December 2020.
Time continued to drag on in 2020. After summer came and went, and it became apparent that the pandemic still wasn't going to end anytime soon, things really seemed to slow down. The number of guests at the Lodge continued to be minimal, and things that would call for a large gathering went uncelebrated. Summer turned to autumn, and closed in on winter, although you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in California. Long story short, I was getting anxious and starting to feel pent up in the walls of the Lodge. I decided to plan a getaway.
Days of mulling over what I should do and where I should go presented me with a lot of options. Ultimately, I decided I wanted to visit somewhere 1. Far away but drivable, and 2. Where the season would actually be something different. For some reason my brain felt that embracing the gloom of an actual winter would somehow make me feel better. There was also point 3. That I wanted there to be a Lodge member there that I could meet up with for...obvious reasons. After coordinating with the members of the Lodge, I discovered a perfect opportunity to meet up with two of them, albeit not at the same time. I won't spoil the surprise of who I was meeting just yet, but my final decision was made. I was going to roadtrip across the entire goddamn United States, and then spend Christmas in New York.
The excitement at leaving grew more intense as late December closed in. The journey was long, but it wasn't as daunting to me as it may be for other people. One thing to know about me is that I can travel like a pioneer. I can drive for days on end and not need to stop. I can sleep in a car and be perfectly comfortable. I can live off whatever food I buy from whatever rest stop I can find. And I can be perfectly entertained listening to music while staring at scenery through the windshield.
I had the route all planned out. Start out east from the lodge, take the backroads until they connect to I-15, go through Las Vegas, then Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, New York. Or as the trip would no doubt blur into my mind: Forest, Desert, Cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, cornfield, city. I had my bags all packed, and I had the SUV I was taking loaded up with everything I would need. Just need to fill the cooler with ice and then pack it with the few cold food items I wanted to take, and I would be ready to head out come the morning. It was that evening, when I literally had everything packed and ready, and I was just sitting down to relax in the lounge for the last time before I left, that my phone rang.
Ana. De. Armas.
First, a brief recap of my previous encounters with Ana De Armas. She began coming to the Lodge in late 2019, where she promptly melted my brain with how hot she was and how amazing she was in bed. She appeared several times for about a month, then was at the Lodge's Xmas party, then left town for work. Then the pandemic started. And then she got involved with a certain actor who we don't need to name here. After that I didn't hear from her. I didn't blame her. Everyone reacted to the pandemic in their own way, and if she found someone to hunker down and be happy with during, more power to her. It just would have been nice if she had snuck off to the Lodge to see me every now and then. You know, like all the other married / taken Lodge members do.
Anyway, As you can expect, her name was one of the last I expected to see on my phone that night. Of course I answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Hiii, um, it's Ana."
Just the way she said her name hit me like a warm breeze. That accent was burned into my memory from night after night of her whispering into my ear, and hearing it again even over the phone was enough to make me flush.
"Hi Ana. It's been a long time," I said casually.
"I know...I'm...you know how it is," she said sweetly.
"Of course, I understand."
"Listen, um, I'm on the road out of town right now. And I thought maybe I could stop by? I don't know if everyone is still doing that, but I...just thought I would ask?"
Ana's voice still carried her trademark cuteness to it, but she sounded somewhat flustered.
"Yeah sure, you can come by. Don't worry, I've just been sitting here for weeks so it's totally safe," I said, always having to acknowledge the pandemic-elephant in the room.
"Perfect, thanks so much," she said.
"You said you're driving right now?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah it is a...long story, but I just needed to get out of town for a while."
"Alright, well, I'm here. Come on up."
"Perfect. I'll be there soon. Thank you," Ana's voice dropped off. She wasn't exactly her cute bubbly self in the moment. Even with only really knowing her for a month or so before she disappeared I could tell that she was somewhat upset.
She arrived about an hour later, which told me that she had been driving out of Los Angeles for some time before she even called me. That piqued my interest further. I was waiting in the lounge when my phone dinged that a car was coming up the driveway. I flipped on the outside lights and saw Ana's car appear. She pulled in and parked quickly, and then immediately got out and started walking towards the door. When I opened the door, she blew right past me and entered as fast as possible.
I turned and watched her walk into the foyer. She was wearing black, loose-fitted linen pants, and a long-sleeve that had a scooped neck, and an additional opening right above her cleavage. She walked in, and scooped her hand through her hair to push it back out of her face. Then she turned around to face me, although she was still looking at the floor.
"Hello," I said, wanting to start somewhere.
Ana let out a huff of a breath, and then put both her hands on her hips.
"Hi," she said bluntly.
"Look, I don't want to be rude. It's just...it's been a while. And then you suddenly appear at night, so I just want to make sure nothing is going-"
"It's over," Ana said with a fierceness in her eyes.
My heart skipped a bit as her accented words hit my ears.
"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows.
Ana held up one hand in a shrug, and then dropped it.
"Yep. It has to be. It was just..."
Ana trailed off and then ran her fingers through her hair again.
"Can I get a drink?" she asked.
I led her back to the lounge, which had a small bar off to the side for quick refreshments during movie nights. Ana kicked off her shoes and then sat down on the couch, while I went and poured her a drink. When I returned, Ana quickly took the glass and downed about half of it in one gulp. I sat next to her on the couch.
"So, do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
She did. I'm not going to get into all of the details. I'll jump to the important part.
"...so I packed my stuff, and then left. Right then and there. While it was dark. Because I couldn't stand the idea of those fucking paparazzi snapping a picture of me carrying a suitcase through that fucking gate tomorrow morning."
I nodded along the entire time she was talking, just letting her get it all out. When she was finally finished, she hefted out another sigh, and then took another drink.