“Oh, myGod!Rose!”
AuntJenbounces on the spot asIemerge through the airport arrivals door.Therolled-up scarf knotted on top of her head just about holds her wild hair in place, and her multiple strings of beads clitter-clatter against her tie-dye shirt.
Thewarm relief washing over me tells meI’vemade the right decision.
EvenwhenIleftConnor’shouse as quietly asIcould before dawn,Istill wasn’t sure.
Atleast getting my suitcase down the stairs was easier than getting it up there.Mainlybecause it now has only two books in it.Ibagged up the others separately soIcould drop them off in a locker at the school library on my way to the airport—and there was me never seeing the point in a twenty-four-hour library.
Toget all my stuff down from my room, it still took multiple trips and lots of care to avoid the creaky parts of the stairs.
Thelast thingIwanted was to wake upConnorand have to go through an awkward goodbye.I’dspent half the night writing and rewriting a text to thank him for the job, to say how good it was to meet him and work with him and that it’s best we don’t contact each other again.Rightbefore they made us turn off our phones on the plane,Ifinally hit send.
I’dbooked the earliest available flight toSeattle, which meant getting a taxi to pick me up at 5 a.m.Andwhat with all the angst over how to word the text, packing, intermittent crying, and lying in bed staring at the ceiling all night asIberated myself for landing in this situation in the first place,Ididn’t get a whole lot of sleep.
Andthere wasn’t much opportunity for any on the plane.Theguy next to me had his headphones turned up way too loud, and the kid behind me kept kicking my seat.Notto mentionIspent the whole time wondering whetherIwas doing the right thing by running away.
Ikept seeingConnor’sface as we sat on the roof terrace withItalianfood and beer when he told me my existence sounded sad and lonely.
ButIalso saw the way he softened and warmed whenever he was around the love of his parents.And, right now,Iunderstand that more than ever.
AuntJenskips toward me, arms extended, floral clogs slapping against the shiny floor.
Idrop my bags as she throws her arms around me and squeezes. “Oh,Rose!”
Alump rises in my throat as she wraps me in the scent of patchouli and woodsmoke.
Shepulls back and takes my face in her hands. “Lookat you.That’syour mother’s smile right there.”
Hereyes are as full as mine.
* * *
“Comein, come in.”
AuntJengrabs the handle of my suitcase and helps me haul it through her front door.
“Look,Maisie.Avisitor,” she says to the tortoiseshell cat padding across the pine floor toward us, tail in the air, mewing.
“I’mso glad you had a good nap in the car,Rose.”
Assoon asIsat down inAuntJen’soldJeep, it was like my whole being relaxed, knowingIwas safe, andI’dconked out almost before we’d left the airport parking garage.Ididn’t wake until we were on the steep, winding, wooded path to her log cabin.
Shelifts the laptop bag off my shoulder and places it next to my suitcase.
“Leaveeverything here for the moment.Nowthat you’re awake, you can tell me all your news.Textingand video calling is all well and good, but it’s not the same as sitting on the deck with some tea.”
Thecabin is just asIremember it from the last timeIwas here withMom, about ten years ago.AndIstill remember the first timeIcame here as a kid.Iwas fascinated by the curves of the tree trunks that form the walls.I’donly ever seen log cabins in cartoons before and couldn’t quite believe they actually existed.
Everythingis wood—the floors, the ceiling, the stairs, the kitchen cabinets.Theonly soft furnishings are the leather sofa and chairs on either side of the woodstove.They’reall littered with cushions and blankets, and a brightly patterned rug lies between them.
Thekitchen stove clicks asAuntJenlights a burner and plants the kettle on it.
“Youget comfy out there.”Shepoints toward a door off the living room that leads to the deck. “I’llbe out in a minute with tea.”
“Wow.”Iwalk through the living room, step out on the deck, and call inside, “I’dforgotten how high up you are.”
Theland falls away behind the house, putting me at eye level with the tops of towering pine trees.Theyslope down to a river in the valley below, which rises to mountains in the distance.
