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“Are the two of you coming?” Claudette calls from the car. “The registry office won’t be open for much longer.”
That’s another thing that’s a one-eighty from his previous life.
Back in Italy, Tiero drove Ferraris or SUVs built like a tank. Here we drive sturdy and dependable four-wheel-drive pickups.
If Tiero’s old circles could see him now…
“Coming,” I call out as I slowly make my way down the steps.
After slipping on the stairs in Canada, I take extra care. My wrist only just healed, and I’m in no hurry to have my arm in a cast again… ever.
Powdered snow crunches beneath my feet as we walk to the pickup. Just as we reach it, a flash of white catches my eye. Curious, I crane my neck to see what it is.
An elegant bird has landed in a nearby tree, making the snow from the branches cascade to the ground like a waterfall.
Claudette appears next to us, following my line of sight.
“Isn’t it beautiful and kind of captivating? I’ve never seen a bird with an eyebrow, let alone such a pronounced red one,” I say as I watch the bird balancing on the swaying branch.
“That’s a Willow Ptarmigan,” Claudette tells us.
I swivel my head and stare at my friend. “Are you an ornithologist now?” I ask her. “How do you know this?”
She grins at me. “There are books on the local wildlife in the library. I have to pass my time somehow when the two of you disappear to have—” she draws quotation marks in the air, “an early night.”
Behind me, Tiero chuckles.
“Right… so you found nothing better than reading about birds?”
“What can I say? They’re fascinating, even more when you peek into their symbolism.”
“So what is the Willow Ptarmigan trying to tell me?” I ask, nodding to the bird in the tree.
“Funny you should ask,” Claudette chuckles. “The Athabascas revered them as a symbol of good luck and protection.
“Their ability to thrive in extreme conditions shows resilience and adaptability—qualities you and Tiero have repeatedly proven since you’ve met.”
She leaves it at that, beaming at us. I know she’s itching to go into more detail, but is holding back for Tiero’s sake.
He’s been warming up to her and her esoteric wisdom, though he’d never admit it.
I glance one last time at the bird, happy it showed up today. After all the curveballs of the past months, I take all the good signs for a happy future we can get.
“I can’t believe we have to wait five days until we can pick up our marriage license,” I grumble as Tiero and I step out of the registry office and saunter hand in hand down the street. It’s illuminated by the warm glow of twinkling fairy lights and the occasional storefront sign.
“It normally only takes three, you know,” I continue, glancing up at the darkened sky.
While we were meeting with a Mr. Roberts, the man with our wedding fate in his hands, snowflakes started falling, topping up the snow that’s been steadily accumulating over the past week.
“The holidays slow things down. It will be alright,” he reassures me. On what grounds, I have no idea.
“We’re sailing very close to the wind. What if one of those checks they’re running discovers our IDs are fake?”
“They won’t. You keep telling me that Freemont Security is the best. Our new identities are watertight.”
It’s the first time our new names are being put to the test. What happens if they don’t make the cut?
“Stop worrying, angel. We’ll pick the license up from that clerk on the twenty-seventh. That’s four days before we need it.”
