Warm Rain

Chapter 4 - Lawnmower Guy?

After unpacking and doing up our room the best we could, Stella and I headed out for a little stroll. It was a really nice day and the sun looked extra bright. Half the resort was surrounded by trees but the other half came out into a big opening that met the Lake.

"I can't wait to swim in there," I said.

"Me too," Stella grinned.

We walked up to the lake and sat for a while. I looked at my phone and saw I had some messages. From Hallie, Bodhi, and my sister. I answered them and saw one from my mom.

Mom: Hope you're having the best time sweetie, love you ❤️

Aww, mom. My mom was all for me leaving home. I think she knew that I hadn't been myself for a while and wanted me to do something different, and get some excitement in my life. Back home, I would go visit her regularly to see her and the dogs. My mom was a character, to say the least. On the outside, she looks like your stereotypical plastic housewife. People tend to treat her as such. She just likes to look young and enjoys being pampered, nothing wrong with that. She's a dark horse, with much more to her. She's a couple's therapist, which really just makes me look stupid as I seemed to have not learned a thing from her. She's very well known and is very highly rated. She also grew up by the coast, met my dad there and would you believe it? they're divorced... But they are still best friends and she stresses this to a lot of her clients. Anyway, I enjoy her company. She gave me the best advice when I left. She told me to put fun first, enjoy the summer and see it as an experience. I adore my mom, she's funny, she's wise, and I'm lucky to have her.

Me: It's beautiful here, I'll send you lots of pics ❤️

I saw another message, from Kai.

Kai: Enjoying yourself?

Wasn't expecting a message from him. I didn't know what to say back though. I should be forgetting him really. This is a chance for me to spread my wings, and get rid of toxicity in my life.

So I just left it unanswered maybe then, he'll get the message.

After a while, we headed back. We walked past a load of cabins some with residents in. A lot of them are older people. Some of the cabins are quite big, they have gardens and pretty flowers growing to make the resort look beautiful. I wonder if their cabins are as rotting as ours? hopefully not.

I was staring off into the distance, hearing the murmur of a lawnmower. As we passed cabin after cabin, the sound got louder. I looked over the hill and I saw a big cabin, with its own driveway and two cars parked out front - One big truck and another vintage convertible. It's two stories, the biggest one in the resort. It looked newly built, very modern, and had more care in it than the whole of the resort. The front had large windows overlooking the lake, it had a grand archway entering the driveway, and a huge tree towering over the cabin, that was full of branches and leaves. Then a large garden sat on the side in perfect view of the lake. It reached all the way around the back where the lawnmower sound was coming from. Then I saw the lawnmower and the guy that was pushing it...

I can't help but stare at him.

He's topless, sweating and his big brawny back muscles are defined. He has the odd tattoo dotted around his back and on his arms. It's a sight you can't exactly ignore.

Fuck.

He stopped and took a breather before turning around and walking to a table to grab a water bottle. He had broad shoulders, and solid pecks with what looked like more faint lined tattoos on his chest and stomach. He wasn't covered in them but there were too many to count, they looked old and faded. He had a thin gold chain hanging from his neck, that shone in the sunlight. He looked tall, he looked... big. The water bottle looked so small in his hand and when he took a sip the water that missed his mouth glided down his chin. He put the bottle down and wiped his mouth, then he looked straight at me.