Who Knows What The Future Holds

The car swerved over the snow covered road. I made a small correction to the steering wheel and the tires regained traction. On the horizon I could see another storm blowing in. I only had a few more minutes till I reached my drive. I'll be snuggled inside the cabin before the storm breaks, I thought to myself. After pulling up my drive and securing the truck inside the garage, I made the trek up to the cabin. The drive was a private road on my property just off the county road. The cabin, a modernized log cabin with all the amenities of a regular house sat farther back from the road nestled in among the trees. It was a bit inconvenient having to always hike the quarter mile from the garage to the house, but when I was looking for a place, I didn't have much of a choice and was pressed for time. Louise wanted me out of our home as soon as possible. She was eager for the divorce to go through with a minimum of complications, and her lover was pressing her to move in. Money changes people. The windfall we received allowed us to drop our jobs, payoff all debts, our families debts and live more than comfortably together.

The funny thing about that was as we spent more time together, we wound up frustrated and bored with each other. We realized the jobs and other distractions, actually masked the fact that we were not a good fit. Well at least I found that out when I walked in to find Louise in the throes of passion with her lovers face between her legs. That was two years ago. We quickly divvied up our assets; I took two thirds since she was the one cheating, and left her the house. I never wanted to see that house after that incident anyways.

I needed to get away from everything. I went hermit and thought that secluding me out in the woods was penance for what I regarded as a failure on our part to work things out and live forever together in wedlock. I wallowed in my self pity for months until I finally started to go stir crazy. Finally I took a shower, shaved, and started thinking about what I would do with the rest of my life. Being in my thirties, I still felt like I was twenty five although there tended to be a few more aches and pains in my joints and muscles.

I did what every rich bored person does, I started a consulting firm. That kept me busy both body and mind, and after a time, the pain and hurt from what Louise did, and what I "allowed" to have happened, disappeared.

I stomped my feet to clear the snow from my boots as I reached the front door. Opening it, I entered the mudroom and changed out of my snow clothes and let the dog out to do her business as I put away the groceries. She was very excited and seemed to be pretty vocal, barking and whining away outside. I hadn't really heard that tone from her before, and I glanced out the window to see what the commotion was about. Maybe a raccoon or something, I thought.

I followed the sightline from where Bessie was barking at, and my blood ran cold. Just a few feet from Bessie was a figure collapsed in the snow lying face down. I hadn't noticed it when I had come in, but now I quickly raced to the front door hoping that I wasn't too late.

It was cold out without my jacket. I trudged through the knee deep snow to get to the figure. The storm was almost upon us, as the first drops of snow started to flicker down from the sky and the wind started to pick up. Bessie was still whining as I reached the figure. I grabbed him and turned him over in the snow to bring his face up. The face which appeared from under the hood of the soaked and frozen sweatshirt was a light twinge of blue. Jeez, I thought, this is the wrong type of clothing for weather like this. Working quickly as the wind bit into me with another gust, I tried to revive him to see if he would respond. At this point I was concerned with the storm coming that there might be others stuck out here with the same type of clothing. If there were, I needed to find them fast.

I heard a moan. He was alive at least! "Hey," I said. "How many others are there?" I repeated it again, as I worked him out of the snow. "How many others?" I repeated. I heard a groan and a mumble of "none" from him. Satisfied and assured, I dragged him back inside. Bessie didn't help much with carrying him, but she had done her job in alerting me.

