His mouth was as dry as an old paper cup emptied and left in the sun too long. The trip up the long hill to the cabin had left him out of breath and his chest hurting. Now that he was there it still would be a challenge to gain access and he wondered if he had the energy left to climb onto the shed and then onto the roof if that was needed. He knew for sure that it wouldn�t be to long and he would be unable to do much as the cold was already making his feet and hands numb. He more than once had wondered if leaving the car to walk had been a good idea and now he felt that he would know for sure one way or another in a short time. She was already two hours late so any time now her car should be pulling up the hill...that is if she didn�t get stuck in a snowdrift as well. But she had four-wheel drive and was used to traveling this road in the winter, unlike him. It was somewhat humiliating that when it snowed she always had to drive to assure a safe trip. Over the years he had grown to accept it though and now he admired her skill behind the wheel. >>>>>> Ten Mile Bridge and only 38 more miles to go now, and then the final climb up to the cabin. at this speed and with the snow so deep however it would still take 2 hours to get there. Why hadn�t she left sooner? She knew he�d be angry .His Promptness would have him arriving at least 30 minutes early if he was true to form. She recalled last thanksgiving when they were here, how he�d started a fire and � cooked a meal before she arrived and that time she wasn�t late. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He needed a rest and he needed to collect his thoughts, so he sat on the porch swing and looked out at the snow. It was almost three feet now and still snowing. How had he managed to forget his cabin keys? The moon made the whole scene look like a Christmas card and it would have been beautiful if it wasn't to so damn cold. He remembered the coat rack in the covered entry and managed to walk stiffly to it. He got his sweater and one of her scarves, dark blue with white stripes. He wrapped it around his neck. Now his feet were almost completely numb they felt like concrete blocks on his ankles and his hands could only make crude grabbing motions he thought �I better rest a bit more before climbing up to that window� >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> �I hope we can thaw out the water system,� she thought. When it was this cold some winters they were without running water till spring because of inadequate insulation around the pipes. Two years ago she thought about how they had given showers to each other with a large pitcher from huge pots of steaming water heated on the wood stove. That had been such a fun week. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> �If I could just reach the window without slipping on the ice� he thought. He grabbed the still and holding it .pulled himself up close and got just enough of a grip to slide window up, and in a second, he was in. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Now, inside he found an oil lamp and lit it with a lighter from his pocket. Strange how just being in the cabin made him feel so much better even though it was just as cold inside. He quickly went downstairs and stuffed the old woodstove with paper and kindling and got it blazing. Then he added a large piece of wood then another.. Now with the fire blazing things were looking a little brighter. His plan was to warm himself up first but now he didn�t feel cold at all and so he set to preparing the spaghetti he planned on cooking.If only she remembers the bread he thought to himself. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> �Damn, he's going to be so angry I know it, but it won't matter once I�ve arrived there. That's how he is. He will yell about it, about how I'm always late, and why didn't I leave earlier and then he will calm right down. I�ll give him a big kiss and he�ll hold me and say,�I was just worried about you is all� <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< The meal ready now, he went back upstairs and had looked at the bed loft, wiped away some spider webs, uncovered the furniture, lit an oil lamp and thought about three years ago when she didn't want to come up, but agreed that if he would control is temper, she would. Then, later that evening when he had one of his fits about the ski pole she broke, she refused to allow him upstairs. Later, she heard sobbing downstairs and went to see him with his head in his hands. He said he was sorry, and that he was leaving in the morning because he didn't want to continue hurting her with his angry words. He also said that until he could control his temper would not contact her again. She melted and took him into her arms and cried with him then she took him by the hand and led him up to the loft. There they held each other as they fell asleep.. At 2 am she reached out to him, his back to her, and put her hand gently on his stomach, just below the navel. She pressed herself to him and pulled him close. Both of them always responded to a touch on the stomach and it had become a sign of desiring one another over the years. Just a gentle palm placed softly right �there, nice. The love between them that night was the sweetest either of them remembered ever experiencing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> She was driving with her nose almost pressed to the window now and still was just barely able to see. Driving now was more by road memory and instinct. Only the snow poles and the trees showed the general location of the road. She was thinking about the Cabin and how it was so inviting in the snow. It was a haven, a world where warm and sensual sights, smells and sounds were the environment. Wood smoke, cedar, good food, soft lights. And the loft, yes the loft. She recalled many nights and some afternoons there in that loft. The rising heat from the woodstove made it a place where you could throw off the covers and lie naked if you liked, even in the dead of winter. How many times had they done that! And the conversations, the gentle soft touches, or the way skin looks in candlelight. Yes the loft� �I�d better pay attention to my driving or Ill end up in a ditch,� she thought. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He heard her stomping off the snow from her boots on the porch and the screen door opening and her fumbling for the key in the lock . He ran and opened the door and said,� Where have you been�? �I know I got hung up at the Market and my mother called at the last moment� �Well what time did you leave? ,� he asked �Either two or two �thirty, I think� �Well, you�re two hours late, you know how long it takes to drive here in the snow,� his anger was subsiding now He took her in his arms and held her,� I was worried about you, that�s all� Where is your car?� she asked Stuck in a snow bank, two miles back,� he answered �Well, I didn�t see it, of course I didn�t see much of anything in that storm. I brought some hot chocolate and bread,� she said �Great just the thing to go with my spaghetti� �I�m so glad you�re not angry,� she said �Well, not angry, but irritated I guess. You have a way of irritating me, you know.� When dinner was done they played a few hands of cribbage, talked about the day in front of the stove, and then retired to the loft after stoking the wood stove again. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He awoke of with a sense of cold and he called out to her. �I am cold,� he said �I know, but I�m here with you� �But I�m so cold and I can�t get warm,� now he was shivering I�m her with you and I�m not leaving,� she said � would you like me to heat some water and pour it over you?� �That would be great, would you do that for me?� he said Soon he felt warmth flooding his entire body .She was close, closer than a person could physically be. That�s great ,� he said,� I feel much better now ,thank you� �Ill be her till you get home� she said >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> His eyes opened and he saw the blue white snow, the moon lighting the scene now, and drifts almost three and � feet deep. He tried to move but it wasn�t possible. The porch swing had ceased to move and yet despite the temperature he was strangely warm. He closed his eyes and he heard her voice again. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> He said,� are you still here?� �Yes I am� her voice was quiet and peaceful,� Are you okay?� He opened his eyes again and the room was filled once more with soft yellow light. He could see her outline but her face was blurred and out of focus. �I�m fine as long as you�re here with me,� he whispered,� �can you come closer?� �Of course,� she answered,� and I�ll put my hand on your stomach if you like� She moved to him and he smelled her perfume, the only person he�d ever known that wore that fragrance. Her face was so soft next to his. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> When she pulled into the driveway she was in a complete panic. Did he get a ride when his car got stuck, or did he walk? She trudged through the thigh deep snow along the path and ran up the covered steps and saw him. He was sitting on the porch swing, his legs stretched out and resting on the heels. One hand was tucked in the red sweater right at the stomach area. The other hand was under his armpit. Around his neck and wrapped up to his nose was her blue scarf, the soft knit one. She screamed weakly, NO! Then with deep sobs she ran to him and embraced his now lifeless form. As she put her face next to his, she smelled her own perfume coming from the fabric of the scarf.
