Start To Begin Again

Piece Nine.

I blinked twice as Warren gave me a once over and shook his head. The wind had a bite and I shivered when it hit me.

“Get in the car,” He said tipping his head to the car. I nodded simply and walked back towards the Jeep. I bit my lip to stop my self from crying out when my feet hit frozen snow. The snow never stayed fluffy for long here.

I stopped and looked back at Warren who was already walking back to the Jeep himself. He gave me another look and I pressed forward. I pulled the old door open and heard it creak slightly as I pulled myself in and slammed it shut. I looked back at Warren who had stopped for a moment to stare out over the tree tops.

I turned the heat up and pulled a blanket off the top of the seat. It smelled like dog but it was faint so it didn’t bother my nose much. I kept quiet as he walked back to the car. He had a look on face the mimicked my father’s. Set in stone so you can’t tell what they’re thinking.

Warren was my grandfather’s brother’s son. His father was considered to be the black sheep of the family but when I was younger and asked why they’d just laugh and say it was just a family joke. When I got older I learned it wasn’t a family joke.

My great-uncle wasn’t as clean as the rest of the family. A drunk by fifteen, got Warren’s mom pregnant at seventeen and left before she could say ‘and you’re the father.’ We don’t talk about him mostly because we respected Warren and his mom to much. She ended up getting married to a Canadian and lived in Toronto now.

Warren had lived in Wales till I was seventeen then moved here to help out and ended up running the only motel and diner in town. He shared the business with his wife.

I was taken out of my thoughts by the car door slamming and the engine revving. He gave me a look as I sat wrapped in the dog blanket and knees brought up to my chin. He rubbed my shoulder and smiled.

“You’ll be alright,” He said giving me a shake. He was big man, his hands twice the size of my own. He wasn’t fat; he was just able to carry his own wife up the stairs without breaking a sweat. Which he had done once to prove a point to my father.

“How could they…” I trailed off. He sighed and took his hand away from my shoulder.

“How about you stay in a free room at the motel, take a hot bath and I’ll bring you an early lunch?” I nodded. He smiled again before starting down on the uneven, unplowed road.

“What were you even doing out here?” I asked as he shifted gears

“I heard you came in last night and thought I’d see my favorite niece,”

“I’m your cousin,” I said softly.

“Don’t get all college on me, missy. You’ve been calling me Uncle Warren since day one. Don’t think just because you have one foot in the ground, you can change your routine.” I rolled my eyes, “And I knew you’d figure it out before they’d have a chance to tell ya,” he said egging on his accent.

I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He sighed and gave me a slight nudge with it. I gave him a tiny nudge in the side with my elbow. I moved my hand out from under the blanket and turned on the radio. As usual it was the weather station and I fell asleep to the monotone voice of the newscaster.

I giggled as I ran into the barn and slid before landing on my butt. I could hear footsteps coming after me. I got up and ran even faster but the footsteps were coming from the direction I was heading.

When I turned around to see that no one was behind me I was snatched up into the air and screamed. My mother let out a laugh as she came up behind my father, her hair as red as it could be and her freckles dotting her face.

My father patted my butt and started walking back to the house.

“Down!” I screamed but I wasn’t let go, I just got swatted again. I let out a huff as my father threw me over his shoulder and he laughed as I hit his back with my little fists.

“Charles put her down,” my mother laughed. I reached my arms out to her and she picked me took me out of his arms.

“I win!” I screamed again. My mother flinched as my father stared at us.

“You spoil her,” He said simply. My mother looked at him in disbelief.

“You gave her a horse for her birthday,” My mother scoffed. He smiled and threw his arm around both of us, “But I’ll get to spoil the next one,” she smiled rubbing her stomach,

My mom never did have that baby instead she landed in the hospital a few days later. A fall from her horse. None of her later pregnancies would turn out to be successful. That’s why I was angry…and worried.

“Linette,” I opened my eyes and wiped my mouth. I had drooled. My uncle made a play at a disgusted face but ended up chuckling.

“Hey sweetie,” Carol said slipping her head through the window, “Here some shoes to get to the room,” She said passing over a pair of sneakers. I smiled and took them.

“They told her,” She asked my uncle as I put on the old shoes. I tuned out the conversation between them and got out of the car. I walked to the motel reception and grabbed one of the keys.

The motel was usually empty unless it was hunting season or unless people just wanted to wander around. Surprisingly a lot of people did. The town had quietness about and people were nice to the tourist. We were also one of the towns that didn’t mine or have lumber. We were on the map and you pretty much had to drive through here if you went any where in our county.

“Net, Hun? Do you want anything special, eggs, French toast or just a sandwich?” She asked as I opened the Room Three’s door.

“Surprise me,” I said as cheerfully as I could. She smiled at my effort and brushed my hair out of my face.

“Okay,” She gave my cheek a kiss, “I’ll get some spare clothes and put them on the bed.” She added before walking away.

My aunt Carol was originally from Hawaii. I never did understand how my uncle met her but like my parents they had met, Fell in love and got married soon after. Unlike my parents they waited a year. My parents married within two weeks of first laying eyes on each other and had been married for almost twenty-seven years.

They met at twenty when my Dad was doing one of his first horse buying consultation for a client in Chicago. He had just arrived went to buy a paper and a bottle of water. My mother had been working behind the register. He saw a small girl who looked like she needed to eat some more and she saw a guy who needed to laugh some more by the end of the week she was packed. I came three years later.

My grandparents had meet in almost the same way except they met while at college in Ireland. My grandfather had been raised by his mother in Wales but his father live in Montana, he was too much in love with the area to leave. So my great-grandparents lived apart but eventually my great-grandmother moved back to the states. They had met on the reservation and got married young.

My grandma was reservation girl too and had never left the state and she said if she did she would never come back. Those words came back to bite her in the ass. She ended up marrying a boy two towns over from where she was born but she won in the end. My grandparents lived in Wales still to this day.

My whole family had a curse or a blessing. Finding someone to love forever very young. I had tiny pang in my heart. I thought Zacky was that for me. My family joked that I was the oldest one not to be married. I closed my eyes and thought to myself. If something is meant to be it will be. I can’t will fate.

I toed off my shoes and was ready to start the tub but there was a knock on the door. I let out a tiny groan. I had a feeling of who it was on the other side of the door.

I walked across the shag carpet and turned the tiny handle. Instead of Brown eyes meeting mine, it was two shiny emeralds and a small smile that met my own shocked look.