Amy's Saturday Night
Though it was only 5 past 8, as soon as dinner was over and the dishes were done, Amy feigned exhaustion. After quick hugs, she headed out the door. The cool evening air that greeted her was a relief. As habit, he nearly ruined, what started out as pleasant dinner. Usually caught flat footed by his unfiltered brashness, Amy was somewhat prepared, this time.
Pausing on the porch, she looked momentarily at the sky. Still more than hour before sunset, the sun was leaning toward the west horizon, leaving a soft glow in the sky behind moody clouds. Their puffiness colored smoldering grays and blues hinted at rain.
"Dang. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow." She muttered. Descending the porch stairs, two at a time, she hurried to the barn. Simon was already there, doing night check. From the looks of things, he was finished as the horses seemed contented and sleepy eyed.
"Hey Simon." She stopped at Spartan's stall. Her hand automatically ran up and down the bridge of his nose, muzzle to forehead.
"Hey." He replied, stepping closer to her, stopping at Harley stable. "Are you okay?" His tone was one of concern.
She cocked her head, glanced at him. She responded calmly. "Yes. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Tim." He didn't need to say more. Harley swung his head toward him, pushing against his shoulder, obviously wanting a pet. Simon smiled, then acquiesced, then began to rub his neck. "Hey Harley. You good ole boy!" He said low and quiet.
"I'm fine. Really. But, Dad is a bit much at times." She gave a half chuckle.
"A bit much?! He's an ass." He paused, then retracted his comment. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that about your father."
"No worries. You called a spade a spade." She added. "Plus. I should apologize to you. He was an ass to you. To all of us really." An exaggerated sigh escaped her.
"No apologies needed. I'm glad you put him in his place."
She smirked. "For once, I guess I did."
Each fell quiet for several minutes as they focused on the horse before them.
"Everything else okay? You know...Andrew." He said hesitantly. "I mean. You don't have to confide in me or anything. Um. But, I am here, if you want to."
"Simon you are very sweet to worry about me. But, I will be okay in the Andrew department too." She pondered things for a moment, then put words to her thoughts. "It's always hard when something good ends, even if that something wasn't meant to last."
"Like ice cream?"
She smiled. "Yeah. Like ice cream."
"He seemed like a nice enough guy."
"Andrew is very nice, kind and thoughtful. He's truly a good person with a wonderful heart. I already miss him."
"Just not your soulmate?" He asked.
"No. I suppose not." She conceded, then sighed heavily. "Hey, I'm beat. I'm heading up."
"And, I'm heading out. See you in the morning."
"Night Simon."
Up in the loft, Amy slipped off her boots, curled up on the couch with Norton, who after a good bath turned from chocolate brown kitten to shiny black one with a white chest and paws. He looked like he was wearing a tuxedo. His purr motor was going strong as she rubbed his rounded tummy, filled with real kitty food.
"Norton Hall. You are just a love muffin, aren't you?" Amy purred back, rubbing her nose to his. "Will you be my soulmate?"
Alicia's image lit up on her phone as it vibrated on the coffee table.
"Hey Alicia..What's up?...Oh, I am fine... Promise...A visit?...Tonight? Why sure..See you in 15 minutes. Just come on up. Bye."
While she waited for her Alicia to show up, she straighten up the loft. Strewn across the portions of the couch, chair and coffee table were gifts and bags that Andrew had given her. She folded the clothes, put them in her closet but left the tan leather backpack, school supplies and sunglasses on the dining table.
In the kitchen, she opened a gift basket of fancy delicacies that Andrew had sent from Italy. She arranged some of the goodies on wooden cutting board, setting it on the coffee table. Next, she filled the tea kettle with water, putting it on the stove to boil.
In the barn below, Amy heard the horses stir. Soon after, there was a knock on her door. "Hey Amy! It's me!"
She greeted her friend at the door. "Hey Alicia!" She smiled. "Come in."
"Hey Amy. How are you?" Alicia asked, immediately pulling her into an awkward hug. Before Amy could respond, she asked again. "Are you okay?"
Amy chuckled, surprised by her friend's overwrought hug, then pulled away. "Alicia. I am fine. Really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Of course. Promise." Amy shook her head, eyes heavenward. "Come on. Let's sit. I'll give you the blow by blow."
"Blow by blow? Did Tim throw a punch?" Her eyes widen, a small gasp escaped her lips.
"No. Nothing like that. Thankfully...But, he wasn't particularly happy or charming either." Amy reassured her.
