Chapter 29: More Than Just Furniture and Meatballs, Part 3

We understand the reasoning of this Canadian girl of Scandinavian heritage.

Yes, it's important to recall even the worst parts of history, but to re-enact them – or even worse, offer them as the be-all and end-all cure for all of the ills of the present and the future – is downright insane.

Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the lost glory of Russia – and that led to the invasion of a country that simply aimed to move forward towards the future.

Hope that conflict gets resolved in the most amicable way possible, and conspiracy theorists would finally shut up.

OK, enough of that ranting inside my head.

Aurora is the next to speak.

"So then… Miss Lavian…"

"Please drop the 'Miss', thank you very much."

"Lavian, I'd very much want to visit your unit some time."

"Yes, yes. I knew you would say something like that. I'll just let you know when you can visit my unit. As it currently stands, it's a bit messy."

"And when you have enough free time, you can visit ours in return! Give and take, right?"

"Of course, of course!"

I then cut in.

"And before we forget, Leigh and I make our living as country singers at Mushy Baby's Drift Country Bar and Restaurant. The place is not that far from here."

"Ah, yes! I've also heard of it, too! I'll guarantee to visit you and see you perform with my own eyes!"

"Great."

"Alright then, we shouldn't waste any more time! See you later, buds!"

As Lavian returns to her own unit, and we three just slouch on the couch afterwards, I wonder what kind of non-romantic relationship we will have with her.

Sure, there's the obvious labeling of her as a neighbor, but friendship?

Yes, the strongest of friendships needs time to grow.

As long as she can afford to have a good time and achieve what she wants to achieve here in Atlanta, it's fine with us.

And thus, it's hardwired into our brains that we must support her any way we can.

So while we're waiting for her to finish setting up her unit, we need to get inspired.

And indeed, we get inspired.

Inside my head, I come up with a melody.

"Eyy! Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo

"Yoobadabi, yoobadabi, yoobadabi, doo

"Pom-pom-pom-pom."

Well, it's a very short one, but I'm 100% sure it can be expanded upon.

Furthermore, it's my first time doing some scatting, being influenced by a more famous scatter named John (may he rest in peace).

And then, I relay that melody to the two girls.

Aurora reacts first.

"Wow, that sure sounds catchy enough! But I'd want to give it some more… punch."

Leigh follows, "My thoughts exactly. Now for me to add that needed punch. I'll get some pen and paper, OK?"

She leaves the couch to find the items she needs.

And once she's back on the couch, she quickly writes the rest of the lyrics so fast, like she is really struck by some kind of inspiration.

In just a minute, she's done.

She then sings her newly-written lyrics out loud.

"You thought everything they did is beautiful enough?

"There's something wrong with you,

"Your expectations are so high that you get disappointed in the end.

"Just do your part as citizens,

"Not just criticisms and negativity, haha.

"By the way, are you going 16 million, HAHAHAHAHA!

"Yes, we know how to appreciate, so we live happy lives.

"Unlike you who dedicate your entire life in criticizing and castigating.

"They have so many downsides, but you still blather 'bout them.

"And in the end, you get upstaged by 16 million. So how?

"Will you do nothing but toxicity for the next six years, no?

"Don't get me wrong."

I then react, "Hm. Not that bad. But those lyrics could use a little tweaking for harmonic purposes."

Leigh acknowledges, "OK, then. Lead the way."

For the next thirty minutes, we three are fine-tuning our newly-composed song, which will be titled "Yoobadabi (Scatting of the 16 Million)".

And by the way, Aurora also contributed some lyrics, so she deserves a songwriting credit as much as Leigh and I do.

One final song practice later…

...and we consider ourselves done with our song that's sure to catch the ears of everyone in the bar.

Just as we're about to keep the handwritten lyric sheet for safekeeping, we hear another audible knock on the door.

No doubt, it's Lavian calling us to take a peek at her unit.

One door opening later… and we three are proven right.

"My room is complete for your viewing pleasure!" she declares. "Get inside once you're ready!"

After keeping the lyric sheet in a safe place, we three head inside her unit.

Well, well, well.

It looks like Lavian really embraced her Nordic heritage and took all those design concepts that carry it to heart.

I know it all too well from reading catalogs from a famous Swedish home furnishings chain all those years.

And even as the years pass, and technology evolves, the DNA of Scandinavian interior design is still as hardy as ever.

It embraces natural light to, yes, bring brightness to the living space. It's given considering the glass windows that strut from the ceiling to the floor, which is a prominent feature in every apartment unit here.

It emphasizes contrast. From using contrasting colors to interpolating straight and curved designs, contrast delivers a high-impact statement, much like our new neighbor here.

It employs muted colors. In minimalism, which Scandinavian interior design is classified under, colors must not be too bold nor too loud. The same goes for the decorations – simplicity is king.

It integrates warm wood and sepia tones. Mixing them with the mute whites makes for a bright and sunny tone without being too garish.

It can be easily mixed with other décor styles. No one will bat an eye if one hangs an old-timey painting on the living room's wall and make it the centerpiece. As stated before, it embodies contrast – that is, contrast of time periods.

And most importantly, it embraces the Danish concept of hygge – basically make it cozy and comfy as much as possible.

In the case of Lavian's unit, the way she designs her living space is attuned to the cozy feeling, especially with the fact that she lives alone. After all, one can't get cozy if everything isn't accessed easily and efficiently.

For example, she can't enjoy her morning coffee if the coffee bar, which is a repurposed serving cart, isn't strategically placed in the spot where she can easily spot it from afar, approach it, and have her cup of Joe in less than three minutes.