by Marian Stack
“Overwhelmingly so. I believe our lives will be a testament to this day. Now before we enjoy that bed I need to shower.” Turtle stated as she began to quickly undress.
Believing she had just performed the fastest shower on record, she grabbed the towel from the elegant wall hook and loosely wrapped it around her naked torso believing that sleeping attire was not required from this night forwards, walked into the bedroom to find her wife snuggled under the bedding fast asleep, offering to their new world a deep rhythmic peaceful snore.
And with a kiss on the cheek and a closeness that would remain, Turtle announced to her sleeping wife, “I will love you forever.”
Five years pasted in the blink of an eye
“What the hell happened?” Blair opened her eyes to a room filled with beautiful sunshine and warmth. She purposely stopped moving to listen to the world around her and to allow her memories to crystalize into what she believed to be her truth, and then rapidly looked around the room to locate her wife only to notice that she was completely alone in their bedroom.
Remaining in her dressing gown and after reaching for the cup of black coffee that had been presented to her by one of the many waiting staff members she proceeded to walk out onto the ground level terrace. Startled and a little annoyed that the blast of sunshine that blinded her vision made her stub her bare foot on one of the chair legs and then became even more startled by her brothers voice, which made her hand twitch that spilled some of the coffee from her cup that also landed on her bare foot. “What the hell…Joe?”
“Always the lady of the house.” He laughed as he tossed her a serviette.
“Have you seen my wife…” but then stopped her query as she first heard then noticed her wife playing with what appeared to be two golden retriever puppies.
“Oh my God…where did they come from?” Looking towards her brother now realizing that he was also enjoying the scene as Turtle played with the new additions to the household.
“Sister dear you do know just how difficult you are to buy for, and it’s been a long time since we had new life in this household so I thought why not bring in more chaos. What do you think? They’re beautiful aren’t they?” As he spoke, he also stood to leave the happy couple alone on their first day of marital bliss. “Got to run…enjoy your new first day.” And then offered his usual kiss on the cheek.
“Seems to me we’ve been in this predicament before?” Blair announced to her unsuspecting wife as she approached the playful scene.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” Turtle responded as she jumped up to offer her wife a greeting kiss.
“And what would you like to name these two beauties?” Blair asked as she squatted down to sit on the grass, allowing the puppies to play with her. “Oh my… their fur feels like cashmere.”
“That’s a great name.” Turtle announced. “We will name the little girl Cashmere.”
“And what about the little boy, and by the way where did he go?” Blair stated as she twisted her body around in an attempt to locate the very agile puppy.
“Look he’s playing in the pile of freshly picked weeds.” Turtle announced.
“Well then it’s final. We will name him Marley.” Blair jokingly voiced
As the women watched the puppies sleep in the late afternoon sunshine, they conducted a soulful conversation about everything they were afraid to discuss before. And by the ending of their first official coupling conversation it was confirmed that Turtle would attempt her one true hidden desire, she would strive for a post-secondary education.
And as they departed from the official graduation party that was held at the estate, all friends and family stood waving good bye as the helicopter left the landing pad. “I have a surprise for you.” Blair stated as she leaned in for her official congratulation graduation kiss.
“Oh goody…I do love your surprises.” Tee expressed in a low sexually charged voice, as she sat closer to her beloved wife of now four years.
Turning to look out the helicopter window Tee was surprised to recognize their location as the helicopter began to slowly descend toward the ground. They set down only about a quarter of a mile from their cave.
As Tee jumped from the helicopter, she all but ran to the cave entrance and then stopped as she wanted her much slower wife to catch up before she entered as she could already tell there was a lot more flair to this cave than before.
Then with Blair’s hands covering her eyes from behind, they walked in harmony into the cave.
Before she opened her eyes she had constructed in her mind an over the top elaborate decorative change to her cave that she was going to pretend to be happy about, and to mindfully forgive her father for what her wife had done, but much to her delight the only real change was their sleeping beds.
Then turning towards her wife who displayed a Cheshire cat smile she announced, “And then added a little of my flair and Ta Da…“A trip of a life time.”
“Oh come on, my dear… you really didn’t think I enjoyed sleeping in that hundred year old hammock…did you?” Blair stated as she pushed passed a noticeably surprised wife.
Over the moon happy with just how far her wife was willing to go regarding her expression of love by finding a durable inflatable queen size bed, complete with a built-in frame to place in a cave, in the middle of nowhere was absolutely one of her best surprises to date.
With the glow of the several dozen candles that softly illuminated the cave and with the fire gently crackling in the fire pit the two women lay intertwined gasping for air as their love making had indeed intensified over the past few years leaving nothing to the imagination. Tee removed her naked body from the bed to poke the fire and to spark the remainder of the joint they had smoked just before they retired for their night of passion.
As Tee walked back to the bed Blair noticed the melancholy look on her wife’s face and as per their agreement never to keep secrets, Blair probed, “Ok my love…give it up, because after the love making we just enjoyed nothing should be putting a look like that on your face.”
“I know but being back here has sparked the memory of the day we found Rain…or should I say when she announced her intent.” She stated as she slid back under the duvet.
“Yes that little creature surely taught me many lessons on our adventure.” Then hesitant to ask, “how do you think she is doing now that she has been out in the wilds of this mountain for the past several years?” Again hesitant to ask, Do you think she is still alive?”
