Eleven Days: An Unexpected Love

by Lora Lindy

Chapter 6

  Day 2

  October 16 7:20 a.m.

  Lana woke to rain slightly falling making a pitter patter sound. It sounded like a symphony orchestra playing Beethoven’s Fur Elise. As much as she enjoyed her personal concert she had to get stirring. She stretched and realized how cold it was in the house. Wrapping a brown patch work quilt around her shoulders, she hunted for the thermostat to turn on the heat. The fire died out, but a few small ambers barely glowed. She stirred them trying to coax them back to life then added a few logs, hoping the fire would start quickly.

  Then she ran to the kitchen to make coffee, wishing she had remembered her house shoes. She danced around like a ballerina in Swan Lake, hoping if she jumped high enough her feet wouldn’t touch the cold tiles. If she wasn’t such an oaf, she could dance to the song Mother Nature played for her. Acting silly caused her to trip and almost fall, but not before stepping on the blanket. Lana laughed at herself when she realized she could stand on the blanket and scoot. Accidents happen for a reason, she thought.

  She rummaged through the cabinet she found the Folgers, her favorite. Mike did a good job supplying her with her desperately needed morning java. Milk tasted good in the coffee, but she would have to remember to get some french vanilla cream. The fridge did have some raspberry pastries and she nuked one and turned on the television to catch the news while she ate, snuggled in the quilt.

  The weather report stated the bone chilling cold was predicted to stay around for a couple more days. They also stated the temperature might drop twenty degrees when the low came down from Canada. Watching the Weather Channel reminded her of her grandmother visiting. Granny always watched the weather channel for ten hours straight. She pointed to the different parts of the country, pointing to wherever it happened to be raining. “Look, it’s going to rain here any minute,” she would say, even thought there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Lana always smiled when she thought about Granny and her antics.

  Thirty minutes passed since she turned up the heat and the temperature in the house still lingered at fifty-eight degrees. She rechecked the thermostat and the lever pointed to heat, but nothing. Maybe the pilot light had blown out or at least that’s what she hoped because that’s a minor fix. She quickly took a hot shower and got ready to go to shopping and grab some lunch, but first she needed to call Mike and let him know about the heater.

  *****

  Sam’s grocery looked like a little mom and pop place. The parking lot had only twenty parking slots. On the far right side, close to the parking lot were two gas pumps. As she pulled in she looked over at them and noticed on top of the one of the pumps said Ethel. It was barely legible because of all the muck in the glass window. You just don’t see that anymore, she thought. When she pulled up two men stood outside the door fussing about politics. They waved to her when she drove in the parking slot. She said hi as she walked past them to enter the store. They stopped their talking but didn’t speak to her. People up north were not very friendly, including Mike.

  As she walked in, to the right a clerk was sweeping up a bag of sugar that had burst hitting the floor. An overweight lady who sat at the cash register gave her opinion on everything the clerk did wrong, but didn’t offer any assistance. Maybe she did help a little, she pointed to the dust pan.

  Lana noticed there wasn’t much of an obvious food selection. She decided to go down each aisle to find something to fit her fancy. She grabbed a few can goods and some lunch meat at the deli. There wasn’t a large selection of fresh vegetables, so she selectively chose a few that looked good. Later she would go to a bigger grocery store to grab some more wholesome looking veggies. They did have a nice meat department with fresh looking meat. She bought some steak, bacon and chicken. The steak would be for the last night. She made sure she had enough steak for Mike, just in case. She also grabbed two large potatoes for baking.

  The drive home was as beautiful as the drive last night. She took her time and enjoyed the scenery. The morning fog lifted and she could see the ocean better, and it couldn’t be any more amazing. She could see for miles in all directions. There’s an endless view of lighthouses everywhere, on their own little peninsulas. In the distance there were ships, yachts, and sailboats. To her surprise and delight she saw the sailboat Maltese Falcon. What a treat and she couldn’t believe her luck. For years she had seen pictures of this beauty, and now she got the privilege of seeing it in person. She giggled at herself and decided she now liked the beach.

