1.13 James
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Days off used to be highly coveted. But when your trade is also your love, you want to be there, working, cutting, and shaping the wood. I never knew when I would feel inspired so I chose to live near the shop. This allowed me to create whenever I felt like it.
Realizing that I was working every day, Eric threatened to take my key away if I did not at least take one day off, if not two, “like a normal person.” He laughed as he said it. But I understood he meant it.
And so that is how I found myself wandering the almost empty streets on the day that most people spent with their families. I still had an hour before the appointment that Eric had arranged for me and so I spent the time getting to know all the side streets and shops that lined them.
I made my way to the place Eric had described, the first farm on the outskirts of town, quite easily and was surprised to see that I arrived right on time.
I was greeted warmly and led to the back of the barn to choose a horse. This was the place where Eric and Alise’s children had learned to ride and Eric thought it would do me some good to get out of town and see some of the countryside.
There was only one horse to choose from and the brown gelding named Ellioi looked just fine to me. With minimal instruction and a brief introduction, we took off at a slow trot down the drive to do some exploring.
My pack was heavy with food from Alise’s kitchen. She liked to look after Tom and I, and feeding us seemed to make her happy. So who was I to object?
Ellioi seemed to be enjoying the ride as much as I did. We wove through the paths and into the forest behind the farm. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Nature and observing animals in the wild.
Autumn seemed to be creeping up, as the heat of the day was not as strong. Ellioi and I climbed out of the forest to a clearing and stopped to unpack Alise’s gourmet meal.
Like she was feeding an army! I was amazed to see the amount of food in the pack. But also glad, as I had not considered that my travelling partner might also be hungry. A large nose turned to sniff the pack and looked at me expectantly. I pulled out a large apple and chuckled as it disappeared in seconds.
I patted Ellioi on the nose and scratched between his ears as I regarded the scenery in front of me. It really was beautiful. As I took a long slow breath in I realized I could almost hear the silence, until it was broken by the flock of birds that suddenly decided to relocate from the trees behind me.
As I turned, I saw what had caused their alarm. A small rider, on a very large horse came walking out of the forest. As the rider came closer, I was shocked to discover that it was Catherine.
I took a step forward and reached an arm out as she came to a halt next to me. But she expertly climbed off the large beast and landed on the soft earth with grace. I stood speechless as she smiled up at me.
“Nice to see you again, James Tanner.” Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. My face flushed as I remembered the words I had used to describe her, the words she had overheard.
“And you, Miss Catherine.” She smiled as I overemphasized Miss. “I have to say that my luck must be changing to run into you all the way out here.” I gave her what I imagined was my most charming smile and hoped it worked.
“It is no accident”, she said. “I followed you.”
I could not keep my eyebrows from rising almost to the top of my head. I managed to get out one word. “Really…?” Unsuccessfully trying to keep the disbelief from my voice.
But she just smiled. “So. Are we going to eat?”
I am not sure how long I stood in silence, staring at her. But her horse snorted and I was suddenly jolted back to my senses. I opened the pack and began to pull out all sorts of exotic foods along with sandwiches, beverages, fruits and dessert. I began to wonder if Alise knew she would be feeding more than one person.
We sat and ate while the horses got to know each other. She told me her horse was actually her father’s, and that explained the massive difference in size. We discussed weather, politics, economic issues and of course, local gossip. I could not take my eyes off her. She became extremely animated when discussing issues she was passionate about. And her eyes would flash as she talked about people who were not contributing to the good of the town.
I think we were both surprised to discover we had finished all the food, with some help from our equine companions. As we packed up the dishes, I could not stop myself from asking the question I had in my head since she first arrived.
“Why?” I asked. Catherine tilted her head to look at me. “Why did you follow me?”
I was surprised to see her duck her head down and busy herself with packing the dishes up. The over-confident expressions were replaced with what could only be described as a look of vulnerability.
After letting out a deep sign, she spoke. “I was curious.” She paused a moment and then continued. “I have always had people in my life telling me what to do. And somehow when I speak with you I feel a sense of freedom. It sounds silly.” She looked up at me to judge my reaction. I was fixed on her face and indicated for her to continue. “No one has spoken about me in that way before.” Now I felt that familiar heat in my face again. But she was looking down as she spoke so I was safe. “I had to see you again. I just don’t know why. And I thought you would be arrogant or over-confident and then I could write you off. But you are not those things. And I have really enjoyed myself today. For the first time… in a very long time…”
Her words trailed off as I took a step towards her. Looking down into her soft brown eyes I felt the past fade along with the lies I had told. There was only her. I placed my hand on the side of her face and drew her in slowly. Panic flashed in her eyes. But only for a moment before her lips met mine. And we stood in that timeless moment until the animals’ restlessness could no longer be ignored.
Catherine took a step back and looked at me. I was pretty sure I should tone down the grin that I knew was spread right across my face, but somehow I knew that was an impossible task. And then, as quickly as the moment arose, it was gone. She suddenly turned and picked up her belongings and took the reigns of her horse and turned to leave.
“Wait.” I said. She stopped, and slowly turned back to face me. Her eyes looked sad as she smiled at me. “I will be here tomorrow”, I said. I held her gaze until she gave me a slight nod, climbed on the massive horse, and rode back into the forest.
I stood, unmoving, until her form disappeared into the shadows of the forest. What just happened? I was sure I had not crossed a line. And yet there was something else going on. Regardless of the strange ending to our impromptu lunch, I found myself smiling again. I was going to hold Eric to his word, and take tomorrow off too!
