a day.
“I think we should add some more dresses to your wardrobe. Maybe a caftan,” she said, talking to herself.
“Aren’t caftans a little…” I said trailing off, searching for the right word.
“Listen, you won’t look like an old lady in a caftan if you wear the right one and carry it with the right attitude,” Julia said.
“Caftans are either for famous influencers on yachts in Ibiza or older rich women who have already been through a few husbands,” I said.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Julia asked.
I thought about it for a second. “Okay, good point.”
She laughed and shoved me toward the changing room. I tried on a few dresses, and actually liked two of them, including one with a floral pattern on it that made me think of tropical flowers. The linen pants were great, as were a few shirts, and a few pairs of pants that I could always use if I needed to look professional.
“We’ll get some non-yoga clothes in your wardrobe yet,” Julia said.
“It’s not that I don’t like non-yoga clothes,” I said as I piled the clothes on the counter so the salesperson could ring me up. “It’s just that I have so many instances where I need clothes that I can do yoga in that I bought them out of necessity.” I was all about double-duty for my clothing.
“I get it, but you still need some clothes that are fun and some that are completely impractical for yoga.”
I flinched a little at the price, but the salesperson said something about a special sale.
“You’re the best,” Julia said, and I got the impression that the salesperson knew Julia.
I tried to protest, but it was ignored as my card was swiped, and then Julia and I were carrying bags to the car.
“Can we eat now? All that shopping has left me starving,” I said, putting my hand on my growling belly.
“Yes, please. I need to replenish my cheese stores,” Julia said.
“I don’t think the human body has cheese stores,” I said.
“Well, mine does.”
We ended up at a cute little café that had vegan and vegetarian options.
“I feel so healthy,” Julia said, sipping on a cold pressed juice.
“I’ll make you some juice shots,” I said, remembering that I had promised to make some for Julia.
My vegan broccoli “cheese” soup was divine, and the chicken kale salad was so good I wanted to lick my plate. Julia devoured her summer salad with grilled halloumi and half BLT with vegan bacon.
“Cake?” I asked when we were finished and considering dessert.
“Always,” Julia said, and we split a piece of the stickiest chocolate cake I’d ever had in my life.
“Linley would absolutely want to know what’s in this,” Julia said, licking her fork.
“I bet it has, like aquafaba or something in it,” I said.
“I don’t know what that is, but it sounds fancy.”
“Chickpea juice,” I said, and Julia made a face.
“I really hope it’s not that.”
We decided to stop at a mall as well and just sort of wander around.
“We haven’t had a sister day in so long. I wish Lydia was here,” Julia said.
“We probably should have invited her, but she’s so busy with the kids,” I said. Hanging out with any of my older siblings was so hard sometimes.
“Yeah, I know,” Julia said. “Let’s get her a present anyway.”
We found a shop that sold bags that were made from the material of old sails and got her one with a blue octopus embroidered on it.
“She’ll love it. Plus, it has enough room for snacks and other things,” I said. We bought the bag and then hit a candy shop and filled grab bags for ourselves.
We stopped in the food court and got pretzels with cheese dip before we left.
“I can’t believe we’re not going to be able to do this when you leave again,” Julia said, pouting a little. “I know Mom was laying into you, but would it be so bad if you hung around here for longer than a few months? Your online classes are going good, right?”
I couldn’t escape this conversation no matter what I did.
“Yes, they are,” I said. “But I like traveling. I like waking up in new places.”
“Do you?” Julia said, looking into my eyes. “Because you haven’t seemed that happy for a while. I could hear it in your voice when we talked.”
“I don’t know what you think you heard, but I was happy. I am happy with how my life looks,” I said.
“Okay,” Julia said. “I just worry about you because I love you.” How many times had I heard that one before? I really did love my family, but they needed to stop treating me like the baby who couldn’t make her own choices. And if my choices didn’t seem to make sense to them, they had to realize that I knew my own mind.
And that I could make my own mistakes.
“Okay, I won’t bug you about it anymore,” Julia said, dusting salt from her hands. “Want to go smell all the candles?”
I laughed and finished my pretzel and we went to the candle store and sniffed all the candle scents and rated them.