  As she turned on Shadow Lane there were four houses on the cul-de-sac. All the houses were on the beach side and none were on the wooded side. Mike’s house sat at the end and it faced the road. The houses all looked like cookie cutter homes with small front porches and huge back porches because of the beautiful view of the ocean. Gray seemed to be the going color for the exterior and all of them were trimmed in white. None of the houses had garages, but they all had designated parking slots made of gravel.

  She noticed the only greenery were some Azaleas bushes that surround the houses. Other than that, the only foliage was some dune grass splattered around the sand. Lana didn’t mind the lack of grass because the beaches shouldn’t look like the suburbs.

  Driving into her designated slot she noticed Mike’s truck, and she wondered how long he’d been working, she hoped not long. Deep down she knew if he just got there, she would get to spend more time with him. She hooked all the plastic bags on her arms and toted them in the house. She eagerly looked forward to seeing him. To her surprise he didn’t greet her at the door. She put the groceries away, after a few loud noises she realized he was busy in the attic.

  She noticed the fire caught hold and she tossed in a couple of logs. Once the room warmed up she took off her jacket to tackle the salad. But first things first, she took a swig of chamomile tea. She bought several kinds, but that was her favorite. She loved to try many different kinds of tea. Many people love wine tasting, but Lana preferred tea. Sometimes she mixed her own concoctions; lemon rind, honey, milk, and fresh or frozen fruit. Consummating the flavors is what she called it. Some concoctions turned out great and some not so great.

  The stairs squeaked with heaviness as Mike stomped down them. He mumbled and cussed under his breath about the heater. He walked in with a dirty face and grungy hands and carried a piece of round metal tube. Many times she helped her husband work on machinery and she knew right away it was the electric starter.

  With one eyebrow cocked he said. “It’s the starter to the furnace and I’ll have to run to town to replace the part.” He glanced over and noticed the fire and commented on it. “Wow, you started a fire, not too many women can do that, I’m impressed.” He wanted to start a conversation with her, and the fire was the first thought that popped in his mind.

  “Well I guess I’m not a typical woman, and I guess I’ve been single for so long I only have myself to depend on,” she answered without glancing into his eyes. She didn’t know what it was about his baby blues, but it sure was difficult to look into them. When she finally gathered the courage, her face turned red. His did too. She took a deep breath and added. “Besides if you get cold enough you can get a rip roaring fire started, its’ called survival.” Wow, she just couldn’t get over how pretty his eyes were, and he even had dimples when he smiled. Her stomach fluttered and her heart skipped beats under his constant gaze. It’s a good thing she didn’t make a living predicting what people looked like because in Mike’s case she would go hungry. He looked nothing like she thought.

  Taking his time, he gathered up the part and headed for the door. Under normal circumstances he could think of a great excuse to stay or start a conversation. His mind went blank. He couldn’t talk to her about the part, she might be bored. Maybe he could talk to her about her trip but that seemed desperate. He could revert back to college and ask her what her sign is. He laughed at himself about how stupid it was back then, and it’s still stupid. Then his eureka moment happened. He would ask her to lunch, that’s what
he’ll ask her. He stopped dead in his tracks.

  Without paying attention, she tried to decide if she should invite him to lunch. Boom! She ran right smack into his back and tumbled to the ground. When she slammed into him, she felt like she had run into a brick wall. He quickly turned around and grabbed for her and he almost slipped and fell himself.

  They both laughed hysterically, and then he lent a hand to help her stand. “Are you all right?”

  “I only have a bruised ego and maybe a bruised bottom. I didn’t expect you to stop so quickly,” she said as she rubbed her butt. Their laugh broke the ice. She noticed he held her hand just a few seconds longer than he had to, and she let him.

  Mike stood there for a few minutes deep in thought. Finally, in a very quick tone he asked. “It’s lunch time and since I knocked you down the least I can do is buy you lunch. That is, if you want to come with me? Do you want to come with me?”

