“Jeff? Did you hear me? Dinner’s ready.” Natalie sat down at the table, and snapping out of his haze he grabbed the wine bottle and joined her.
“This looks delicious,” he said, studying the meal in front of him, “would you like some wine?”
“That’s against the law you know,” she said sternly, then wrecked it by smiling. “Maybe just a glass would be nice.”
He poured another glass halfway and handed it to her. She sipped delicately and smiled again. “Yum.”
He laughed and they ate their pasta in companionable silence for a few minutes. Finally Natalie said, “So I’ve told you why I’m here, but what about you? Why are you secluded in this cabin in the middle of nowhere?” She could tell right away from his face that she had touched a nerve. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, that’s okay,” Jeff shrugged. “It’s not much of a story really. I was married to a woman named Cheryl for five years. We were both into traveling, but after a while I felt the urge to settle down and have a child. Cheryl wasn’t interested. She said it would end our freedom and she wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t push the issue, but as another year went by and I turned thirty-five, I really felt my biological clock was ticking. I know, that’s funny for a guy to say, but it was true. I asked Cheryl again, but her feelings hadn’t changed. Things got strained and one night we finally had a big fight. She walked out and I never saw her again. She sent the divorce papers through the mail, along with a forwarding address. She wanted me to ship all her stuff. I signed the papers, packed my own things, and left. I wasn’t about to pick up after her. I found this cabin a few weeks later and the idea of seclusion appealed to me.”
“How long have you been living here?” Natalie asked.
“Two years now. I run a small business online, so I can live anywhere I want, and I go down to Boulder twice a month to pick up supplies. But besides that, it’s just Cujo and me.” he tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’m sorry about your wife. Now I understand what you mean about wasted time. But staying up here isn’t the best way to move on with your life. I mean, if you want children you have to get back out there and actually meet someone.”
“I know. Every time the season changes, I tell myself I have to go back into the world and start again… but then I don’t know if I’m ready to put my heart back on the line.”
Natalie smiled. “So basically we’re both runaways.”
Jeff laughed. “Yeah, I guess we are.” He noticed her empty glass, “would you like some more wine?”
“Sure. It’s really nice.” Once she was cradling the refilled glass, Jeff made himself busy by insisting on doing the dishes. By the time he was done Natalie was on her third glass and seemed to be in a happier mood than he had yet had the pleasure of seeing. Grabbing the mostly empty bottle from it’s place beside her glass, he eyed her warily.
“Have you ever drunk wine before?” he asked hopefully.
“Yep… at my eighteenth birthday party Dad said I could have some,” she giggled.