“And even if you couldn’t, your landlord can’t successfully chase you down for rent on an apartment with a giant hole in the ceiling,” Mary said.
“Plus, it might be the best way for me to hit the reset button after the disaster with Kai. I could really dedicate some time to writing.” She was saying all her inside thoughts out loud. “I’ll be honest. I don’t hate the idea. Nothing I’m doing right now is turning out the way I thought it would. Maybe a clean break is just what I need. And then I can come back in a better place.”
“That’s how I see this.” Dot felt hopeful they’d say yes. “We all need a little push to get us over these humps. I look at Kitty and think she’s really nailed it. Her life looks amazing, like she’s got it all figured out. Perhaps a little time away, doing something totally different for a while, in a new place, and for something that matters, could get us to where we want to be.”
Mary felt torn. “Yeah, but I want to be in the city long-term.”
“Me too,” Dot assured her. “I’m never living anywhere else. It’s just for the year. Less than a year. I promise.”
“Give me a minute.” Mary excused herself to the ladies’ room. Dot watched her go and willed her to have an epiphany before she returned to the table.
Harper kept wondering aloud about how she’d manage. “I want to say why not?” She smiled broadly, her eyes shining with new confidence. “But I’m lactose intolerant. Don’t they eat a lot of dairy there?”
“I think that there are plenty of lactose intolerant people who live in Wisconsin and do just fine,” Dot said, hoping that was true.
After a few minutes, Mary came back. She sat down and clasped her long fingers with their perfect red nails together, then said, “All right, you win, Dot.”
“Really?”
“My mother is going to freak.” Mary held up her glass for another toast. “So, with that in mind... let’s go freeze our butts off in Wisconsin!”
“Yes? You’ll go?” Dot’s eyes teared as she looked from Mary to Harper.
“I think we’ll go.” Harper raised her glass.
Dot, realizing her wild idea was about to become reality, picked her glass up and met theirs in the middle of the table.
“Well! To Cedar Falls and new beginnings!” she said. They clinked glasses.
Dot picked up her phone and pushed herself out of the booth.
“I’m going to call Kitty.”
Chapter 13
The next few weeks went by in a flash. There was so much to do.
In the whirlwind, Dot often pinched herself. Was this really happening? Was she really going to break up with her boyfriend, jump off her career track, and move to the middle of nowhere for apassionproject, of all things?
The impulsivity of her decision to take Kitty Bell up on her offer felt exhilarating, which was certainly not her natural state. She’d always been so methodical—she liked to have everything planned out andjust so. That said, the feeling of excitement wasn’t unwelcome. To the contrary, she felt invigorated. She feltalive.
There were so many decisions to make and things to do before she, Harper, and Mary moved to Wisconsin for the year. To keep track of everything, Dot took to writing and rewriting her to-do list. It felt like every time she crossed one thing off, another two things came up.
First up—telling her parents. She agonized about this. She worried they’d think she was cracking up, losing her mind, or even worse, beingirresponsible. She tied herself in knots going over the conversation. When she finally got them on FaceTime, she thought she might vomit from her nerves.
Her parents surprised her when they immediately said, “Good for you! This is so exciting. And a great time in your life to do something like his. We’re so proud of you!”
Chalk that up to another lesson learned—she’d been so concerned about what her parents would think, and imagined that it would go badly, that she’d wasted all that time worrying for nothing.
Her sister Anne had a similar reaction. “Wow. I didn’t think you had it in you to be so adventurous. It’s brave, what you’re doing. And maybe you’ll meet some hot guy there.”
“Fat chance. I’m going to focus on work completely,” she replied.
Dot got a boost of confidence with her family supporting her decision. Her parents even offered to take over the co-op fees and utilities for the year, since they both loved the city, and they already had a long list of things they’d do on the long weekends they planned to spend in Manhattan. “Broadway, museums, restaurants, lectures. I can’t wait,” her mom said.
That done, Dot then had to resign from her job. She planned out her side of the conversation and thought it was generous to offer a month’s transition, through to Christmas. She knew she wouldn’t miss her clients or the horrible SVP, but she’d miss her tiny office with the view and the younger staff that looked up to her.
The managing director of the firm was understanding and kind.