After escaping from the home of her crazy soon to be ex-husband...Hope finds herself alone on the streets; surviving on nothing but her wits and the clothes on her back until one day, help comes from an unexpected source...
Today was a monumental day for Hope. For the first time since she came to Minneapolis about a month ago, she had had a job interview...and not just any job interview, but one in emergency dispatch at Abbott Northwestern.
Even more importantly, for her anyway, she obtained the interview based on her own merits and work experience...and without any help or interference from me.
She was as excited as I’d ever seen her, and I was beyond thrilled for her. Even if it meant taking her first step on her own and away from me.
Her and Gemini had already been here at Paisley for a month, and we’d settled into an easy routine...with Hope continuing her job and apartment search while I worked in the studio.
Sometimes she’d join me and we’d continue her guitar lessons, as she gained pride and confidence in her newfound talent...and me, I simply enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her.
Movie nights, though, were without a doubt my favourite. Most nights, we’d barely pay attention to the movie...taking the time to simply enjoy our time together, whether that meant talking until the wee hours of the morning, or on a few particularly chilly nights, simply snuggling up close together under a blanket. Some nights Gemini would jump up to snuggle on Hope’s lap, others it would be just the two of us.
On those nights, I’d only pretend to be watching the movie; instead enjoying the feel of Hope inside the circle of my arms. It was one of the few times I could get that close to her without fear of her bolting...and I relished in it.
Despite my best efforts, I still hadn’t managed to get to the heart of what’s got Hope so fearful and tied up in knots that she hasn’t been able to fully open herself up, entrusting me to help her get over whatever traumatic experience led her here...to Minneapolis, and ultimately to me.
At times, I sensed I was getting close...but she just didn’t seem quite ready or willing to let me in. Rather than pushing her, and possibly pushing her away, I decided to help her in any other way I could...hopeful that she’d see I wasn’t going anywhere.
I’d be here as long as she needed me...and if I was fortunate enough, as long as she allowed me to be.
She was different from any woman I’d ever dealt with before, which I found both alluring and infuriating. I’ve never been a man to back away from a challenge, and this woman presented one of the biggest challenges I’d ever come upon.
But today wasn’t the day to dwell on that. Today was for celebrating.
Whether the interview went well or not was of little importance to me. I was so incredibly proud of her, and I wanted her to know it. More than that, I needed to be there for her...to simply be with her.
Despite my grandiose gestures when we first met, I’d since learned that Hope typically like to keep things low key and understated, so I decided to keep things simple. I was planning a celebratory picnic...a moonlit picnic…
With my chef’s help, I’d been at it all afternoon...preparing a long list of her favourites. A list that had taken an entire month to learn. Some were obvious...the homemade pecan pie for instance.
Others though were part of the wonderful mystery that is Hope. Things like chicken fried steak for instance. Blech! Or kolach…
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