The impending serendipity could not have come at a better time for Adrienne. The Montclair State University sophomore faced no shortage of fresh challenges. Adrienne’s time-sucking accounting major was doing a big number on her sanity. Her battle with Red Hawk Central about overcharged tuition lied far from fruition. Adrienne’s month-old boyfriend breakup had exploded into emotional shakeup.
The star-crossed sophomore felt a need for a serious change of scene. Her opportunity materialized as a weekend trip to Calliope’s Loft. The Victorian-era house harbored a retreat for writers, musicians, and artists. This hub for the creative crowd graced New Hope, PA. Its stylishness fit right in with the riverside borough’s special attractions.
Adrienne had chanced upon Calliope’s Loft while surfing the Internet. The svelte undergraduate exhibited curiosity for New Hope after hearing rave reviews from her friends. They praised the town’s unique stores, restaurants, and activities. Adrienne recalled her friend Sabrina’s nail head hitting comment.
“Where else can you get train rides with an old-fashioned steam engine?”
Of course, Adrienne was itching to visit New Hope. The undergraduate was ready to give this idea the old college try.
At any rate, the curious collegiate had always longed to try her hand at writing. As such, Calliope’s Loft presented the perfect opportunity to see if Adrienne had the “write” stuff. She occasionally played with poetry and the odd short story. Yet, she never seriously pursued the literary craft.
Meanwhile, “The Loft,” as it was known around New Hope, beckoned with promise. Narratively speaking, Adrienne was a diamond in the rough. Yet, her silver lining was an unfettered ambiance where she could scribe away. Adrienne could beat her own drum without the raucous rhapsody of college life. That theme was crescendoing in her head with increasing harmony.
Quite predictably, Adrienne found herself bound for Calliope’s Loft. She snagged a three day stay for the Labor Day weekend. Originally, the aspiring visitor had run into a brick wall. She had hoped to cop a spot at the renowned site in the spring. Yet, the mountainous demand for a perch at “The Loft” made racking up a reservation a rocky road. That changed when Lady Luck struck like lighting.
In early August, Adrienne received an unexpected e-mail from the director of Calliope’s Loft. He said that a room had become available after a last-minute cancelation. The eleventh-hour news had Adrienne on cloud nine ten-fold. The sophomore clinched the chance to make an online reservation. She looked forward to staying at “The Loft” with an attitude of albatross-soaring altitude.
Fast forward to Labor Day weekend, Adrienne moseyed up the front steps of Calliope’s Loft. The appeal of the storied site sparkled as brilliantly as a kaleidoscope. The yesteryear relic’s facade featured a covered wooden deck which happily harkened back to a bygone era. The time-tested terrace was dotted with bohemian stripes of all types.
A few young adults were whipping up words on their laptops. Two men were painting away with pride on their easels. A grizzled old-timer was scribbling his mental meanderings in a hardcover notebook between cherry-scented puffs on his exquisite pipe. A colorfully attired woman’s hands were flitting all over her drawing book as a light breeze flowed through her free-flowing burnet hair.
Adrienne trotted through the chock stopped door to Calliope’s Loft. She approached the retro registration desk. A woman greeted Adrienne in a rainbow sweater and variegated beret. This character shot a smile that disarmed her guest faster than a speeding bullet. And goosebumps galloped through Adrienne more powerfully than a locomotive. It was a small wonder she felt as sublime as Superwoman.
Adrienne could not even complete check-in without a doing a double take that knocked her out like a triple play. Myriad reflections rambled through her mind.
“Is something happening to me? I can’t believe just how I feel at home in his place! Have I been on the wrong track in my life all along?”
The woman in wonderment went to her second-floor room to prepare for her writing weekend. Calliope’s Loft charm took hold in Adrienne’s heart. That evening, she tore herself away from her wayward wordsmithing to stroll through the halls of her novel haven. Adrienne’s delighted in the mellifluous music that resonated through closed doors. The merry melodies included a trumpet solo, impromptu whistling and an operatic duet with piano accompaniment.
Adrienne Moore was just embarking on her first chapter of her episode at “The Loft.” Her unforgettable saga was just beginning.
