“Oh, now you want to be cordial to me after you put a gun to my face.” She sucked her teeth. She mumbled something else under her breath, but I couldn’t hear what it was.
“My bad about that.” I walked further into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “I was caught off guard about someone being here since it shouldn’t have been. My name is Major, if that helps.”
Since she wasn’t trying to talk, I figured I’d initiate a conversation. I looked out the window at the few snow flurries that fell from the sky. If what Maranda said was true, the snow would come, and we would be stuck probably the whole time. I didn’t know why I hadn’t checked the weather before I came. I would have changed it to another date if I knew a storm was coming. This whole trip would end up being a waste.
“My name is Tumy. T-u-m-y,” she spelled while emphasizing each letter.
“That’s an interesting name.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. Her name actually sounded weird to me, but I kept that to myself. I’d already pissed her off; didn’t need to make the situation worse.
“I guess.” She turned back to whatever she was doing before I’d interrupted her.
Silence fell over the kitchen as I looked out the window, and Tumy paid my ass no mind. We were both going to be uncomfortable over the next couple of days, especially her. Normally, I was able to adapt to any environment, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about staying with her. For all I knew, she could have planned to rob me.
“I guess I’d better make sure we have enough firewood to last us the next few days.” I stood from the seat and headed back to the living room. Tumy hadn’t said anything else, so I left her alone.
There was only one bundle of wood near the fireplace, and that didn’t seem like it would be enough. I knew sometimes the power went out in these cabins during storms. I should have checked the fridge and made sure we had enough food. I debated asking her about the food, but decided against it when I heard her huffing and puffing.
I put my boots, coat, hat, and gloves back on, then headed outside. I looked up at the sky as the snow came down. I noticed a garage, so I took my keys out of my pocket to move my car. I wasn’t sure how I didn’t notice when I first arrived. If I did, I would have seen that there was already a car parked in there.
After pulling my car next to her Cayenne, I locked my doors, then shut the garage door. I walked around to the back of the house where there was already some wood cut, then grabbed the ax to cut some more. Every time I looked at the kitchen window, I spotted Tumy watching me. I winked at her, but she would act like she wasn’t paying me any attention.
“This weekend should be interesting,” I said out loud as I cut down more wood.
I should have asked Maranda if they had any extra blankets and pillows, because more than likely, I would have to sleep on the floor or the bed. I thought about telling Tumy I was sleeping with her, but shorty would probably take my head off.
The snow was coming down harder than when I’d first came outside, so I put a little more pep in my step so I could go inside.
As I gathered the wood, Tumy came outside with a blue ski jacket on, a hat, and boots to match. Thick gloves covered her hands. I watched her with each step she took to make sure she didn’t slip and fall, and to admire how damn fine her ass was.
“It looks like you were struggling a little, so I came to help,” she said as she approached.
“Thanks, but I got it.”
She looked up at the sky then at me as I loaded some wood into the small wheelbarrow.
“I don’t know if you are blind or stubborn as hell, but the snow is coming down heavier, and I figured if we worked together, we could get it done faster.”
“You just had to say some slick shit, huh?”
She shrugged, then took her gloves off and shoved them into her pocket. I didn’t think it was a good idea since it was cold outside, but they were too thick to get a good grip on the wood.
“Just so that you are aware, there is plenty of food in the fridge and the pantry. I’m not happy about sharing space with you, but at least we won’t starve.”
“That’s good to know.”
We quickly worked together to move all the wood inside as the snow continued to fall. It had slowly begun to stick, and the ground had gotten a little slippery.
It took us a couple of minutes to empty the first batch of wood.
“I’ll get the rest of the wood while you warm up.”
She rubbed her hands together as she sat on the couch. Her face was red, and her nose was a little snotty. She took her coat off and draped it on the back of the couch. I watched her remove her boots, then I went back outside.
It didn’t take long for me to gather the rest of the wood and bring it inside.
When she saw me come back, she got up and helped me remove the wood.
“Ow!” She stepped back from the pile of wood and squeezed her finger.
