Chapter Four
Three, thin beams of sunlight peered into Joe’s bedroom through the window, disrupting his deep sleep. He wasn’t going to complain to his sister Emily for her choice of curtains. After all, he desired to get up early that Saturday morning. The pleasures of the outdoors could be enjoyed much more, while the sun was still low on the horizon. Shandaken’s natural beauty was the main reason why he had visited it in the first place. Putting in long hours at work might have exhausted him, but practicing law was not what had compelled him to abandon the Big Apple for the weekend. In actual fact, the memorial service had overwhelmed him. Certainly, he didn’t need a ceremony to recall his happy moments with his beloved Laura. Those memories had been lingering in his mind, ever since he lost her. Nevertheless, being around her family and her pupils, listening to them praise her, saying what a great teacher she had been to them, and how much they missed her, was enough to shatter his heart over and over again. Every time one of those young children opened their mouth, he could barely hold back the tears. Leaving New York City was the only way for him to get away from everything that haunted him. It was the only chance for him to find redemption.
Without wasting any time, Joe made himself a cup of coffee, grabbed his backpack, and drove away from his sister’s house in his black Escalade. His destination wasn’t far. Emily had told him so much about Acheron River that he had to see for himself what the fuss was all about. And, if it was anywhere near as beautiful as she had described it, it would be an ideal place for him to carry out his plan. At times like these, Joe could find peace in writing down his thoughts. Putting his emotions, worries and fears on paper helped to relieve him from all the agony that had been gnawing away at his soul.
Before he could even get out of his SUV, Joe realized that his sister had not been lying to him. Hundreds of yards away from the river, the shade of the towering trees on both sides of the road covered his vehicle easily enough. And, when he ventured into the wild, he caught himself in awe and amazement at the sheer beauty of his surroundings. There was an intoxicating scent in the air; a mix of pine, cedar and maple. The river itself was flowing freely, glittering in the sunlight that was peeking through the trees. A gentle breeze completed this puzzle of unparalleled beauty, bringing a smile of contentment to his face.
“Perfect; it’s just perfect.” Joe said to himself, strolling along the shore, as he headed towards the nearest pine tree. Pulling his backpack from his shoulder, Joe sat down on a large rock underneath it. He unzipped it in haste, throwing a few, hungry glances around him, as a strong gust of wind blew through his hair, picking up a few dry leaves from the ground. Joe pulled his small, blue notepad out of the backpack and a pen. Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he pried the notepad open.
“My dearest Laura,
It’s August the 5th, a year and a day since the accident that took you from me. You’ll be glad to know that most of your pupils showed up at the memorial service yesterday. Honestly, I liked seeing them again. In all fairness though, it tore out my heart. They wouldn’t stop saying how much they missed you. All that sadness on their tiny little faces devastated me.
That is why I decided to visit my sister in Shandaken. She moved here, about four weeks ago. I needed some space; some peace of mind. I’m currently by the Acheron River. I’m still stunned at its beauty. There’s greenery, everywhere I look. If I lie still, I might hear my own breath; that’s how peaceful it is. All I can hear is the ripple of the river, and the occasional bird chirping. It makes me wish I had visited it with you.
Last night, Emily invited her friend Jill over. She’s a very good violinist. We played music for hours. We also played the song I dedicated to you, when you left this world. “Dust in the wind.” For some reason, I didn’t cry, even though I can’t fight back the tears when I strum it on my guitar alone. I don’t know why that happened. Maybe I was too tired from the drive. Shandaken is 2.5 hours away from New York. Perhaps I cried too much at the service. Maybe I’ve shed so many tears this past year that I just ran out. Right after we finished playing ‘Dust in the wind’, some tall blonde showed up. I’m not going to hide it from you. I liked her a lot. That blue in her eyes reminded me of yours. Her name is Melissa. She had some nice comments about our music. I could tell she wanted to get friendly. But, this is where I lost it. I was rude to her, and sent her away. Why? Because: you’re still alive in my heart. Part of me thinks this is all just a bad joke, and that, someday, you’re going to walk through my door, smile at me, hold me and kiss me, like you used to. I miss you, baby. Every day without you feels like torture. I see you in my dreams every night. In the morning, I wake up to a nightmare;, the nightmare that my life has become without you.”
