“I’m an only child and my parents passed away.”
“Sorry to hear that.” He makes the meaning of the word, lonely, sound worse than how I felt.
The heavy rain slows down, and we’re both watching the droplets fall from the sky as if their grains of sand falling from the hourglass that will end our time together. Where do we go from here? We don’t know each other.
“What’s next for you?” I ask him.
He nods his head. “You know, I’m not sure, and I didn’t plan that out before coming here. I’m on a sabbatical from work, so I’m making the world my oyster.”
“You should live here. It will heal your soul.”
“I think I need to see more than a coffee shop to make that decision, but after meeting you, I’m not sure I’d be in a rush to leave.”
The rain has stopped, and spots of blue are reappearing among the clouds. I scoop up my laptop and take Colton’s hand. “Follow me,” I tell him.
“Where are we going?” he asks, laughing as if he’s suddenly free from what was holding him down.
“We’re going where you will forget about all of your problems.”
“I think I like the sound of this.”
I don’t release Colton’s hand until we reach my house. “Wait right here,” I tell him. “I need to drop my laptop off before we go any further.”
I open the door I didn’t lock and place my laptop down on the writing desk. I also remove Colton’s fleece, debating what to do with it, so I poke my head back out the door. “Do you want me to hang your fleece up to dry?”
“That would be great. Thank you,” he says.
I hang the fleece up on the coat hook, grab my keys, phone, and satchel, and lock up.
As I pull the key out of the front door, Colton is just a few feet away, admiring the hourse. “What year was this house built? It’s incredible.”
“Early 1900’s I believe,” I tell him, remembering he’s in house construction. I guess he’s passionate about his work.
“I don’t live alone, here you do?”
“No, I have a housemate. She’s also a divorcee,” I say, shaking my head. “Honestly, we could start a club.” I can’t help but laugh. It’s not funny. It’s the wrong-wiring in my head. “She’s dating someone now though; she’s on her way back to happy-land.”
Colton is still glancing around the space when I take his hand and pull him back outside. “Come on. My house is not the spot that will make you forget about all your problems. We still have a half-mile to walk.”
6
“Wow, this is beautiful,” he says, taking in the lake’s landscape beneath the weeping trees. Lilly pads and flowers envelop the grounds around the water. It’s like a little dream.
“Wait right here,” I tell him.
I stop by the little rental booth to rent one of the rowboats. I’ve taken an interest to drifting along the water while peacefully staring up into the sky, watching the clouds pass through. It’s calming and makes me realize how small I am in the world of problems.
“Come on over here,” I shout to him as I make my way over to the boats.
“I haven’t been on a boat in ages, not a rowboat, anyway. I’ll try not to tip us over,” he says, joking as he holds the boat steady for me to climb inside. “You’re spontaneous, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. It’s the best way to forget about life. You can’t think backward or forward when you’re busy doing something, right?” I don’t know when I became all-knowing and skilled to help someone else overcome their battles, but it’s spilling out of me like I’m a heartbreak-healing guru.
“I insist on paddling at least,” Colton says.
“Well, I won’t argue.”
We’re silent for the first few