Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Alex and I met at the cafe with a kiss and an embrace. After a few minutes of coaxing, I managed to talk her into going out to the local Italian restaurant for a nice dinner. She knew I was still a "struggling artist" and didn't want me to spend my money on her, but, eventually, I convinced her it wasn't going to break my bank account.

We walked hand in hand along the quay, and I told her about how well my paintings had been selling lately, while she chatted about a possible promotion she might be getting at work. Before I knew it, we had arrived, and I quickly requested a table.

At the restaurant, she confidently ordered for both of us, and I approved of her choice. It had certainly been a while since I'd had pasta (since most of my meals came from the pond or my cooler), and I stifled a smile. It would do me no good to tell her about my living situation... at least, not yet. I was trying to impress her, not drive her away!

We flirted lightly while waiting for the food. I blew her a kiss, and she seemed delighted by the gesture. I noticed that the restaurant was filling up quickly, and was glad we had been seated outside in a semi-private corner.

By the time the waitress brought the food, we barely took the time to say thank-you, because we were so engrossed in our conversation. It seemed we had a lot in common, and she was easy to talk to. Easy on the eyes, too, if I could say so without sounding horrible cheesey.

The pasta was delicious, and the date a huge success. We both went home with a smile, and I made sure I tipped well on our way out the door. At the last minute, I remembered to secure another date with her for the weekend, and I told her we could do something fun, but I left out the details. I had a couple ideas, but I didn't want to give them away just yet.

Early the next morning, I awoke to a huge Summer thunderstorm. Lightning struck, and I felt electrified. Terrified, I ran to Sonia's house for shelter, because I doubted my tent would suffice.

I was thoroughly soaked, and more than a little bit dazed by the time I got to Sonia's, and I thanked my lucky stars (it seemed I might have a few of those, after all!) that she was home. She hurried me inside and got me a towel to dry off with.

Through the hours while the storm raged, we chatted happily. I learned why she had cat furniture all over her home - and no cat. Her last cat had passed away several months before I arrived in Forgotten Hollow, and she hadn't had the heart to get a new one. I could understand the need for a grieving period, even though I'd never really had a pet. We talked about my paintings, and the success I was finding selling them at the Gallery.

By the time the storm started calming down, I was starving, and she was kind enough to feed me. It wasn't much - just a sandwich - but I was immensely appreciative. It seemed Sonia had done so much for me lately. She had been very instrumental in bringing back my will to live and soldier on.. and I wondered how I could thank her properly.

All the next night, and into the morning, I pondered this. It wasn't an easy question to answer, that's for sure.

I took care of my garden, and my bees, and still I thought. By afternoon, the sun had finally made another appearance, and I'd had an idea.

I searched on my phone, and finally found the number for the local pet adoption center. After a long conversation with the man who answered the phone, I finally settled on a little beige kitten named Prissy, and I arranged for her to be brought over to my .. erm.. home.

I cautiously approached the kitten, and was delighted to find it to be wonderfully friendly, if a little too talkative for my tastes. The adoption agent was more than skeptical about my ability to care for the tiny kitten, but I assured him that the cat was not for me, it was for a cat-crazy friend. The agent mumbled about it being "highly unusual" to be giving a kitten to one person just to have it go to someone else, but eventually, I convinced him this cat would definitely be getting her forever home, and he seemed eager to be leaving the area. I wondered why, but he seemed more than a little apprehensive, and kept looking worriedly over his shoulders.

By the time the adoption fees finally changed hands, it was nearly evening, and I regretted my choice to wear my suit coat that day, because it had gotten quite warm in the sun. I gathered up the tiny meowing kitten, and hurried over to Sonia's for the second day in a row.

The light that came into her eyes when she saw little Prissy made all the trouble getting the cat worth it. I thought I even saw a little tear in the corner of her eye, but I wasn't about to call her out on it.

She gave me a big hug when she found out I had gotten the cat for her, despite the fact that she protested that she really hadn't done all that much for me. I completely disagreed, of course. We watched the kitten exploring her new home for a while, and I helped set up the food and water bowls that had been sitting in her cupboards for months.

By the time I left for the night, little Prissy had clearly taken Sonia's home as hers, and she watched me go from her perch on the top of Sonia's porch stairs. I gave her one final scratch behind the ears, and even whistled a little on the way home.

The next morning, bills arrived in the mail, and I wondered how the heck they had already gotten so high, when all I really used was a little bit of water for showering. I cursed that Landgraab fellow under my breath, sure he'd had something to do with getting the property taxes mixed in with the rest of the bills so soon. I made out the checks to the necessary parties, and sent them off, thankful I had already saved a bit of a nest egg from selling my paintings.

Then, I hurried to my easel to get some more painting done. I needed to recoup the money I had just spent, after all... and with as inspired and happy as I felt, I had plenty to paint about. Life was going great. I couldn't ask for more. Except, maybe, for a house. But that would come. I still hadn't had the guts to apply for the permits and stuff.. and I would have to start thinking about a design for it. Eventually. For now, my mind was focused on my paintings.. and on planning the upcoming second date with Alex. I couldn't have anything go wrong now, not when everything was starting to look so bright!

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5