“I’m house hunting, hoping to buy something in the next few weeks, so by the time she’s big enough to need it, I hope to have a nice yard for her to play in.”
“I like the sound of that,” Susan said. “And I like the way you’ve bonded with Ember.”
Marin looked down, surprised to realize the puppy had fallen asleep in her lap. She cradled Ember in the crook of her arm like a baby, and the puppy let out a contented sigh. “She caught my eye the moment I noticed her hanging out in the back like that. I guess you could say we’re both underdogs, both survivors.”
“Sounds like a perfect match, then. I’ll email you some literature and links to help you get started on your puppy research. She’ll be ready to go home in about three weeks.”
“Just enough time for me to get ready for her.” Marin looked at the sleeping puppy in her arms. Ember would add so much joy and excitement to her life, not to mention love.
A half hour later, Marin was back in her car. Her phone was filled with puppy pictures, and she washappy. She’d only been in Vermont a little over a week, and already her life was so much richer.
Instead of going back to her apartment, Marin guided her car toward the winding mountain roads outside town. Time for her daily driving lesson. She would keep doing this until she got more comfortable behind the wheel. As a bonus, she was getting to know the area and experiencing the beauty of Vermont.
It was definitely beautiful here in January. Cold, but beautiful. As she pulled out of Susan’s driveway, she was dismayed to see snowflakes in the air. The sky had turned heavy and gray while she was inside, something that seemed to happen often this time of year. Nonetheless, the forecast wasn’t calling for any snow accumulation today, so she decided to forge on.
She turned onto a road that led away from downtown Middleton, driving carefully as it curved through a heavily wooded area. The ground beneath her tires was probably not paved. It was hard to tell for sure because of the snow, but she thought this was one of the many dirt roads in the area. It had been coated liberally with sand and gravel for traction.
She spent the next fifteen minutes taking random turns, meandering along various winding rural roads. Already, they felt slightly less intimidating than they had when she first arrived in Vermont. While she was driving, the skies cleared again, bright blue peeking through the clouds. The snow-covered field she was driving past began to glisten in the sunlight. Behind it, mountains appeared, a stunning vista that caused her breath to catch in her throat.
Her car’s stereo dinged to let her know she had a text message from Charlotte, and Marin’s stomach fluttered in anticipation of what her new friend had said. Since she was alone on this rural road, she pulledher car to the side and stopped. She sat there for a minute, gazing out over the field of sparkling snow. Here and there, small houses dotted the hillside. What a view they must have ...
She could imagine herself sitting in the living room of her new house, gazing out at a view like that. It would be the perfect backdrop while she graded assignments and played with her new puppy. And entertained a new girlfriend ...
With another deep breath, she checked her phone.
Charlotte Danton: How did it go?!
Me: Class was good, and I adopted a puppy afterward!
Charlotte Danton: A puppy? I need details!
Me: Saw an ad from the local shelter last night
Me: Who could resist this face?
She attached a photo of Ember. Charlotte responded with a series of heart eye emojis.
Charlotte Danton: No one surely! Awwwww
Charlotte Danton: So he or she is officially yours?
Me: Yes, although I can’t bring her home for a few weeks. Motivation to find a house!
Charlotte Danton: Got it. On that note, I emailed you a few more houses to consider.
Me: Great. Do any of them have a view? Because I think I want a view.
Charlotte Danton: Not really. You wanted to be downtown, right? Near the campus?
Me: Suddenly thinking I’d be willing to commute a bit to have a view like this.
She snapped a picture of her current view and texted it to Charlotte.
Charlotte Danton: Solid goals! Ok I’ll set up a few houses for us tmrw morning and then maybe lunch after?
Me: Sounds perfect
While she was parked, Marin sent a few pictures of Ember to her sibling group chat, and also to her niece Jen, who was a big dog lover. She was about to put her phone down and begin the drive back to her apartment when an email came in to her new university account. She didn’t get many of those, or at least she hadn’t yet, probably because she was a lowly adjunct. Curious, she clicked on the email, which was a newsletter from the department secretary, announcing several clubs and committees in search of faculty volunteers.
