Friday
Picture 2
Bronwyn’s Choice: Both
Title:
Monica breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the old family cabin. She had driven 5 hours with her tabby, Winston, to figure out what to do with her life. The rustic hundred year old cabin looked just like she remembered from her childhood. When she passed, Monica's grandmother Lois left the cabin to Monica. Lois had always known what the cabin meant to Monica. She got of the car and reached in for Winston. Once he was securely in her arms, she walked up to the front door and unlocked it.
Once the front door was closed, Monica set Winston on the floor and started walking around the cabin. The musty air made it difficult to breathe, but everything was still in it's place. Her fingers trailed along the entry table, leaving streaks in the dust covering the top of it. She walked around the rooms, letting her memories of summers spent in the cabin to wash over her. For as long as she could remember, Monica always looked forward to the summer trips to the cabin. She would spend most of the summer at the cabin with her grandmother and cousin Linda. They would garden, read, and take hikes in the forest. The trio bonded during those summers.
Monica slowly moved up the stairs to the bedroom she would share with Linda. The room wasn't very big and was steepled because of the roof line. But it was their sanctuary. The beds were unchanged since their last visit. Linda's mattress was slightly too big for the sagging frame. She would call it her indoor hammock. The other bed was set up on a frame with drawers. Monica walked over to the bed and sat on it. The two girls would talk long in to the night during those summers. They were best friends. It amazed Monica how much life had changed. She had not talked to Linda since Monica told her she was engaged to a man Linda wanted. That was fifteen years ago. When Monica left Tom because of his cheating, she attempted to contact Linda, but Linda refused to talk to her. With a heavy sigh, Monica stood up and opened up the window. She needed to air out the cabin and bring things in from the car.
Hours later, Monica sat at the small writing desk with her laptop when Winston jumped up on her lap. She absently stroked his head while she read through her writing. Being a professional writer with your life falling down around your ears wasn't the easiest thing. Monica couldn't concentrate on her romance novel. She often wondered if she should change genres because of her disillusionment with love. She lifted Winston on to the desk in front of the laptop and headed to the kitchen for some iced tea.
While pouring the drink, Monica's cell phone rang. Assuming that it was Tom, she ignored the thing. The last thing she needed was to talk to him. When the phone beeped to let her know she had a voice mail, she looked at the phone. The caller had been a Montana number. Monica only knew of one person who lived in Montana, and that person would never be calling her. Curious, Monica played the voice message.
"Hi Monica, it's your cousin Linda. I just talked to your mom and she told me about Tom. I thought you could use someone to talk with."
Monica replayed the message a couple more times, in shock that Linda had reached out to her. Unsure what to do, she walked over the desk. Winston was sound asleep in front of her computer. She knew that she wouldn't get any work done unless she moved him, and she hated to move him. After running her hand down his back, she walked over to the couch and sat down with a book.
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