The Week-end Away -- Part 2
The next day, Saturday, at breakfast, Michelle was up and awake earlier than either her 18-year-old daughter, Ali, or Dr. Jimmy Baker. From his closed bedroom door, Jimmy could hear Michelle moaning and groaning as she dragged what he surmised was the last of the wood he had brought in the night before, into the cabin's fireplace. After listening to her grunts and wood scraping against the floor, Jimmy could take it no more, he dressed quickly and opened the bedroom door.
"Hang on, Michelle," he called to her, "I'll take care of it." And he went over to where she was, took the four foot long log with an 8-inch diameter off her hands, lifted it and placed in on the mildly still-burning embers. "Looks like we need more wood, yeah?" he asked.
"Right," she answered, "why don't you go get some whilst I start breakfast. Coffee or tea?"
"Whatever's the most at hand," he replied, really preferring his own tea, but not wanting to rock the boat after the doings of last night, in case Michelle had heard what went on after she left his bedroom. Then he put on his trainers and without tying the laces, went out and one at a time, brought in six logs the same size as the one that was already burning away merrily. He had just brought in the sixth, when he heard from upstairs, a yawned, "Good morning everybody." It was Ali, still dressed in her midriff shirt, bedroom trousers and woolly socks, leaning over the balcony railing with a huge smile on her face. She waited until Michelle was out of sight, then lifted her shirt and extended her tongue as she tilted her head to the left and to the right.
"Well, somebody's in a good mood, thankfully," Michelle called up to her from the cook-top where a kettle was just starting to get hot. "And how did
you
sleep last night," she asked Jimmy, "I thought I heard you tossing and turning for quite a while, there, Jimmy."
Ali had to leave her position, leaning over the balcony railing, and was laughing so hard that she pretended to cough.
"Oh, dear," Michelle said, "I hope you're not getting a cold! Do you feel all right, love? We have that long walk around the lake today, remember? Do you think you're up to it."
"I'm just fine, mum," Ali called down, "I think I just swallowed something." Then quietly, so that only Jimmy could hear, "or did last night." And giggled cutely to herself. Looking up, Jimmy shot her a "be quiet" look and went to see if Michelle needed assistance with morning meal.
"Does anyone want pancakes?" Jimmy asked.
"Oooh, let me," Ali called down and bounded down the stairs again. "I make my own buttermilk for pancakes!"
"Really?" Jimmy said quite curiously.
"Oh, yes, she loves to do that, especially for guests," Michelle told him.
"Mum," Ali said sounding hurt, "Jimmy's not a 'guest'! It's really good to have him around." And she got milk out of the fridge and reached for vinegar out of a lower cupboard. As she did so, she splayed her knees and balanced on the balls of her feet, then bent her head low to peer behind her at Jimmy. She then bounced up and down next to the open lower cupboard door so that Michelle couldn't see her activity at her new lover. She then stood, closed the cupboard door, mixed the two ingredients and let them stand.
"Well," Michelle said, encouraged, "glad to see you two getting on so well. And glad to see you out of your funk about Byron." She was getting the flour out of an upper cupboard as Ali was scrounging around for the other pancake ingredients.
"Byron?" Ali said in surprise, "I haven't thought of him this whole time. Hmmm, I wonder why?" And she looked over her shoulder at Jimmy, who again shot her a "stop-it' stare in return.
They finished preparing the pancakes, coffee and bacon, for Jimmy, and sat down to eat. Michelle sat at one end of the kitchen table, Ali sat across from Jimmy, halfway down the length.
"Well, let's get breakfast out of the way so we can go for that walk," Michelle said, "it's going to be a lovely day and I think the exercise will do me some good."
"Oh, I think we could all use some more exercise today," Ali chimed in, "don't you think so Jimmy?" And leaned over her empty plate as she extended her left foot, still in the woolly sock and stoked his leg under the table.
He nearly spit his coffee all over his plate as he felt her contact again.
"Are you all right?" Michelle asked. "Do you have the same cough as Ali? Gee, I hope I don't get sick, too!"
"I don't know, Michelle," Jimmy answered and looked across to see Ali now leaning back, arms crossed in front of her, "it might be something she gave me." And again, Ali could barely contain herself in the humour of the questioning, so she turned her head away and bit her lower lip.
"Well, let's get dressed and to it, then," Michelle told them, "I'll wash the dishes later. Let's go."
The all put their dishes in the sink and headed to their respective rooms to change to "hiking" gear: basically jeans, shirt and hoodie, gloves and comfortable walking shoes. They met up at the rear door and headed out into the sunny, but crisp, air.
"You guys will probably walk faster than I will, but don't worry, I'll catch you up," Michelle informed them. Ali looked at Jimmy and whispered to him as her mum walked out the door, "only if we let her, eh?"
"Besides, you need me to lead you there and back again," Michelle teased.
"Actually, mum," Ali said, "I remember the way as well, you know. So if we do lose you, I can get us back here safe and sound."
"But, don't worry, Michelle," Jimmy reassured her, "we won't lose you." And Ali looked slightly disconsolate at his reaction.