I worked quickly as I laid the small man on the floor in front of the fireplace. First thing was to get those clothes off. The sweatshirt hoodie wasn't the only inappropriate clothing he had worn out there. The blue jeans, with stylish rips and tears were soaked, stiff and frozen. The shoes were regular tennis shoes. I peeled off his clothing with no resistance from him, tossed them in a pile on the floor, then looked back to see he was wearing a bra. He, no it was a she. She was out. Her body blue. I tore the bra and panties off her, then grabbed the blanket off the couch and wrapped her in it and lifted her up to the couch. I moved quickly turning the heat up in the house and lighting a fire in the fireplace. Next I put a pot on to boil and went out to my bedroom and pulled out a pair of heavy flannel pajamas. They would be too large for her, but would be warm after they had gone through the dryer for a few minutes. As the dryer warmed the pj's I quickly changed out of my wet clothes into some dry ones and went back into the kitchen to make some hot tea with the now boiling water. I went through the cabinets and pulled down a hearty canned stew that I opened up into a pot on the stove and turned the burner onto low. I brought a tall cup of tea, the now warmed pj's and some extra blankets back into the living room, which had gotten quite warm with the fire, now blazing and the heater blowing. Pulling the blanket off her, I dressed her quickly in the warm pj's, and rewrapped her in some heavy blankets. I moved the couch closer to the fireplace so the heat from the open flames would reach her. Her hair was wet and I grabbed a towel and dried it as best I could. Dirty blond, I noticed and greasy. I looked at her face, trying to recognize her. Was she one of the locals that I might have seen in town? She didn't look familiar. She wasn't old, late teens I would guess, senior or just out of high school perhaps.

I pulled her upright and started nursing the hot tea into her mouth. The outside had been taken care of, now I focused on getting her temperature up from the inside. She drank a few sips, shivering as it went down her. That was a good sign. She was getting more responsive. She kept fading in and out of consciousness as I sat with her, adding my body warmth and mass to hers trying to get her warm. The storm was in full fury as the cabin got buffeted by the winds and snow. I wasn't worried. The cabin was a modern built cabin, structurally sound, and fully insulated. I had sat out many storms since moving here and aside from the noise from the wind, the storm raging outside had no effect on the two of us inside. Make that three of us now, Bessie, myself and our little traveler.

Eventually I fed her some of the stew, left the rest on the stove, and nursed her through the night. I was dead tired when the clock chimed five in the morning. I had been working a long contract a few hours away, burning though fourteen hour days as I helped get the company back on track for the last two weeks. I had barely made it home with no rest when this incident happened. The adrenaline had worn off many hours before, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving her until she showed some sign of improvement. She had been sleeping for the last hour, no more interruptions, and I finally couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I decided to go to my bed and catch some sleep. She would be confused enough when she finally woke up in the cabin, if she discovered a strange man passed out next to her and she wearing his pajamas, I'm sure that would have caused some more stress and shock.

I slept for a few hours, grateful for the rest, but I was still nervous as to her condition. I had questions for her as well. It was Bessie that nudged me awake. She needed to go out and the snow had piled high enough that it blocked her doggie door. I pulled myself out of bed, happy for the excuse to get up and check on my traveler. I stumbled to the back door and opened it, using the small snow shovel to clear some room for Bessie to enter and exit the doggie door. Gladly, she leapt out into the high snow, to disappear and go about her business. Shivering I closed the door, satisfied that she could re-enter through the doggie door, or at the very least she could bark and let me know that she wanted in. She was never shy about that.

I popped my head into the living room to check on the girl. She was still laid out on the couch, bundled up, asleep. The fire had died down and I quietly put a few more logs on the fire to build it back up. I then went back into the kitchen and made some coffee. I heard some rustling in the living room and noticed Bessie go in to investigate. I heard a croak, "Hi there." She said from the living room. I gave her a minute to get acquainted with Bessie then brought the coffee pot out with two mugs and cream and sugar.

She looked up at me as I entered the room. "How are you feeling?" I asked as I set the tray down on the coffee table next to her. I took a seat on the other couch, giving her space. There was a look of confusion that clouded her face for a moment, then looking at the coffee, she muttered, "Better, I'm still cold...I take it I have you to thank for saving me?" Her eyes stayed focused on the coffee, she made an effort not to look me in the face. I thought perhaps more than embarrassment, she felt shame.

"Actually," I said. "Bessie was the one who found you. I guess I can take credit for carrying you inside and getting you warm though." I smiled when she smiled, and continued petting Bessie. I offered her coffee and she drank it. After a time the inevitable question came up. "So," I started. I could see that she was dreading this moment as well. "Let's get this over with, you wanna tell me why I found you out there? You weren't even dressed for the snow."

