A Small Town

Chapter Eighteen\Snowed in

The next week flashed by as the winter weather continued, first burying the town in a deep blanket of snow then flash freezing as the temperature dipped down below minus 20 degrees Celsius. This was topped off Saturday, November 13th with a spectacular thirty minutes of freezing rain and hail, coating every outdoor surface in a thick film of ice.

Earlier in the week, Lisa had made the trek out to Bob Kout's Gas Station alone. This was probably for the best as the last interaction between Bax and Bob had included the threat of gunplay. The fuel truck had not made an appearance and as the weather turned, it was unlikely to do so anytime soon.

According to Heather Munday, Pastor Black was, as she put it speaking through a mouthful of marzipan cookie, "Still hanging around". She passed on this piece of gossip without her usual relish and to Bax, it seemed she was annoyed with the man for surviving. It was as though she thought the Pastor was intentionally ruining her fun.

Bax had moved his things into the spare room in Lisa's apartment above the bookstore, ostensibly he was a guest but in reality, they shared her double bed each night, making love into the wee hours.

They spent the days of that week mostly snowed in and talked about the town and the dreams. They were having the shared dreams every night now, and this link had enthralled Lisa almost as much as the idea of finally escaping from Primacy.

Bax, to his amazement, had never been happier. His time with Lisa was a revelation. He had never been anywhere near this happy with Norma. His ex-wife was a prude, spurning his advances even in the romantic first few months of their relationship. Sex was a chore and she had made sure that Bax knew that she was doing him a favour every time they made love. More often than not he had actually faked his orgasms just to end their stilted, awkward attempts at intercourse.

Lisa was the complete opposite, bouncing around the bedroom (and kitchen and bathroom and dining room) in just her tiny cotton panties or nothing at all. She never turned him down when he made his clumsy overtures, kissing her neck or whispering into her ear. More often she was the aggressor, leaping on him as he read on the couch or groping him as they ate breakfast. Most mornings she would slip into the shower with him and glide her smooth, soap-slippery body against his until the water ran cold.

The barn owl had transformed into a beautiful swan. Behind her huge glasses were incredible almond-shaped eyes the colour of the ocean. Beneath the bulky sweaters and blue jeans was the soft supple body of a dancer. Her long neck, like that of a ballerina, accentuated the length of her body exquisitely. She was petite but not in the least bit stocky. In bed, he would spoon her and marvel at the undulating railway track of her spine, clearly visible all the way down the curve of her back. He would cup his hands around her small breasts feeling the rise and fall of her breathing.

In just a week they had developed a bond like nothing he had ever had with any other woman. It was like they had a kind of short-hand or telepathy. They could finish each other sentences and anticipate each other's moods. They didn't have to speak to understand each other. They laughed all the time. Bax continued to call her his 'Barn Owl' and she would answer with a deep "Hoot-Hoot!" Lisa called him simply, Bax, but she had named her favourite part of his body 'Mr. E. Meat'. She would come running out of the bathroom naked and jump onto the bed shouting "What's for supper?" and then answered her own question, "Mr. E. Meat!"

He loved her... that was the simple fact. It scared the Hell out of him but it was true. In one week he had fallen head over heels in love with her as he had never loved any other person and he knew without a doubt that she loved him too. Bax could stay in Primacy for the rest of his life if that meant he could be with her.