AllFreeNovel
Share Us
To a beautiful redheaded Hollywood star.
“You’re my number one,” he said softly, his eyes not on Bella’s face, but on his hand that rubbed the ends of her hair in an act that looked more intimate...
It was increasingly difficult to function as I thought about the direction of his life, so I pushed the replaying scenes from my head and got my rental car after lightly joking with the associate about how quiet the airport was. From there, I made the ninety minute drive away from the busy Denver area, into the just as busy Colorado Springs area. Fifteen minutes after hitting the city limits, and I was beating myself up for not upgrading my car selection.
The little forward-wheel drive economy car was having a hell of a time on the steep incline that lead to the remoteness of Grandpa’s cabin. I’d been driving my all-wheel drive, six-cylinder sport utility for so long, that I forgot the difference in drivability. Thank goodness, the weather had been warmer this past week and there wasn’t any lingering snow on the roads.
This time of year, you never did know what you were going to get out here in the mountains.
Being mid-March still meant snow storms were a possibility but, again, being mid-March also meant the weather could be nearly seventy the following day. One could joke that Colorado was bipolar in the spring, but if that was the case year after year, could you really expect anything different?
The paved road went further into the woods and shortly after mature trees and pines graced either side of the car, the pavement stopped abruptly. I slowed the car enough to drive over the bump between pavement and gravel, and drove the next mile in silence.
Gravel crunching under the tires.
The wind and nature coming through the two inch crack in my window.
I wasn’t even at the cabin yet, and already I felt loads better.
This weekend was just what the doctor ordered.
Figuratively, I mean.
Turning left at the fork in the road, it was only two more minutes until I was at the one-room hunting cabin my Grandpa left to my dad years ago. My dad wasn’t a hunter, but the land was still protected under our land agreement. I wondered if I’d see any deer this weekend, or just the typical rabbits who liked to hang out around the back.
I parked the car and grabbed my backpack from the passenger seat. The city girl in me locked the car doors still, even though I knew I wasn’t going to see a single soul over the next seventy-two hours.
While it was only a one-room cabin, it was still fairly large.
For a cabin, anyway.
At four-hundred square feet, there was plenty of room for me and my lonesome.
That, and it had a generator, and I had a great data plan, so I could shamelessly Netflix and chill by myself. I planned on catching up on All American and The 100 this weekend, and maybe finish one of the docuseries that I’d been slowly getting through.
I walked up the old, rickety steps to the porch as I fished out my home keyring from the front of my backpack.
Between my car key and my mailbox key, was a silver key that would unlock my solidarity.
Like magic—or not, because it wasn’t like anyone changed the locks since my dad gave me the key last summer—the key turned and the door swung open.
“Home sweet home,” I murmured, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.
I dropped my backpack to the floor and took in the open space. There was firewood stacked by the fireplace on the wall to my right, and the bed was still dressed from the last stay. And, with the kitchen to my left, I realized that if there was any food still in the cabinets, it was probably way past expiration.
Longingly, I looked ahead toward the bathroom with—God, I hoped—running water. I really didn’t want to go into the well, but I knew how to if it came down to it. I’d do anything to wash my face right now, but I knew I had other things to do first.
I was going to have to go back down and into town for food, but also to wash linens.
The last thing I wanted to do was spend two hours at a laundromat, but I also wasn’t about to sleep in a dusty bed.
Plan in place, I knelt in front of my backpack to pull out my wallet before placing my bag on a wooden rocking chair by the fireplace.
Then, I quickly stripped the bed and rolled it up into one giant ball, managing to juggle it in my right arm as I grabbed my wallet and two sets of keys in my left hand.
Back on the porch, I used the closed door to hold the linens up as I re-locked the entrance, before making my way back to my rental.
Down to town I go.
