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“That’s the goal.” She replied, turning to kiss me. “Let’s eat.” I called the kids and we had a fulfilling morning meal.
After the meal, I asked the kids to go play. I wanted time alone with Samantha. She was washing the dishes when I found her. “Hey.”
“Hey to you too.” She replied. I sat on the stool by the kitchen island and waited for her to finish. When she was done, she joined me. “What is it?”
“I think it would be a great idea for me to hike. After spending so long in the hospital and being cooped up in this house, I feel going out into nature would help me get into the right state of mind.”
“I understand. Do you need anything? I can follow you.” That’s what I wanted to hear. I had a surprise for her on the mountain.
“I’d love that. We should leave early so we can get back home before sunset.” I laid out the plan for our hike. She called her friend, Mirabel to come over to take care of the kids.
We were ready to go when the doorbell rang. “That should be her.” She went to open the door. A woman in a yellow floral dress hugged her excitedly. They spoke for a while before she brought her inside. “Jack, this is my dear friend, Mirabel.” We shook hands.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mirabel. Sam has told me a lot about you." That was true and I was glad she had someone like her around.
"The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for allowing me into your home."
"Don't mention it." Samantha brought the kids over, introducing them to her. Mirabel had a lively energy which worked well with the kids. It felt weird leaving them alone with a stranger. But I trusted her since Samantha did the same.
"The kids will be fine with Mirabel. We will be back later." Samantha seemed to read my mind.
Holding her hand, I kissed it. "I know. Let's go." I faced the kids, "We're leaving now. Be good and listen to Mirabel."
"Ok!" They crooned. Giggling, they ran ahead of us to the door. We joined them outside. I hugged them and then watched as they hugged Samantha in return. Mirabel stood behind them, she was sharing an inscrutable look with Samantha.
My car was parked by the entrance already and I helped Samantha in. Together we said goodbye to the kids. From the rear view mirror, I watched as they waved goodbye to us.
The journey to the mountain was short. Reaching the base, I drove deeper until the open road ended. “We’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot.” I said to her, pointing out the trail.
She had been watching the view from the car window. She faced me. “No problem. I’d enjoy the stroll.” We got out of the car and held hands. We walked in silence up the mountain enjoying the serenity of nature. The sun was blazing overhead but the trees and the mountain air dispelled most of the heat.
I had taken another route to get to my destination. It was here we came to hike weeks ago. She would start recognizing things along the way so I stopped. “Would you let me use a blindfold on you?” I asked.
“What for?” she asked, a twinkle in her eyes.
“It’s a surprise and we are almost there. I promise you would love it. The rest of the journey is not too far.” She smiled giving her consent. I brought out the blindfold I kept in my pocket. After it went around her eyes, I kissed her. “Hold my hand and follow me. I won’t let you fall.”
She gripped my hand tighter, “Ok. I trust you.” I smiled though she couldn’t see it. I led her further up the trail. Soon, we reached a plateau, where a canopy was already set up and under it was a table and chairs. On the table were several desserts and in the center of the table was a large platter covered by a silver dome.
I led her to the seat. “Sit, trust me. You won’t fall.” I could see the tension drain from her body as I guided her to sit on the chair. I took off the blindfold. She looked around and gasped. I smiled. It brought joy to my heart to see that look on her face; the look of utter joy.
I took my seat opposite her. “How’s it? Like it?”
“This is a lot. I didn't expect this. It's very beautiful. The sunlight does this place justice.” She praised. She was taking in the sight of the mountain. The daylight made the mountain appear ethereal. I had wanted to make the date later at night, but I decided against it. We can’t be away from the kids too long at this point. I thought she’d prefer the mountain view in the daytime, and I wasn’t wrong.
“I’m glad you like it. It’s good to see you happy away from the troubles back at home.”
“Jack, I’m happy with you. Whenever and wherever.”
We held our hands over the table and absorbed the moment. “So, this does not match the reason you have for this outing, not that I’m complaining.”
“I just wanted to get you out and not spoil the surprise. Try the desserts, they are excellent.” I had contacted an old friend last week who owns a bakery. She does catering and wedding parties so I knew she would make this spot feel enchanting.
Samantha used a spoon and cut out a piece of her Crème brûlée. I watched as she took a bite and closed her eyes. She smiled and opened her eyes, then took another bite, nodding her head. “It’s truly excellent.”
“The others are just as amazing.” We were enjoying the desserts, savoring the taste and making small talk. Her eyes kept going to the plate in the middle. I didn’t say anything. That plate held the real surprise.
After a while, she was done being curious and asked. “What’s in there? You haven’t touched it. If it’s food, it would have turned cold by now.”