She swallowed another sip of her coffee first.

"I wasn't planning on going for a walk dressed like that."

"That's good," I said. "At least I can rule out insanity and stupidity."

She didn't say anything, and I realized I would have to pry the information out of her.

"Do you live around here?"

She shook her head.

"Not from around here, then where are you from? We should probably let your parents know you're alright. They must be worried sick about you."

Her eyes teared up and she started blubbering and shaking. I struck a nerve. This was bad news. Then it all came out.

"They're dead. Both of them. My uncle was taking me back to Arizona where he lives when I left him and the car."

Uncle? The car? Was there someone else stuck out in the storm? I asked her, concerned that if there was, it was probably too late.

"No," she managed to say through her tears.

"The car's fine, I left him and he drove away."

"Left him? He drove off?"

"He was only taking me because he was the only family I had after my mom died." She said. She had finished her coffee and I poured her another. She took a breath and continued.

"He attacked me." She whispered. "Tried to kiss me and do other things. I had fought him off the last night, but on the drive yesterday he stopped the car in the middle of no where and tried to kiss me again."

She was crying and shaking. Bessie nudged her hand in her lap, and the girl stroked the dog. Her voice cracked as she continued.

"He said that I was gonna get used to it. There was no place to hide when he got me back to his home. One bedroom, one bed. He started grabbing me and touching me, trying to pull me closer."

I sat silently, letting her get the story out.

"I jumped out of the car and ran. He called to me to come back. Even followed me in the car. I hopped the fence and headed through the field. He gave up, yelled out to me that I wasn't worth it. He said he didn't care what happened to me, as far as he was concerned I had no uncle. Then he drove off."

The last part was very hard for her to say. She took another gulp from the coffee, shivered and finished. "I don't know how long I walked, it got very cold. Then I saw a cabin and headed for it. The next thing I know, I'm here."

The cabin must have been my cabin.

I waited a moment, let her pull herself together.

"It's ok. We'll figure something out. You're safe here, for now."

She looked up into my face for a moment before turning away.

"Thank you for all you've done." She said quietly.

"You're welcome," I said. After a moment, I was eager to change the subject.

"Ok you have two choices," I stood up. She looked at me, unsure.

"You can take a hot bath now and warm up, and then eat some hot breakfast, or you can wait here for me to make some breakfast, eat, then take a hot bath."

She smiled, relieved that the choice she had to make wasn't as serious as I had led on.

"Bath, please." She replied.

I helped her off the couch and showed her the bathroom, gave her some extra towels and then excused myself to make some breakfast. I noticed that she locked the bathroom door as soon as I left.

Forty five minutes later she still was soaking. I had the eggs and sausage and toast all covered, trying to keep the food warm. My stomach growled as I patiently waited for her to be done. Finally she came back out, still in my pajamas, and my robe wrapped around her. She was clean, she looked warm, and a smile was on her face. The wet grease and grim had masked a very pretty little lady under there.

"Hungry?" I asked.

She nodded and we sat down at the kitchen table and ate. I got to know her a little better during breakfast as I found out that she had finished high school and had been focused on taking care of her mother who had been ill for several years, until just a few weeks ago she had passed away. Her father had died some years ago and shortly after that her mother had taken ill and never recovered. I finally realized that I didn't know her name, nor she mine, so after introducing myself as Jeff, I learned that her name was Jenny.

She was tired after the meal, still recovering, so I suggested she sleep in one of the spare bedrooms. I told her to take her pick when she asked which one, and she got up and checked all of them out. She noticed my bedroom which wasn't hard since it was "lived in" and decided to take the room next to mine.

"Get yourself comfortable", I said. "Until the storm blows through and the roads get cleared we're going be stuck here."

"How long will that be?" she asked.

I shrugged, "It could be a week or two."

Her eyes widened for a moment. "That long?" she asked.