At that point, a strange noise forced him to put his pen down on his knee. A mere glance at the opposite shore tightened the back of his neck. A massive, light-gray wolf was staring right into his eyes, raising her upper lip in a petrifying grimace, as its snarls sent slivers of fear slicing through him. Joe’s blood froze in his veins. The notebook slipped from his grasp, as the beast crouched down. But then, a yip filled the air, drawing the lupine’s attention. Another white wolf was close by, not more than twenty feet to the right of the gray. The gray wolf barked at Joe once, and then turned around. A wave of relief washed over him, as she began pacing towards the white wolf. Joe rose from his seat, unwilling to leave them out of his sight. The two of them started off towards the trees, and disappeared into the underbrush, leaving a terrified Joe gasping for breath.
Understanding that he could no longer stay there, he bent down and picked up his pen and notepad. The beasts were still too close for comfort. He had been lucky once; he would not risk another encounter with them. So, Joe shoved his things back into his backpack, eager to get back to the safety of his car. A sense of disappointment struck him as he laid his eyes on the tree above him. He had only been there a few minutes, and now, he had to flee. As much as he loved that place, though, he valued his life much more. With a heavy heart, he left the tree behind him, hoping that next time his writing would not be so violently interrupted.
All the same, just as he reached his car, Joe’s fear came back with a vengeance. Two, separate splashes in quick succession compelled him to stop. Whirling his head around, he spotted two, feminine figures in the water, only a few yards away from his spot. Almost immediately, the two women burst out into sweet, hearty laughter.
“Damn it.” He let out a fearful huff, tossing his backpack down on the ground, as he spun around. Rolling his fingers into fists, he exploded forward, and started to hurtle towards them, desperate to warn them about the impending danger. Every muscle in his body was flexing, and his heart was pounding like a drum as he closed the distance that separated him from them. To his surprise, the two girls ignored his heavy footfalls. One of them dove into the water, while the other preferred to gaze at the shore to her right. Joe looked furtively around him, slowing down, as the stranger emerged. The emptiness set his heart at ease; yet, as he settled his gaze down on the girl, he realized that his troubles were far from over. He recognized her long, blonde hair at once. Her sky-blue eyes and her full lips were familiar to him. It was Melissa Bradford, with a stiff look on her face, and a nasty glare that stripped away his desire to speak.
“Well, well, well…” irony dripped off her tongue, as she clenched her jaw… “if it ain’t “rudeness” personified. What the hell are you doing here? Why are you running? Is someone chasing you?”
“I…” Joe gasped, his chest heaving, as he bent double. “I saw two, huge wolves, not far from here.”
“And what, you thought we needed help?” Melissa spoke in a flat voice, narrowing her eyes at him. “You’d actually help out two girls from, how did you put it last night?” She asked, tapping her index finger on her jaw. “Oh, yeah; a hick town. By the way, don’t worry about the wolves. They passed us by, a couple of minutes ago. They don’t prey on healthy individuals.”
“Ok, I deserve that.” He admitted with a quick nod, bending back up. “I’m really sorry about last night. I was a jerk.”
“That’s a major understatement, mister,” Melissa protested. “I praised you, and all you did was turn around and insult me.”
“I can explain all that,” Joe assured, his voice lowering, as he pursed his lips. “Just not here. Not while you’re this mad at me. How about a drink tonight at the ‘Red Maple’? Say, 9pm?”
“That explanation had better be good,” she murmured, her face becoming less stiff, as a small smile formed on her face. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“So long,” Joe responded and tipped his head down in a polite gesture, somewhat relieved that Melissa had accepted to go out with him. Feeling grateful that she had given him a second chance, he hoped that his narrative would clarify to her why he had been so terrible to her the night before. If anything, the young blonde seemed like a decent woman who deserved to be treated with respect. Joe strolled out of the site that had mesmerized him that day, wondering if he could give her more than that.