  She could tell he hoped she would. He acted like a school boy shuffling his feet and waiting for an answer. He looked tall standing there, anticipating a response. It reminded her of a junior high school boy asking out the cute girl to homecoming. In her mind she wondered if she should make him wait for an answer, watch him squirm. She decided she couldn’t do that. She came up with an answer that seemed like a great alternative for them to eat together. “I have a better idea, I have everything for a big salad and some hot tea and why don’t you join me?”

  “I would love to join you only if one day this week you allow me to drive you around and show you our historic town,” he asked without thinking about it, he was anxious to get to know this woman. Excitement rose throughout his body when he got to touch her hand.

  She didn’t hesitate. “Sure.” She guessed they had a date. For the past six years after her divorce she decided she didn’t want to date, or at least not much. Her friends did introduce her to a few men, but she they never connected. Because of the horribleness her marriage, she didn’t want to get seriously involved with anyone. She couldn’t be any happier with her life. She had a wonderful family, children, friends, and work. James always wanted her to meet someone wonderful. He joked around with her and told her that whomever she dated had to pass his approval. She wondered if he would like Mike. She would never know. Yea, she definitely liked the idea of spending the day with this great looking guy.

  She needed to get lunch on the table for Mike and herself. She got out the vegetables and spread them on the bar. “Tell me what kind of veggies you want or don’t want in the salad.”

  He looked over the veggies and began to separate them. Lettuce to the right, cheese to the right, salad peppers to the right, smoked turkey to the right, onions to the left, mushrooms to the right, and finally bacon bits to the right. “I want everything to the right in the salad and everything else, nil.”

  “You don’t like onions?” She loved onions and couldn’t imagine him not liking them.

  “I love them, but you never know I might have to kiss someone today.”

  Panic ran through her body. What if he was hinting he had a girlfriend? She kept her cool. “Okay, no onions!”

  Surprisingly, Mike helped a great deal in the kitchen, and he impressed her. He got out the dishes and set the table, and he put the few dishes away that were in the dishwasher. He noticed there were no paper towels and he ran out to his truck and brought a roll in and put it on the rack.

  When they sat down to eat she tried to make small talk. “How long have you owned this beach house? I couldn’t imagine not living here every day.”

  He stopped eating and looked around the house, reminiscing. “My wife and I lived here for years and she passed away several years ago. I couldn’t stay here without her, but I couldn’t sell the house either. So I decided to put it on the market to rent it out and let others enjoy it.”

  She could tell he deeply loved her. Later she would ask him about the details, when they felt more comfortable with each other. She didn’t want to tell him about her own dilemmas because it was too early in their relationship to talk about intimate feelings of grief.

  After an hour of talking, she finally stood up and Mike followed. It was a tense moment between them because neither wanted their talk to end. He picked up his plate then stacked their plates. She got the two glasses and the walnut raspberry salad dressing. He helped clean up the kitchen, and she thought maybe he was trying to find an excuse to stay. All she could only think about how much her heart raced every time he walked near her. She wondered if he felt the same way, she desperately hoped he did. With everything cleaned up and small talk over, Mike put on his coat to go to town and politely asked her again. “Do you want to change your mind about heading to town with me?”

  “I have been here almost twenty-four hours and I still haven’t got to run my toes in the sand.”

  He laughed and agreed she needed to feel the sand in between her toes.

  She walked him to the door and she noticed she didn’t even go to the top his shoulders in height. Not only was he tall but his shoulders were broad, well over three feet wide. His coat looked massive in size and she found herself wanting to touch him, but refrained from doing so. She noticed he lingered and she hoped that he didn’t want to leave either. She thought. Mike if you turn around and take me in your arms and kiss me I will go to town with you.

  He winked at her and walked out the door. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

  “If I’m not in the house I will be on the beach.”

  “Enjoy.”

