The Cabin at Joseph's Pond

A Car on the Dirt Road to the Cabin at Joseph's Pond

Women had been lost to him. After Jan... after his wife had died, the way she did, Russell had given up on ever finding love again. It had hurt too bad to lose someone he loved so dearly.  Sure, he still had urges like every other man in the world, but despair and loneliness was affected more than his mind and, although the man in him was willing, his body would not cooperate. The few times after Janet's death he'd tried with a woman it had ended disastrously with the woman trying to convince him all was okay and that it happened all the time. She would then promise to call before getting the hell out of dodge. Of course, the calls never came and he'd resigned himself to putting the gun in the holster forever. 

Until the day she arrived.

It had all been quite the happenstance. When the stars, or whatever the hell ruled the lives of men and women, align and threw two people together. Russell had been wasting the day away swing on the hammock, drinking his way through a twenty-four pack of Bud and enjoying the feeling of his brain turning to mush, when he heard the car tires on the dirt road leading to the cabin.  

Visitors?"

 The mere thought sparked terror in him. He had always feared people. Hateful, vile human beings that only sought to hurt  and destroy. This was how he viewed people. Now someone was at his doorstep and he couldn't help but wonder in what way this person was going to try to hurt him. 

He leapt from the hammock and hurried  into the cabin and retrieve his shotgun. By the time he got out back to the front door, she was out of the car and sashaying to the porch. Sashay was the only word that fit.  Her hips swayed from side to side in a hypnotic way. If there was a more beautiful woman in the world he had been blind to her.  She tossed her long, dark hair  over her shoulders and slide her sunglasses on top of her head. 

"Can I help you?" Russell said, putting the shotgun down and subconsciously smoothing his hair back.  

"Yes, hi," She said, her eyes shifting to the shotgun. "I don't mean to disturb you but I'm trying to find Logan's Cabin." She said holding out the map like a kid with a broken toy.  My GPS has gone dyslexic." She smiled. It was a smile that could disarm any man and compelled him to return it.

"Logan's Cabin is on up the road a mile.  You could've rented a better cabin though," he grinned. "Logan's Cabin is a shithole."

The woman frowned briefly but that smile returned. "Well that's terrible news because I just bought the place."

"Oh my god," Russell said going white. "I didn't mean... I was just joking."

The woman giggled. "No worries, I plan on rehabbing the place.  No feelings hurt."

Russell ran his fingers through his hair. "Sorry,  that was my take on flirting going bad."

She giggled and it was contagious and Russell joined in. 

"Would you...would you care for a drink?" He asked

She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at the Jeep. 

"Don't worry, I am not a serial killer.  I promise."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "What are we drinking?"

Russell threw his hands in the air. "Beer of course."