It’s raining outside and I can’t go for a walk to clear my mind. Instead, I pick up my ceramic bowl and set a match to a pile of Cedar leaves. I inhale the scent and close my eyes, allowing my mind to dwell on the stress of completing my Masters, after nearly six years of putting it off, the loneliness of a still house, and the anxiousness that I’m missing something that I don’t know how to get. Then, I imagine letting that all go, and breathein the white smoke and exhale the pressure on my shoulders. The thoughts are still there, but they’re lighter now.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
After a few minutes, I pick up a bronze snuffer to extinguish the flames and close my eyes again, assessing my body. My shoulders fall; the tension in my muscles is nearly gone. My head is clearer and my heart beats steadily.
Ready, I pick up my knit bag and walk out the door.
It’s only a five-minute drive to Jane and Austin’s house. I would walk but I don’t want to show up on her doorstep like a wet gutter rat.
There’s a car in the driveway, but there’s still space, so I park my car behind it.
A silhouette of a man in the driver’s seat tells me it must be Casey. Pulling my hood over my head, I open the car door, grab my bag, and make a run for it.
I only make it a few feet when Casey opens his car door and rams it into my hip.
Pain ricochets through my bones and into my spine, making it hard to breathe for a second.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
With a hand on my hip, gripping the painful spot, I hunch over to catch my breath. A pair of strong hands grips my shoulders and pulls me under an umbrella. Suddenly, I’m no longer pelted by the rainfall and only hear the pitter-patter above me.
My hip still hurts like a freaking wrecking ball crashed into me, but at least I can breathe and stand up straight now.
“Yeah. I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you until I opened the door.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Let’s just forget about it.”
He follows me to the door, holding the umbrella between us. I ring the bell as soon as we reach it and Jane opens the front door immediately.
“Come in, come in.” She moves out of the way quickly. The beige carpet already has a wet spot from our shoes and dripping coats and I don’t dare to walk in just yet.
Jane hands me a pair of furry slippers and I couldn’t be more grateful for the warm comfort. “Thanks.”
“Do you have an icepack?” asks Casey.
“An icepack?”
“Yeah. There was a little accident on the way here.”
“You mean you hit another car?”
“No. His car hit me.”
“What?!”
I realize how terrible that sounds, and I wave her off as I’m sure she’s about to pounce on Casey. “Just with the car door. Not the car itself.”
“Oh, well… that’s a little better. I think.”
“Just marginally.”
Casey isn’t laughing and I feel sort of bad for teasing him, but my hip still hurts like the devil stomped on it so I’m not that worried about his feelings.
“Dinner’s almost ready. I need to check the roast. Austin’s downstairs with Anthony, but he’ll be up in a minute.”
