We took the master bedroom at Grandmother’s house. Jim Bob thought it was best, since I would be overseeing the winery, and would be in charge here, as much as I wanted to be. I didn’t have a preference; that bedroom or the cabin was fine with me. I didn’t want either; I wanted the guesthouse at Raindrop’s house, but that was over, thanks to Sunny. I was still angry at her, and she didn’t understand why I was so angry. Getting us thrown out of the guesthouse was one thing, but then cops showed up yesterday because of a fight Raindrop had with Brother Jim the night before. Sunny had called them! The cops. After I’d begged her not to.

She knew that was a risk for me, but she didn’t seem to care. Was she trying to get back at me for what I’d tried with Venus? Well she’d gone way over the line this time. Way too far.

As pissed off as I was about moving out of the guesthouse, part of me was relieved to move back into Grandmother’s house. I could relax there and get myself back to a peaceful state. In all the chaos, I’d allowed the anger to take me over. I was so consumed by it and it felt justified to me, but I didn’t want to live with that type of seething inside me. I wanted calm; I sought balance and I’d regain it. At least I wouldn’t have cops there. Whatever mess erupted between Raindrop and Jim Bob did not involve me.

Would Sunny and I last? I wasn’t sure now.

FORTY-EIGHT2024

Aimee

I pulled on a T-shirt and soft cotton lounge pants. I walked over to my jewelry box and opened it. I lifted out the turquoise necklace I’d bought the first time I’d met Dream.

I stared at myself in the mirror, fingering the necklace. My hair was darker, as it usually was during the cold East Coast winter months, and there were a few wrinkles I hadn’t noticed before on my face. I’d thought a lot about Dream lately and the events leading to the end.

Venus.

He knew I would never go for a throuple. He knew that.

But I forgave him. Why couldn’t he forgive me?

He didn’t know my past, but I had to help Raindrop get away from Brother Jim. The way Dream flipped out about that and the night the cops showed up had shocked me. He was so angry with me, but cryptic about his past. How was I supposed to know calling the cops could have put him in danger? What did he do? I still didn’t know. Raindrop had told me once that Jim Bob had hinted Dream’s anger had gotten him in trouble with women in the past. That’s why he had to avoid the police. I had my suspicions, but I never found out the entire truth.

The day we left the guesthouse, I went to say goodbye to Raindrop and return the key she’d given me earlier.

“Keep it,” she said. “You can stay in the guesthouse anytime, but not Dream. I like him, but he’s more like Brother Jim than you realize.”

I thanked her and we left to move into his grandmother’s house. I remembered leaving the guesthouse and feeling a sense of melancholy that I didn’t understand at the time. It was only later I knew what it meant.

It was the last place that Dream and I were happy together.

I stirred the chicken noodle soup and looked up when the side door opened in the mud room. I heard Archie as he removed his boots and hung up his coat. A few minutes later he came into the kitchen, snowflakes still in his hair.

He walked over and kissed me. His gaze went to the turquoise necklace around my neck.

“New necklace?” he commented. “I don’t remember seeing it before.”

“No, an old one.” I turned back to the soup.

“Oh.” I felt him stare at me for a moment. I glanced at him, meeting his gaze. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “John’s going to stop by soon. He’s taking me rabbit hunting with him.”

“What?” I dropped the spoon on the counter. “You don’t hunt.”

“No, I’m just going to walk along,” he said.

“Where?”

“Over at the farm where Angela was murdered, actually,” he said.

“Doesn’t that creep you out?”

“Not really. They arrested that guy.”

We’d heard last week that the married man had had a hole in his alibi and lied about seeing Angela the day she was murdered.

“Hmmm… you want to be around John with a hunting rifle,” I remarked. “I told you I saw him in the trees across the road watching our house. You really don’t find that strange behavior?”

“It is,” he agreed. “But maybe I can find out what’s going on with him.”

“Sure, maybe,” I said, going back to stirring the soup.

What are you up to, Archie?

FORTY-NINE2017

The Commune

Dream

I turned over in bed, now lying flat on my back, still staring at the ceiling fan going around above me. I pulled up the covers and sighed. Sunny had gotten up early to work in the garden, but I wanted to sleep in today. Unfortunately, sleep eluded me. I think Sunny just wanted to avoid me, as she had ever since we’d moved in here. I heard the shower in the hall bathroom turn off and wondered who else was up early.

I closed my eyes and tried to fall back to sleep. Sunny and I were barely talking. Last night was nothing but arguing. I’d been sure we’d work it out, but right now, I was still angry with her, despite my efforts to enter a state of peacefulness. And she didn’t understand why I was so mad. To her, it wasn’t a big deal, which made me angrier.

My bedroom door opened. I opened my eyes. Venus stood in the doorway, wrapped in a red towel. Her hair hung long and wet, fresh from a shower. We stared at each other for a moment, or two. I pulled down the covers. She closed the door and dropped the towel.

“We shouldn’t,” I said as she joined me in bed. I kissed her and she kissed me back, putting her arms around my neck and her unbelievable body against mine.

“But we want to,” she whispered.

Lust took over and before I knew it, Venus was on top of me, the bedcovers now tossed off the bed, and it was awesome. Like I knew it would be with her.

The bedroom door opened. Sunny stood in the doorway for only a moment watching Venus as she moved on top of me, my hands on her hips, our bodies joining in the most intimate of ways. Then, she stared at me, our gaze met, and she ran out of the room.

And I finished.

FIFTY2024

Aimee

Dr. Daly’s sofa was the most comfortable I’d ever encountered. I really should ask her where she bought it. I stared at the antique clock on the wall; she’d had it ever since I started coming here, shortly after my seventeenth birthday.

“How have you been feeling?” Dr. Daly asked, a warm smile directed at me.

“Better. More energy, less edgy,” I replied.

“Good. Anything else going on?”

I paused. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Dream.”