FINDING ROOTS - A NOVELLA

Build

_____________
It started with a hi and a hello.
Will it end with a bye and an alright?
That, sweet darling, is up to you.
~ Alisha E.
_____________

July was a beautiful month. There was something about the blazing sun, the children's laughter, and dewy air that brought Ruelle immense joy. She could never pinpoint the exact reason, but July had been her favorite month for as long as she could remember.

This year, the year that marked her 33rd birthday and her 5th year as an academy award-winning actress, July was her favorite month for a completely new reason.

Her heart raced as she drove past the running children, past the packed buildings, and up, up, up until she reached her land. Yes, her land.

As she stepped out of the car, Ruelle took another moment to acknowledge that the land beneath her feet was hers. She owned it.

Brazenly, she spun in a circle, her hands flying around the air. "I own motherfucking land. I'm building a house. On land I own. Holy fucking shit!"

This was the second week of construction but it hadn't truly hit her yet. Now, as she looked up to see the men and women building her house, she had an epiphany.

Glancing at the workers, she laughed as they tried to hide their baffled faces. "Y'all can laugh at me. I swear I won't be mad."

And so, the workers laughed. For a moment, the world was still. Ruelle grinned as she watched the people before her. They were laughing at her but that wasn't important. It was the pure joy they were experiencing that caught her attention. Her hands cupped at her lips, a futile attempt to hide her beaming smile.

Even for a second, she had distracted these individuals from their tiring work. She had made them happy.

Eventually, they went back to work and Ruelle climbed the unsteady ground. Her "house" wasn't quite a house yet. She pouted at the flat surface that would become the main floor.

"Is there something you don't like?"

Ruelle's head snapped up. She smiled at the man at her side, "No no no. It looks good! I guess I didn't realize how long building a house takes. I wonna see the pool! And the closet! Oooh, my bathroom. Lord, I can't wait."

The man watched her ramble. She had stars in her eyes as she spoke about a house that was not yet built. It touched a part of him, a part that loved to be praised.

"I'm glad you're excited, ma'am."

She waved him off, "When will you start calling me Ruelle, Zachari?"

She laughed at his exasperated expression. Zachari was her contractor and her architect. Through relentless hours on Zoom, he had helped her design the entire house. She had only met him two weeks ago — the day they began construction on her house — but she couldn't help her friendliness.

After hours of chatting through a screen, they had no reason to be formal. Yet, he always insisted on calling her ma'am. It was alright though, Ruelle would break him out of the habit one way or another.

"You're two years older than me. We do not need to be formal. And besides, you'll be around for a couple more months so get comfy!"