  She smiled and took a long deep breath as she watched him drive away.

  *****

  She exhilaratingly stood in front of the fire to warm up before her cold walk on the beach. She tried to get the adrenaline pumping to help with the cold. A walk on the beach excited her so much she couldn’t stand still. She grabbed a thick old Indian designed blanket to wrap up in for the bitter cold. Earlier in the day she noticed a bright multi-colored striped lounge chair on the beach and decided it would be perfect for her to sit and enjoy the view. She fixed a mug of hot raspberry tea, added some honey, grabbed her cozy warm blanket and walked the short distance.

  The sky looked overcast, but the deep blue ocean was a lovely sight. The fierceness of the winds seemed to ask the water questions, and the waves answered with rambunctiousness. They rolled in and smacked the beach with full force. Then the salt water rolled out leaving lines of white foam reaching for her toes. She just stood there in awe. Then she wondered how many people stood in this very spot for the last three hundred years looking at the same scene.

  All around her were small sand dunes. Some still had a few discolored weeds sticking out of the sand. She noticed old driftwood lying around the beach, far from the shoreline. Some boards were pointed and some were gray, but all of them were aged with holes in them. She only imagined it was wood from ships that were lost at sea, and at one time those ships carried treasures. The wood wanted to be found, to tell a story.

  In the far distance one could see the hungry sea gulls sweep down to the beach to pick at their fish dinner. It was easy pickings for the gulls, since most of their competition went south. The fish must have been swept in by the rolling waters and launched on the beach. That’s Mother Nature’s way of offering a meal to the birds, survival of the fittest at work.

  Her imagination led her to visualize families running around and sitting under beach umbrellas as they watched their children building sandcastles, throwing Frisbees, and playing ball. Young couples took long strolling walks along the beach and snatch a kiss when no one was watching them. She pondered many people stood in this one spot, seeing the ocean for the very first time in their lives, absorbing the feeling of euphoria as they look at the great vastness of the Atlantic. She took a deep breath just like they would, remembering this incredible sight, storing it to memory.

  She cleaned off the chair and made herself at home lying back. Then she took a sip of her now warm tea. She watched the old lighthouse turning its lig
ht just like turning the pages in a book. Each turn started a new page. Each day began a new chapter. Lana wished it could talk, and if it could, what might its chapters say.

  The Gurnet lighthouse was built over two hundred years ago. She wondered if it’s the oldest lighthouse in Plymouth. Most lighthouses are currently run by the coast guard, but years ago they hired caretakers. She wondered how many caretakers this lighthouse saw, how many ships of immigrants it guided. How many families were excited to see the light, knowing they would have a new start in America?

  She remembered reading if you came out at night you can see the past caretakers take their lanterns up the stairs. Listen to her, if she witnessed a lantern carrying ghost at that lighthouse, she would pack and head right back to Tennessee.

  Contently she thought this was the life, sitting and listening to the waves, watching the gulls, and looking at the lighthouse. This trip certainly brought her heart happiness. Meeting Mike just added pleasure to her soul. She never thought in a million years she would have met such a nice guy on vacation. That only happened in the movies, and she liked being in this movie.

  After several weeks of dwelling on her sorrows and how she had been emotionally drained, now she found comfort in her surroundings. It’s amazing how a death could change your feeling of well being. She felt somewhat scattered and sad the past several weeks. Today was the first day she hasn’t felt that sadness, it didn’t overtake her life. It wasn’t the focal point anymore. When family told her she needed a change of scenery to help a broken heart, they were right. A smile crossed her face as she snuggled in the blanket and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  3:47 p.m.

  Boom, swish, splash, gurgle was the deafening sound that woke her. She raised straight up from the chair because it startled her. The cold shocked her, a beautiful and content type of cold. It was a good feeling, like going to a football game in freezing weather, with the face ice cold and numb. But the cold didn’t matter because the home team won the game. Fans were excited about the win, they forgot about the weather. They didn’t even care about their runny nose.