“Every issue, belief, attitude or assumption is precisely the issue that stands between you and your relationship to another human being; and between you and yourself.”
Unknown Author
Three hours had passed since she’d started this trip, and it was close to midnight. Buffy continued steadily traveling along one of the many desolate, snow and ice-covered roads of Big Bear Mountain. Her eyes remained wide and fixed on the road before her, attempting to see through the veil of heavy snowfall. Her tight, rigid grip on the steering wheel pulled the skin on her knuckles taut, giving the appearance of jagged teeth jutting from her clenched fists.
Buffy pressed forward, inwardly cursing her husband or soon to be ex-husband for making her come all this way, especially, in this weather. All that ceased when she noticed on the left the entrance for the long winding road that would take her to her destination and hopefully, let her accomplish what she'd come there to do.
She slowed her Volvo to a mere crawl before turning onto the dirt road. Buffy took a deep breath and braced herself for the bone-jarring potholes she knew littered the long driveway.
Going strictly from memory, she missed most of them, but she still cursed when her wheels dipped suddenly into ones she had forgotten. She had told Will dozens of times to have this paved or at the very least, fill the holes. Well, add this to the long list of hundreds of other things that she had said over the years that he’d never listened to, remembered to do or even cared about.
”Doesn’t matter now, after tonight I’ll never be here again. He can ruin the suspension on his own truck. I couldn’t care less,” Buffy murmured before she made a noise much like a growl, while hitting another unseen gap in the road. This one felt as though it were the size of a crater when her car tilted to the side. The sudden jarring motion caused Buffy’s teeth to sink into the tip of her tongue. Several more holes and a stinging tongue later, she finally reached her destination.
The drive was horrible, especially on a night like tonight, but Buffy found herself staring in awe at the house before her. She loved this place. Despite it being in the middle of the woods, this place always seemed like it truly belonged here, almost as if the forest itself had created it. When she and Will had found this place four years ago, it was a single room log cabin with no heat, running water or indoor plumbing. It was used as a small shack that guys would rent out for the weekend so they could get away from their families, get drunk and maybe even fish or hunt.
Buffy fell in love with it the moment they drove around the bend. It almost seemed magical, like the heavy trees parted and the sun shone a little brighter on the small shack when they arrived. It felt like the place itself was welcoming them there. She remembered the day they first came here.
Even before the car stopped, Buffy had jumped out like a kid on her first vacation. Despite how run down the place looked, Buffy envisioned the possibilities and told Will of each and every one excitedly as they circled the place. Will, not even looking once at the house, his eyes remaining transfixed on his excited wife, told the broker they would take it before they even stepped inside.
A year later, after non-stop renovations, it was transformed into a three bedroom, two-story home with an open floor plan, two full baths and a Jacuzzi located on the back portion of the wraparound porch. Both she and Will agreed they wanted all the comforts of home, but needed to retain the charm that made them fall in love with the place when they first saw it. Together, with the contractors and an architect, they made their dream possible.
Buffy hadn’t been here in almost two years. The first year of the two, was because she was trying to save their failing marriage in LA. The second year, because after the horrible first year, he had moved out of their place in LA and made this house his permanent home.
Buffy gazed forlornly at the beautiful house she loved once more before killing the engine. Gathering her purse and more importantly the paperwork lying on the passenger’s seat, she pulled the key from the ignition and got out of the car.
The cold winter air slammed into her lungs like a freight train, almost stealing her breath. She had been driving for over three hours in a car with the heat on full blast and had almost forgotten how cold it was outside. Plus, when she left LA, it was a balmy 55 degrees and raining. Once she began ascending the mountain, the rain changed to snow, and it felt as if the temperature had dropped at least 30 degrees.
Buffy rounded the car quickly, well as quickly as one can go on a snow-covered ground, and popped the trunk. Luckily, she had a pair of gloves and hat stored there. Sliding her already frozen fingers into the gloves, she pocketed the hat, closed the trunk, and headed toward the house.
With careful steps, Buffy ambled down the slick walkway and up the equally slippery stairs. Gratefully, the front porch light was on and the living room was lit. She rang the bell. She heard the numerous chimes echoing through the house, and tried waiting patiently as she felt the cold seeping through her clothing and clinging to her now shivering body.
Not being able to wait for a moment longer, she walked down the porch to look into the living room window. She noticed in the hearth a roaring fire, and a newly opened bottle of Jack on the coffee table. Knowing Will would never leave these unattended for very long, especially the Jack, she rang the bell again and tried the doorknob, finding it locked.
Buffy decided Will was probably ignoring the door, since he was never too pleased with unexpected visitors. His thoughts on people just stopping by were to ignore them and eventually they’d go away. He felt if the person were truly your friend, they would have the decency to call first.
Since she hadn’t called to tell him that she was coming, she guessed now was as good as any. Buffy pulled her purse forward to retrieve her cell, but before she could release the zipper, she heard several loud yells from the back of the house. Without a moments thought, she rushed down the stairs and headed toward and down the cleared path to the backyard.
Following shortly after the string of yells, was Will’s famous expletive “Bloody hell!” that instantly caused Buffy to snicker and shake her head as she slowed her pace. She knew he wasn’t too hurt since he was swearing. With unhurried steps, she approached the area lit by bright floodlights, the woodshed.
Looking inside, she noticed Will with his fingers jammed inside his mouth. She assumed with all the yelling and him sucking on his fingers, he was attempting to soothe the pain of hurting himself. Buffy gathered due to where he was and the log lying at his feet, he most likely dropped a piece of wood on the now injured digits.
“Well, you’re lucky you don’t have neighbors or they would think you were reenacting some cheesy horror movie with all that screaming.”
Buffy’s voice startled him. With an unmanly “ahhh!” spilling from around his fingers, Will spun around quickly, almost loosing his balance when turning toward the unexpected voice. He glared at her wide-eyed, before they narrowed, and he pulled his fingers from his mouth quickly.
“It’s not very nice sneaking up on people, yeah? Anyway, what are you doin’ up here, thought you hated the snow?” Or more so me.
“Well, hello to you too. And I wasn’t sneaking, was walking, totally different vibe. Plus, I don’t hate the snow. I hate the cold that accompanies said snow.”
You thought after being together for seven years he should know this. Well, that doesn’t matter now, along with his truck that’s going to bottom out on that shitty driveway.
While Buffy was lost in her thoughts briefly, her gaze remained fixed with her husband’s while trying to gauge his reaction to her being there.
“Whatever, you didn’t drive three hours to discuss the weather. So why are you ‘ere exactly?”
“Fine, straight to business, glad we agree on something. I’m here, since it has become painful obvious that all my phone calls, emails, texts, tweets and what-have you apparently don’t work. After hundreds of attempts, I’ve decided that in person was the only way to get this done,” Buffy huffed while her cold feet shifted in the snow causing it to crunch under the soles of her leather boots.
“And this would be, Buffy?”
“You know exactly what this is, Will. I want you to sign those papers that were sent to you over six months ago. And before you ask ‘what papers?’ let me clarify, they’re the divorce papers.”
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!