Northwest Hunters: Book Two: Finding Happiness: Chapter One
Chapter 2: Facing Loss
Junie woke to the familiar feeling of Bob's hand cupping her breast, his fingers teasing her nipple. The pleasant sensations echoed through her, waking her senses, making her aware of her full bladder. Lifting his hand to her lips, she kissed his fingers and slipped from the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom.
Bob was at the bathroom door when Junie came out. She slyly put her finger to her own lips and quietly slipped from the bedroom, leaving Donna still sound asleep, curled in her habitual little fetal position. Junie dressed quickly and started a pot of coffee, and sat idly looking at the list she had started the previous day.
Bob had drawn a line through 'check her apartment, pack and move'. Junie pressed her lips together, fighting down the urge to start crying again. "It's crap, it's just crap." He had also marked off getting her car fixed. Junie thought back. Bob had mentioned something about finding a repair shop to get her car from the police impound lot. He must have done that.
Bob came out, dressed in his usual worn jeans, work boots and work shirt. "How are you doing, sweet girl?"
"I keep reminding myself that it's just crap."
"Well, I could have maybe chosen a better word. I meant that things aren't important. They are just that, things. But Donna is right, things define our history, they speak about the paths we have taken. You probably feel a little adrift right now."
"I guess you both are right. In some ways I feel sort of freed, like a weight is gone. But at the same time, I feel almost too weightless, like a helium balloon that has been set loose to drift in the sky, like I could completely float away, until I can't see the ground." Junie's voice quivered and she stood up quickly, taking a deep breath.
As she poured each of them a cup of coffee, she asked, "Is Donna really a lawyer?"
"Yes, she is. She was a lawyer and I was an investment banker. She was a corporate patent lawyer. She had a finger on the pulse of a lot of new technology as it was just being developed. Her knowledge of the new products and my investing skills were a pretty good combination. We both felt very uncomfortable with the life we were leading. The money we made helped us walk away from it all."
"Donna mentioned that you would help me make some investments so I can have an income when I retire."
"Not a bad idea. The sooner you start the easier it is."
"I am not sure I want to retire. I think this is a lifetime gig."
Bob looked up from his coffee and nodded, his eyes possessive. "Keep thinking that way, girl."
"Yes, Master, thank you."
"You are welcome."
Junie walked with Bob as he took the dogs out for a long walk. Bump tore through the woods at breakneck speed, his ears and tail up, chasing imaginary monsters. Sunny trotted at a more sedate pace, sniffing and marking the trees as he went. The two girls, Honey and Maddy, roamed, but seemed to stay closer to Bob and Sunny. In fact, it was clear that no one seemed to pay attention to Bump as he careened through the woods.
"Bump is sure full of energy." Junie's voice was amused.
Bob snorted, "Teenagers. He suffers the most when they are penned up all day. Sunny won't tolerate him being rowdy too close by. Watch, for all his crazy running around, he never goes too close to Sunny, or the girls for that manner."
"How old are they?"
"Sunny is the old man, almost ten. That is getting old for a Golden. Maddy is seven, Honey is six, and the kid over there is just turning one. Maddy and Honey are half-sisters. Bump is Sunny's son by a bitch that a breeder friend of mine owns. Bump is going to be a great dog once he gets over some of that youthful enthusiasm, the heir to the throne."
Back at the house, Junie got Bob a fresh cup of coffee and then helped brush the dogs. She thought to herself how much she was coming to like this time of day, sitting with Bob, sharing with him a task he clearly loved.
She was so glad to be home. Yesterday had been horrible. She never wanted to go back to the city again. She dreaded the items on that list that meant she would have to go back. "What do you have planned for today?"
"Garden and then building supply. I guess we should get going on making you a nice space of your own."
"I sure don't need as much space now." Junie could not keep the sadness out of her voice.
"Sweet Junie, if you are going to be doing that lifetime thing, we should plan ahead. I can't give back to you what you have lost, but I fully intend to fill your life up with new memories, better memories."
"I guess I am being a bit of a baby. Other people lose their things in fires and disasters all the time."
"And they feel just as devastated as you do. It's a time for grieving, just don't get stuck there. You were also a victim of a crime and that makes you feel even more vulnerable."
"I am just grateful for Donna's instincts. If she had not said that thing about him seeming like a criminal... if she had not..." Junie faltered, feeling the terror still swirling in her from her dream of the night before. The image of what would have happened to her if she had been home that Friday night filling her head.