Jasmin

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The kids were fun, they left soon as Mary was calling us up for supper. Her husband Andrew was home from a meeting and I was again formally introduced, this time I was listening closer and heard Marcus not call me his girlfriend but mate. I will have to ask him about it.

Supper was delicious. The talk centred around the family, Tim and his school or Andrew and the meeting he had. Marcus and I listened politely. It was nice that I wasn't put on the spot as I had never done a family meal and had no ideas on what to do except from movies and books and stuff. With Sally we usually grabbed and ate while watching a movie or in her room. Mary asked a few questions but nothing too pointed about my family or anything, nothing that made me feel uncomfortable. I thought I would have to come up with some cover for parents and such, but Eric asked after my Aunt Gretta at the beginning of the meal and that was really all that was said about my home life. Most questions seemed about plans and future. I told them what I had told Marcus; I had three more years of school to figure things out but am very interested in math and enjoy tutoring. No ideas on college or anything yet and that there was time for those things to fall into place.

That really got Andrew. "I am a great believer in fate and just keeping your eyes open to see where you are being led to. Everything happens for a reason, its just hard to see it sometimes." I was so nervous about coming to stay with Marcus and spending the night, I had forgotten to think of who else would be around, and so was happy when supper was over and Marcus said it was time for us to go. Between having Eric on the bus, the kids downstairs and the family dinner, things were very different from what I was used to when hanging out with Marcus in the city. Just no time alone, we always got to be ourselves and talk about so many things. I was getting tense as the sun had disappeared when we were downstairs, about what was going to happen next. After not being allowed to help clean up after supper, Marcus stood and grabbed my bag and his and headed to the door.

"Where are you headed, our room is downstairs." Tim called, "nothing is open this late."

"I was given privacy for the evening, the cabin on the north side. Eric I will see you in the morning. Thanks for the meal, it was delicious as always Mary." I threw in a few thank you's as well, trying to control my blush about the sleeping arrangements, yet nothing else was said and Mary looked at me with kindness, not judgment.

The walk through the town was a good 10 minutes or more and I was so cold, the light breeze through the trees cutting though my jeans and up my blue coat. Marcus put his arm around me and our book bags smacked together behind us as we trudged side by side down the road. The walk was dark as there were no street lights and November is a very dark month. The sun was not something you saw in the evenings this far north in November, and Marcus had a big flashlight that shone the way. The path narrowed after we past the second intersection in town and the only reason we could make it through the thin track was the trees were so close that there was little snow covering between them.

"Almost there, and I will start a fire. I have hot chocolate." Marcus knew how to cheer me up. Thinking of a hot drink warming my frozen toes.

We walk single file through the trees to see a cabin in the shine of the flashlight, old and made of logs, with an overhanging roof on the side with the door, two windows shining back at us. Not much to look at, but I see a chimney already spouting a light smoke that I can just make out as the bright moon is right behind the cabin. A flickering through the two small windows on either side of the door can be seen now that we are close and Marcus turned off the flashlight and let go of my hand to open the door.

Inside the whole place fits a bed on one side of the door, an enclosed black fire stove and table on the other, an old dresser and cupboards at the back with a sink and a small closed off area beside that. The whole place may be twenty by ten feet. I look around and smile, cozy, warm. It makes me feel like I am living in a history text about fur traders or something.