"Sorry. I know that's not helpful...in any situation."
"Yeah well. That's my dad." Amy wrinkled her nose.
Craving attention, Norton stealthily approached Amy, circling her ankles, rubbing against her, playing on her socked feet. She smiled, bent down, picked him up.
"Alicia, meet Norton Hall." She said rubbing him under his chin, kick starting his tiny motor.
"Aw! How sweet! Where did he come from?" She reached out, pet his shiny black coat.
"Well, I dropped one guy off at the airport, then picked up another." She laughed at her own joke. "Actually. He was a stray I found running around the airport garage. I couldn't leave him there."
"Of course, you couldn't." Alicia agreed. "You're a softie for an orphan."
The kettle began to whistle on the stove. "Have a seat, make yourself at home." Amy suggested, as she put the kitten back on the floor.
"Could I interest you in some herbal tea? I have a sweet orange and honeysuckle one that's really good." Amy asked from the kitchen. "Or would you prefer ice wine? From Bromont, of course."
"Ohh, ice wine. Perfect. Thanks." Alicia added. "Now tell me everything."
As Amy poured the wine and made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen, she recounted the scene in sitting in Lisa's SUV at the airport.
"I swear news travels faster than the speed of light around here." She laughed, a noticeable new sparkle in her eye. "I barely got him into the airport and back to the car before I started getting calls from all over the world. It was ridiculous."
Alicia laughed.
"You are no better." Amy eyed her friend, as she settled into the couch, handing her a glass of wine.
"Take that as a sign of love." Alicia said, taking of sip from her glass of sweet ice wine. "Oh that's good."
"I take as a sign that I have a very nosy friend and family." Amy grinned, taking a long sip of her herbal tea, then popped a fresh fig and a sliver of smoked Gouda cheese into her mouth. "Mmm."
"So dish. You didn't get to tell me everything before Lou called. Tell me, what happened in the airport?"
"Well, it actually started before.." She handed her phone to her. "Take a look at this."
"Okay." Alicia looked briefly at the photo displayed on her phone, then raised her eyes to her best friend. "A motorcycle? Are you thinking of buying a motorcycle?"
Amy laughed at the thought. "No, of course not. It's a Norton Commando, like the one Ty rode. Except that Ty's was a 1974 850 Norton Commando. This was a 1971 750...Anyhow. I saw it as Andrew and I were walking through the garage to the airport."
"Okay. So?" She shrugged, put a piece of dark chocolate in her mouth.
"Try a fig... so yummy." She said popping another one in her mouth. "Don't you see? It's a sign."
"PPPleeeaaazzze. Another sign? Come on Amy." She groaned, then plucked a fig off the wooden cutting board on the coffee table, popped it in her mouth. "Hmm."
"Hear me out. So I see the bike, Andrew takes my picture with it, we go into the airport, he checks in, we hug and say Goodbye..as friends. I felt so, I don't know, relieved mostly. Free maybe. Anyhow. On the way back through the garage, I stopped to look at the motorcycle again when the owner showed up."
"Let me guess. It was Ty!" She teased.
"Ha ha. No. It was this older man. Buddy Hall. Anyhow, he told me about riding every Sunday with his wife, his high school sweetheart. He talked about a crash that he had and how he and his wife put the bike back together again. He said that there's nothing like the open highway on a motorcycle and the sense of freedom."
"Okay..."
"But, instead of this guy and his Norton dredging up all that heartache and angry feelings that I had toward Ty, it just brought back good memories of happy times with him."
"That's good.." Alicia nodded. "So signs?"
"Right. Meeting Michael at UC, was the first sign. Seeing Ty on TV releasing those eagles, that was the second sign. Then seeing that banded eagle from Vancouver down by the river, that was another sign. Dr. Singh talking about Ty during my interview, that was a sign. Harley being out of sorts, Old Blue breaking down. They were signs. Seeing Michael at the airport when I picked up Andrew. Scott saying he's at a vet conference in Vancouver. Seeing the Norton, that was a sign. After almost four years of nothing, then in two weeks all these signs."
"Okay. Humor me. What are all those signs saying?"
"I know I've said this before. But, Ty's happy, successful. Doing what he loves. Same is true for me." She pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Ty came into my life at the right time. After mom. He helped me through it. He helped me feel loved, capable, strong."
"That was then."
"Right. Then Andrew came into my life at the right time too. Same deal. He helped me feel loved again."
"Okay. Signs?" Still sounding skeptical.
