WOLFVILLE

2.2: Dog Can't Save You Now

Timmory didn't have any plans for the evening, which she'd arranged mostly so she could get a good sleep and an early start. She had a checklist, but she and Julia had gone on so many hikes that by now the list resided in her mind permanently. Last on her list was lunch. In the kitchen, Timmory extracted the loaf and began two of her signature sandwiches, humming quietly to herself. The television chattered in the other room; her mother was reclined on the sofa, but she didn't know where her father was until he popped his head into the kitchen.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Timmory looked at him. "Making lunches for tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"We're going to the mountain," she said, laying slices of processed ham atop spirals of mustard.

"Can I come?" asked Wallace.

Timmory snarked. "We're gonna be hiking all day. Think you can handle it?"

Wallace raised his hand to his forehead and sighed. "No, you're right. My old man legs would crumple after more than an hour of physical activity."

She laughed.

"You going with Jules and her dog?"

Timmory nodded.

"What about that Milo fellow?"

The name drove ice down her spine. Timmory's eyes narrowed to green slits. "I don't know a Milo."

Her father said nothing—instead he held up her phone, screen glowing with the newest text from Julia: Hey, you should invite Milo tomorrow!

"What! Give!" Timmory grabbed the phone. Her father made no effort to keep it and she shoved it in her pocket, frowning. "That's an invasion of my privacy!"

"You left it face up on the sofa," he pointed out.

"Ugh!" she scowled and resumed making sandwiches. The first one ended up sloppy.

"Are you gonna invite him? What's he like? Why didn't you tell us about him?"

Attracted to the nature of the conversation, Timmory's mother drifted into the kitchen and leaned against the wall.

"He's just someone from class, it's nothing. I think he's kind of annoying, but whatever. Don't worry about it. I'm not going to invite him."

"Oh sure, okay. Whatever you say, Tim," grinned Wallace.

She shot him a cold look, turning to her mother for support.

"He better not be one of those 'fuckboys'," Kristina threw up the air quotes, "I hear you and Julia talking about, or he's going to be getting words from me."

It was kind of support. "Thank you," said Timmory. "But he isn't. I don't hang out with fuckboys." If she could help it. Now she hoped Milo didn't prove her wrong.

"Is he cute though?" asked Wallace.

"No," said Timmory.

"Yet you seem to be getting awfully flustered."

Timmory put her knife down in annoyance. This familiar pressure made her want to storm off and snap. "Can you just leave me alone?"

"Yes, don't you have those listings to prepare for that law firm? Seven Hill?" Kristina pushed her husband out of the kitchen. Her real estate broker father snickered as he returned to his laptop in the living room, and Kristina lingered only long enough to give her daughter a wink before disappearing after him. At least somebody understood her strife.

Relationships had always been complicated for Timmory. Not because Timmory never had them, or had difficulty with them, or had too many of them. She'd had boyfriends, but they never lasted long—she just didn't have the patience for them. They made her feel suffocated. At one point her parents thought it might be because Timmory was gay and showered her with promises of understanding, that they would love her no matter her sexual orientation, and she assured them that wasn't the case either—even though she really considered it. (Julia?) But ultimately, the issue was Timmory's personal privacy and Timmory's freedom that kept her single. As her parents' only child, they craved to see their daughter take those ever important first steps in her life. Getting a significant other, a meaningful relationship, maybe something that could turn into a marriage that they could gab about. Living in a small town like Wolfville meant most of your gossip came from and was about the people closest to you. Unfortunately, it also made Timmory the primary target of her parents' snooping. She made a point of being uninteresting.

Timmory finished preparing her lunch in peace, but after she left the kitchen, her father beckoned her again.

"Hey, watch your back out there, okay? If you do end up inviting that Milo guy," he said, watching her pass through the living room.

She groaned, trying to make it obvious that he aggravated her.

"Yeah, I know. Love you too sweetie," Wallace grinned.

In the morning, Timmory rolled over and grabbed her phone, scrolling through social media before opening up the text from Julia from last night. She purposely failed to reply after making lunch.

sry, didnt see ur text. i dont have his number. :(

She enjoyed a quick shower, dried her hair and tied it up in a ponytail, then deliberated on what to wear. The heat from summer had yet to fade, but September mornings were still cold enough that she wanted to cover up her legs. She picked a pair of thin grey sweatpants she pulled up over jean shorts, then a green sweater wrapped around a low armpit tank perfect for keeping cool once the sun rose as they walked. A couple more shirts and another sweater made its way into her hiking pack in case she needed them. Her camera sat on top. The sun was barely touching the horizon as she prepared; warm, pink light flushed the kitchen window and illuminated the living room in pastel beams. She double checked the various accoutrements clipped to her backpack straps: a flashlight, a pocketknife, a bottle opener; then sifted through its contents to ensure she had everything on her list, then retrieved the lunches from the fridge and tucked them inside. When she was ready to go, she checked the time and made for the back door, but paused when her phone vibrated.

It was a new text from Julia. That's too bad. Also, I'm really sorry, but I think I have to bail. Brutus is really sick this morning.

Timmory lingered, staring at her phone. Her lips twitched at the corners, unsure what to make of the text, stifling anger. She knew it wasn't fair to be mad at Julia if her dog was ill. They needed the safety of Brutus to be able to hike the mountain, and if he was sick, Julia probably wasn't going to leave his side. But Timmory was looking forward to this, Timmory needed this—those woods were her happy place, the only place where she could shrug off the weight of her pesky responsibilities and expectations and social stresses! She didn't realize how long she'd been standing there staring at her phone until she heard footsteps behind her.

"You're leaving now?" her mother asked, wrapping herself in her robes.

Timmory fumbled for a response. Without Julia, she couldn't go out. Even her own parents thought it best to take the dog. But it wasn't like they had to know. "Uh... yeah. I was just waiting for Jules to text me back," she said, tucking the phone into her pocket.

"Okay, be safe, sweetie," Kristina pulled her daughter in for a hug.

"I will," she smiled and turned away.

Timmory wasn't sure what she felt as she pulled her car out of the driveway and left the house. As she idled at a red light, she shot out a quick text to Julia.

dont worry about it. hope hes okay.