Eilise, God, And The Witches [Fake Tattoos #2]

The Long Walk

Eilise woke to the sound of knocking at the door. It was still early, far too early given the intensity of her hangover. Chuck and Jill had long since left the pullout bed and returned to their own bedroom. Since she was sleeping in the living room, she would have to get up either way. She threw on her robe and answered the door.

It was Bobby. He was smiling and holding a paper tray full of coffees in Styrofoam cups. Eilise's eyes ached at the morning sunlight.

"Morning!" Bobby said cheerfully. "I brought coffee."

"I see that," said Eilise, "is there something going on today? I wasn't expecting any company."

"Oh, well... I was hoping I could talk you into going on a hike with me. I figured since it was so nice out today, I would make the most of it."

Eilise noticed that in addition to the coffee, Bobby had two larger backpack on the landing. Eilise liked Bobby, and she did want to get to know him better, she just wished the opportunity had come later in the day. But she was up now, so why not. She took the tray of coffee from him.

"Okay," she said, "I can do that. Give me a second to get dressed."

She shut the door, with Bobby still outside. She folded up the pullout bed back into the couch and put on jeans and a tee shirt. She grabbed one of the coffees along with her pack of cigarettes and stepped out onto the landing.

"Um... You mind if I get one of those coffees?" Bobby asked with a smile.

"Oh! Sorry, of course!" Eilise went back in and grabbed one of the coffees. She handed it to Bobby, then lit up her smoke.

"So I guess Chuck and Jill aren't up yet?" Booby asked.

"Oh no, they won't be up for a while. We had a bit of a party last night." Everyone in town was so open and honest with each other, but Eilise felt it was best to leave out the details of her sexual escapades the night before. She didn't think Bobby would think less of her for it, but, she had her own reservations about the situation and she was still trying to process what God had said.

"What happened to your hand?" Bobby said pointing to her bandage.

"Oh..." Eilise said, "Icicle. Fell off the roof."

Bobby looked up.

"Well, looks like they're all gone now," he said.

Eilise sipped the coffee. It was the same coffee she had been drinking for a month now, from Zelda's Dinner. Today, it tasted extra bitter. She was starting to wish she had showered and brushed her teeth, but she didn't want to leave Bobby waiting for too long.

"So..." Eilise said. "Hiking? What's that about?"

"It's just something I like to do in the winter, when there aren't a bunch of people around. Kind of like a tradition."

"Traditions are good," Eilise said.

"Yes they are," said Bobby.

Eilise looked at the door to the apartment. She wasn't looking at the door though, she was looking back on the night before. She was looking back on what God had said to her. Perhaps this was just what she needed.

Bobby and Eilise made their way though the woods. The backpack was particularly heavy. She wasn't sure if it was from the contents of the bag or if she was just weakened from the night before.

"What's in this thing? Lead?" She asked.

"Something like that," said Bobby.

The snow was melted, but trail was wet. With the heavy pack, it was hard to keep her balance and hard to keep up with Bobby. Even though, he would occasionally stop to let her catch up, she couldn't help but feel like he was driving her, testing her. After marching for almost two hours, they finally came to a stop, deep in the woods.