"Right." Amy's voice grew more excited. "So, now all these signs are appearing everywhere. And they are helping me, telling me that I can do this, on my own. That I should follow my heart, pursue my passions, make my own path. I don't have do what others expect of me, I don't have to always go along to get along. I can decide for myself."
"Sign or no sign. Those things are all true Amy. Regardless. And I, for one, am thrilled that you finally realize it."
"I know. I know. But ever since I met Michael, almost every day there's some kind of reminder of Ty." She cuddled the black kitten to her chest. "At first, it was hard, really hard, reliving what happened. That he chose something else, somewhere else, with someone else."
Alicia patted her friend's arm. "I know."
"But, now, it's like the bad parts are out of the way. The hurt and anger are gone. And, only the good memories remain."
"So you've forgiven him?"
"Yeah. I actually think so. Lately I been having these dreams of him. They are always, happy and warm. He's helping me study. Or we're just horsing around. He's tickling me." She laughed as the kitten's purr got louder, vibrating against her neck. "That tickles, Norton."
Alicia took a bite of a fig. "Hmm. You're right these are yummy. Andrew sent these from France?"
"No, Italy. Rome, I think."
"And, Andrew?"
"I feel so relieved. Like light, free somehow. I'm hoping he finds someone special. I really do. Under all that...overt confidence, competitiveness, cockiness, perfectness, there is a tender and good hearted guy who really just wants to be held and loved. And give love back. He lost his dad, then his mom remarried and moved away. I think I was to Andrew what Ty was to me."
"Good. I am glad that you finally decided. So no regrets?"
"Not a one."
"So, tell me. What happened with Tim?"
Amy rolled her eyes, shook her head. "I have to keep reminding myself that my dad loves me, that he wants only the best for me. But, boy, he can be a bit much, a little bit of an egomaniac."
"No joke." She took another sip of wine. "Okay. Give me the blow by blow."
"Right. Well, there we were, Lou, Peter, Georgie, Katie, Simon, and me, sitting around the dining room table, half way through dinner, in the middle of eating. Dad and Susan walk in, late. So, we scramble to add place settings for them. But, he wants to sit at the head of the table, where Simon is already sitting, eating his food. So, Dad, of course, acts like an ass, asks him to move. No, tells him to get out of his seat."
"Oh no. Poor Simon."
"But, get a load of this. You will be so proud of me." Amy grinned.
Alicia's eyes grew wide. "Amy Fleming. What did you do?"
"I said calmly and clearly. Dad. When Grandpa and Lisa are not here, I am the head of this household. As you are late, you have a choice, you can take one of the empty seats or you can leave."
"You didn't?" She said in a hushed voice.
"I did. His face turned so red, I thought he was going to burst an blood vessel in his head. But, surprisingly, he said nothing and sat down next to Katie."
"Wow! No kidding."
"First thing he says after he loads up his plate is "Where is Andrew? Amy, what do you do? Did you chase him off?"
"So what did you say?" She leaned closer.
"I told him that Andrew would not be joining us for dinner. That we had broken off our relationship and that he that took an earlier flight to Bromont." She paused.
"What did Tim say?"
"He said...Amy. You are stupid for letting such a good catch go."
Alicia couldn't believe it. "He called you stupid? Oh my god. What did you say?"
She nodded. "I calmly reminded him that while Grandpa and Lisa were gone, I was the head of the household. And if he couldn't keep his thoughts and opinions about fishing to himself, that he needed to leave."
Her hand flew over her mouth, her brows nearly hit the roof. "You didn't."
"I sure did."
"What did he say to that?"
"Nothing. I think he was kind of dumbfounded." She smirked. "So I asked him to pass the mashed potatoes."
"No kidding? Wow! Then what?"
"Peter stood and made a toast to me. And I quote. "For my calm fortitude in the eye of an outlandish storm."
"Well, good for you, Amy. I am so proud of you."
Amy beamed. "I'm proud of me too."
The two friends talked, laughed for the next hour. Just after the Albertan sun set, Alicia departed Amy's loft with an invitation to breakfast the next morning at Heartland and with the knowledge that her best friend was going to be just fine.
Dear Readers.
Hope you enjoyed this short SW chapter. Let me know your thoughts. Next up is SW Chapter 27, Ty's Saturday evening.
Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate it. May each of enjoy the freedom to write and read what you love.
SBR
PS. Thanks to all of you who send reviews and PMs. I love hearing from you.
PPS. WWD, this chapter is your July 4th wish.