I chuckled. "We're way out here in the boonies. There's no real rush for them to service these roads. If an emergency comes up we can always use the snowmobiles."

She nodded and went into the bedroom and closed the door. She locked it.

I busied myself while she slept. I tossed her clothes in the wash, tidied up the kitchen and went into my study to think. At least a week she would be stuck here, and I started thinking about what supplies I had for a young woman in my bachelor cabin. Women hadn't been on my mind since the divorce. Certainly I hadn't had a relationship with one since then, so there was no chance of any supplies, or spare leftover clothing.

So far the only thing I had for her was some oversized pajamas, and her one set of clothes. I picked up the phone and called the local clothing store in town. I got Madge on the phone, business was slow since most of the outlying roads were snowed in. I ran to the washing machine and got Jenny's clothing sizes and asked Madge to pick out some appropriate kit for a teenaged girl. I lied when she asked who was staying with me and said it was my niece who had come unprepared for the weather and had lost her luggage. Madge was nice enough to agree to gathering together a set of necessary items, both clothing and hygiene wise to last at least a week for me.

Satisfied and now wondering whether I would have enough time to hop on the snowmobile and make it to town and back before Jenny woke up. I decided to write a note and leave it on the kitchen table for her in case she woke up and went about getting dressed for the ride. There and back would take me about two and a half hours. I had done the trip a few times before, more out of boredom rather than necessity as I could be patient enough to wait out the weather on those other occasions. But now I found myself impatient and a little excited. I hadn't realized how much I missed company. Now that someone else was staying with me, I wanted to be a good host and provide a little.

The weather was bitter cold, and it took me longer to get to town and the store than I had estimated. The snow was exceptionally deep and I had a bit of trouble getting through a few of the drifts. I shook the snow off me and entered the deserted store and Madge came up to me surprised that I had gotten there so soon.

"My god, Jeff." She exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you until the storm had cleared.

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I guess I just wanted to get this stuff taken care of as quickly as possible."

She smiled and told me to have a seat. She had gathered few items, but now quickened the pace selecting more and more items. The pile grew and I started to worry whether I was going to be able to transport everything home on my snowmobile. Madge grabbed a few other items and then beckoned me over to pay. I spotted a teddy bear with a big heart on it and on the spur of the moment I grabbed it and tossed it on top of the pile. "She's had a rough time with her family," I told Madge. It was true. And I told myself that in the state that she was in, she might just like something that she can hug and hold in a strange cabin, with a strange man, in a strange bedroom all by herself.

With the gear paid, the two of us packaged everything up for the trip back. It looked like a number of presents, which I thought might be nice to see her open up. All packed and loaded, I thanked Madge and headed back to the cabin. With the snowmobile loaded down, it took even longer to make the return trip. I pulled the snowmobile right up to the front door, unloaded all the parcels into the mud room then drove the snowmobile back to the garage and hiked back to the cabin. I came in and heard Jenny in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to see her in front of the stove cooking a stew in a large pot. She was still dressed in my robe and pajamas.

"Hi," she said.

"You feeling better?" I asked.

She nodded then motioned to the pot. I got hungry and decided to treat us to a home cooked meal. It smelled good. I can cook when I have to, but it's the bare minimum and Jenny moved about the kitchen like she had had a lot of experience.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked.

She shooed me away, told me that I had done enough, and should sit down and relax while she prepared dinner. I smiled and went back to the mudroom and got all the packages and put them in the living room. She called to me that dinner was ready and we sat down to eat in the kitchen. She knew nothing about the clothes I had purchased for her, and I was enjoying the fact that I had a surprise for her.

The food was good, hearty, and warm. After being in the snow driving the snowmobile for four hours, it was good to get my temperature back up again.

"Come into the living room Jenny. I've got something for you." I said.

She put the dishes in the dishwasher and then followed me out to the living room and the pile of wrapped parcels.

"What's this?" she asked. She was excited and surprised at how many parcels there were.

I smiled. "Listen, due to the weather and the fact that you don't really have anywhere to go..."I looked at her then verified. "Right?"