“She survived being left behind, then she survived us, then she survived being in captivity until she was stronger and a little older… so yes I believe she is alive but it’s doubtful we will ever see her again. She’s probably found a mate and is out doing what wolves do.”
Then sliding off out of the bed she announced, “Now I think I want to enjoy our hot pool again before we have to leave.”
As Tee slid into the hot pool water Blair decided to first enjoy her cup of freshly brewed coffee by walking to the entrance of the cave, and leaning against the stone wall staring out towards the valley.
As she stared off into the distance she averted her gaze from the sky to the pathway that led to their cave, and with a few fast blink of her eyes for adjustment she was shocked to be staring at a large grey wolf, who clearly was staring at her.
And with their eyes locked on each other’s the wolf began to cautiously climb the few meters that would place Blair in either mortal danger or…
Blair began to softly cry as she was able to touch the fur of the very large wolf that circled her legs accepting the affection as if nature herself had allowed it.
“Turtle honey you might want to climb out of the hot pool because you have a visitor.” Blair stated with clear emotions as she followed Rain into the cave.
Completely naked balancing on one knee, with her dripping wet arms wrapped around the wolf’s neck, Turtle buried her face in the wolfs’ fur as they both seem to understand the magic of the moment.
&
nbsp; As their anniversaries pass in the blink of an eye
As the silver Bentley inched closer to the large mesh security gates at the Rynthorp Correctional facility, Blair reached over to her noticeable nervous wife and squeezed her hand, “Well my love, this day has been a long time coming for you. Are you ready for this?”
Squeezing back and also offering her affectionate slight shoulder nudge, “I truly did not think I would be this nervous, but after the first two disasters at getting Teresa-Jean out of this place, honestly I don’t think I will take a full breath until I physically see her walk through this gate and into her daughter’s out stretched arms, not to mention to hold her new grandbaby for the first time. Whew…it almost seems too dreamlike.”
“You do know how proud I am of you right now?” Blair stated as she wiggled closer to her wife’s stiffening body, as their driver spoke with the guard, and after receiving permission to proceed, the car drove to its designated visitor/barrister parking area.
After years of court appointed meetings and two failed attempts to have Teresa-Jean’s court documents reviewed, Turtle’s nervousness was well founded, as just eighteen months earlier this very scene had played out but with dreadful results. With everyone in numb silence waiting in the assigned court room and after hours of waiting for the official court proceedings to start it was announced that after review of the original trial documents there seemed to have been some papers missing that stopped all proceedings, which sadly sent Teresa-Jean back to Rynthorp.
The original documents were somehow misfiled and were never transferred to the proper court department within the designated time frame leaving everyone in the court room devastated. But now with every T crossed, the most exhilarating day for Teresa and her family to begin again was about to begin.
Although this was not Turtle’s first court case, disproving wrongful incarceration, the area she turned to after her graduation from post-secondary school and then the additional degrees from two different universities in the family field of legal law, she along with her extended family, guided her passion towards this area of the judicial system.
So for her, this would become the most significant and undoubtedly the most satisfying achievement of her professional career. To observe her friend and saviour walk out of prison for good, would become a feeling of utter gratification, because everyone’s deep seeded fear was that if she lost this third time battle, sadly there would not be another, which pushed Tee’s normally controlled nerves to an all-time anxiety high.
…Then standing outside in the pouring rain that no one seemed to care about Teresa-Jean walked out of the correction institute for good, and straight into the arms of her saviour.
Arriving at their winter years of a near perfect marriage of life and love
As Turtle walked out onto the porch she immediately inhaled the scene of her beloved being cared for by their ever present care giver that was commissioned ten years earlier to ensure that Blair’s dementia wanderings remained safe.
As she stared at the caring scene she was magically transported back in memory time to the day and night following their nuptials. And as she had done for the past ten years sat beside her wife on this the fifteenth day of August and began to retell to Blair the story of their love, and how it came to be, those forty some odd years ago.
About the Author
Born in Southern Ontario along the shores of Lake Huron, Marian Stack was raised in a strict Roman Catholic household. In the beginning, this low-income family of siblings consisted of five girls, she being the youngest or ”the baby", and a boy, who was stuck in the middle. Shortly after her arrival, her family was struck by disaster. Her father was killed in a head on collision, and her family was thrown into poverty. During the first decade of Marians’ young life, she rapidly understood the difference between have and have not. During her teens, she watched her mother survive solely on her merit and problem solving skills. Her mother, through actions, taught Marian that anything a man could do, a woman could do. This lesson was more about survival rather than the movement that followed.
Through the second and third decades, Marian struggled to obtain and understand her sexual orientation. She silently fell in love with television movie stars’ and high school girl friends. Felling completely along in her confusion she became somewhat of a monad travelling across Canada, often by bus, hoping and praying that someone would notice her and offer a solution to her sorrow.
Now in her sixth decade she resides in the magnificent Canadian Rocky Mountains with the love of her life of 34 years with their adorable puppy Miss Marley B.
Although gravity has consumed most of her muscle mass, she finds herself to be the happiest she has ever been, content to live out her remaining years with a smile on her face, and pride in her heart.
