t-shirt that’s
tie-dyed with black grime.
“Is there any place I can freshen up?”
“Sure, dear, the bathroom is right this way.” I lift myself off
the couch and have a dizzy spell. My legs are working, but I’m still
a little wobbly. Rowen jumps up to steady me and walks me to the
bathroom.
“I’m not leaving you,” he insists hovering over me as if I’m
made of glass.
“I’ll be okay.”
“You’re not leaving my sight,” he says looking down at me.
We walk down the hallway of the cottage. The walls are made
of stone. The ceilings are about twelve feet high. Light seeps
through the green stained glass windows providing a soothing
emerald hue. Everything meshes with the natural world.
“In here, dear.” Ivy points to a bathroom and then goes to
another room. As I enter, Rowen follows behind me.
“You’re not coming in here?” I say pushing him out of the
doorway.
“I told you. You aren’t leaving my sight. We’ve been through
this before. Remember in Skewantee?”
“That was different.”
I waiver as we share a glance. Part of me wants him to join me,
but I really not ready for‘that’ yet, whatever‘that’ might be.
“Really, I’ll be fine.” I’m walking better now and make my way
into the bathroom.
He steps back. “I’ll be right outside.”
The bathroom is different from what I’m used to. There’re no
pipes for water flow. The toilet looks the same. It has a seat, but it
doesn’t have a tank. The sink has knobs for water, but no faucet.
There’s a quiet knock on the door. “I’m okay.”
“It’s me, dear.” I open the door. Ivy awkwardly scoots passed
Rowen who isn’t giving up his post. “Here, try these, Ashe. They
were your mother’s.”
She hands me a clean pair of jeans and an old Beatles t-shirt.
“My mother’s?”
“I kept a lot of her things. You’re about her size.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me know if you need anything else.” Her voice is kind
and angelic. She leaves me in privacy, while Rowen remains
outside.
I am speechless as I hold something that belonged to my
mother. She was real.
I take off my nasty garb and step into the shower pulling the
curtain closed. The shower walls are stone and there again no pipes,
no knobs. It looks like something from another world. Yeah, right,
I’m in another world.
I fumble around unable to figure out how to turn on the water. I
push on the rocks in the wall, but nothing happens.
The bathroom door opens slightly. “You all right in here?”
“Rowen? I’m naked!” I pull the curtain around me and peak
out from behind it and see Rowen standing there with his eyes
closed.
“I heard a lot of noise in here.”
“I can’t get this shower to work.”
He opens his eyes and reaches beyond me, his face brushing
against mine. Resisting the moment, he presses a single stone into
the wall and a water fall begins spraying out of the rocks.
“Thanks,” I say with modesty, wrapped in a shower curtain
made from something other than plastic.
“Call me if you need anything. I’ll be outside.”
My body is refreshed, but my mind is drained. I’m overloaded
with information about myself, about who I am, about what I am. I
remain underneath the water until my palms begin to wrinkle.
“Ashe?”
Rowen calls
out. I guess I’ve
stayed under this
magnificent waterfall longer than I thought.
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” After drying off, I put on my
mother’s clothes.
They
fit perfectly
and
it’s
surreal. I
keep
reminding myself these were Nuin’s...Mom’s.
14
I smell something delicious coming from the other side of the
house. I leave the sentries to their discussion, and find Ivy in the
kitchen.
“Need any help?” I ask.
“
Sure. I’d love some. Here, you can slice up this bread. Stew is
almost done.”
The kitchen looks a lot like most kitchens in Montana, except
for the water source.
Whatever she’s cooking infuses the house with a wonderful
aroma and I’m starving. We don’t talk much, we
tie-dyed with black grime.
“Is there any place I can freshen up?”
“Sure, dear, the bathroom is right this way.” I lift myself off
the couch and have a dizzy spell. My legs are working, but I’m still
a little wobbly. Rowen jumps up to steady me and walks me to the
bathroom.
“I’m not leaving you,” he insists hovering over me as if I’m
made of glass.
“I’ll be okay.”
“You’re not leaving my sight,” he says looking down at me.
We walk down the hallway of the cottage. The walls are made
of stone. The ceilings are about twelve feet high. Light seeps
through the green stained glass windows providing a soothing
emerald hue. Everything meshes with the natural world.
“In here, dear.” Ivy points to a bathroom and then goes to
another room. As I enter, Rowen follows behind me.
“You’re not coming in here?” I say pushing him out of the
doorway.
“I told you. You aren’t leaving my sight. We’ve been through
this before. Remember in Skewantee?”
“That was different.”
I waiver as we share a glance. Part of me wants him to join me,
but I really not ready for‘that’ yet, whatever‘that’ might be.
“Really, I’ll be fine.” I’m walking better now and make my way
into the bathroom.
He steps back. “I’ll be right outside.”
The bathroom is different from what I’m used to. There’re no
pipes for water flow. The toilet looks the same. It has a seat, but it
doesn’t have a tank. The sink has knobs for water, but no faucet.
There’s a quiet knock on the door. “I’m okay.”
“It’s me, dear.” I open the door. Ivy awkwardly scoots passed
Rowen who isn’t giving up his post. “Here, try these, Ashe. They
were your mother’s.”
She hands me a clean pair of jeans and an old Beatles t-shirt.
“My mother’s?”
“I kept a lot of her things. You’re about her size.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me know if you need anything else.” Her voice is kind
and angelic. She leaves me in privacy, while Rowen remains
outside.
I am speechless as I hold something that belonged to my
mother. She was real.
I take off my nasty garb and step into the shower pulling the
curtain closed. The shower walls are stone and there again no pipes,
no knobs. It looks like something from another world. Yeah, right,
I’m in another world.
I fumble around unable to figure out how to turn on the water. I
push on the rocks in the wall, but nothing happens.
The bathroom door opens slightly. “You all right in here?”
“Rowen? I’m naked!” I pull the curtain around me and peak
out from behind it and see Rowen standing there with his eyes
closed.
“I heard a lot of noise in here.”
“I can’t get this shower to work.”
He opens his eyes and reaches beyond me, his face brushing
against mine. Resisting the moment, he presses a single stone into
the wall and a water fall begins spraying out of the rocks.
“Thanks,” I say with modesty, wrapped in a shower curtain
made from something other than plastic.
“Call me if you need anything. I’ll be outside.”
My body is refreshed, but my mind is drained. I’m overloaded
with information about myself, about who I am, about what I am. I
remain underneath the water until my palms begin to wrinkle.
“Ashe?”
Rowen calls
out. I guess I’ve
stayed under this
magnificent waterfall longer than I thought.
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” After drying off, I put on my
mother’s clothes.
They
fit perfectly
and
it’s
surreal. I
keep
reminding myself these were Nuin’s...Mom’s.
14
I smell something delicious coming from the other side of the
house. I leave the sentries to their discussion, and find Ivy in the
kitchen.
“Need any help?” I ask.
“
Sure. I’d love some. Here, you can slice up this bread. Stew is
almost done.”
The kitchen looks a lot like most kitchens in Montana, except
for the water source.
Whatever she’s cooking infuses the house with a wonderful
aroma and I’m starving. We don’t talk much, we
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