Wyoming Nights (6 page)

T
he quietness of the Monday morning settled around her ankles like an oversized furry cat, bringing warmth and a different kind of comfort.  A nice warm cup of tea in hand, she walked around each room of the house, mentally cataloging what she wanted to keep, sell or to give away.  Much of the items from this life she planned to leave behind because many of the items were not of her choosing.

It had never occurred to her that she didn’t decorate her own home. There were no little touches in any room that brought back fond memories of items she collected during her travels with George and the kids. As she stood in the entry way to the formal dining room, the cherry table which seated ten was picked by George. The family portrait that hung on the wall was scheduled by George who commissioned the artist.

“I don’t think I picked out a damned thing in this whole house,” she said aloud.

My closet
.

The cup which was now cool, she sat on the kitchen counter as she bounded the stairs by twos.  Her heart hammered against her chest as she opened the door of her closet to stare at her clothing.  Rows of suits, hangers of gowns, piles of sweaters and racks of shoes... “I didn’t pick any of this shit!”

Her hands moved quickly over the rack, sliding hangar after hanger to the right as she eyed the silk blouses, matching scarfs, and expensive fabrics. These clothes were all purchased for her by a stylist George had hired.  The house was decorated by a designer which too had been hired by George.

“I didn’t even pick my own china pattern!” she yelled out loud and dropped to the floor in the closet.

Her breathing was labored as rapid breaths came out of her mouth causing her to hyperventilate.

Get a grip. Get a grip.  Breath. Relax. Calm.

The doorbell rang forcing her off the floor and back down the stairs. Darlene reached for the handle and froze.  She looked down at herself and to her surprise she was fully dressed. Her hands flew to her hair.

I showered and got dressed this morning. I even combed my hair.

Through the side glass panels of the door she could see the definitive form of her brother Roosevelt.  Her heart skipped a beat as she disarmed the security system and flung open the front door.  She was genuinely happy to see him.

“Rosie!  This is a surprise!” she exclaimed as she hurled herself into his arms.

Seeing his little sister out of bed, dressed and with color in her cheeks was a surprise to him as well. Roosevelt Hill was not a large man.  He stood only at 5’9, but was all muscle, attitude and purpose.  As Sheriff in Venture, Georgia, he ensured that the town was crime free and the citizens felt safe. Darlene often felt the same way around him. 

“You must have been mighty worried to drive all the way from the bottom of Georgia to come up here and see about me,” she said as she ushered him into the house.

“I have called several times these past weekends and got the answering machine so I was worried,” he told her as he gave her a brief hug.

“Yeah, I have been getting out of the house a bit here lately,” she said coyly.

“It seems like you have been gone every weekend.  What have you been doing if I might ask,” he wanted to know.

“I have been shopping,” she said to him.  Her eyes said so much more.

“I know you well Sis.  Were you shopping for something in particular?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.  His eyes grazed over the inside of the house.  Nothing had changed in the last four years in any room. However, something had changed in Darlene.

“Yes, I spent the past 4 weekends husband shopping,” she told him with pride.

“Excuse me...what?” he asked with his brown eyes boring into her.

“Believe it or not, I actually found one,” she said as she pulled some eggs from the fridge. This was followed by some heavy cream, chives, cheese, and bits of ham.  “His name is Daniel Wilstrom, he is a park ranger out in Wyoming, at the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and Thunder Basin Grasslands.  He built a cabin out there and I swear Roosevelt, it has the most beautiful backdrop of natural beauty I have ever seen in my life.  He wants to open a country store that will sell his furniture.  Honestly, I am thinking that maybe I can make some soaps, jams, and even a quilt or two to sell in the store.” 

It all came out in one run on sentence as she told him of her plans.  Roosevelt said nothing as he watched her move about the kitchen, cooking like she used to when they were younger. As many times as he had been in this house, he could not recall her ever cooking; not even during the holidays.  The kitchen was always full of hired staff that cooked and served up the food.  When it wasn’t the holiday season, there was still a maid and a cook at the house. She whipped the eggs in a metal bowl and poured it in a hot omelet pan. Seeing Darlene cooking for herself was almost a welcome change.

“Wyoming?  How did you meet this man...I mean what do you know about him...when is the wedding?”  He blurted out the questions.

“We have not set a date yet, there are some fine details to iron out, but Rosie, I know you are going to like him,” she said as flipped the omelet in the pan.

Roosevelt sat quietly watching her body language.  Truth was he didn’t like the last husband he walked her down the aisle and handed her over to, but George had given her a good life. 

“Darlene, if that is what you want I am happy for you.  However,” he said with a pause. “I would like to meet the man first.”

“Of course.  I want both you and James to meet him,” she told him as she plated up their breakfast.

“Thank you,” he mumbled. “You still haven’t told me how you met this Daniel Wilstrom.”

Darlene was grinning from ear to ear when she responded. “I found him online at a hotbabe4u.com,” she said laughing.

Roosevelt’s eyes were wide. “You are kidding with me ...”

“Yeah, actually Krysten found Daniel and three others for me online.  I spent the past 4 weekends traveling to meet them, so I went shopping.”

“That is unsafe!”  Was the first thing he yelled.  “You traveled to meet strange men you met online without me or James knowing where you were!  What if something happened to you!  Have you lost your mind?”

She hit him on the arm. “Calm down.  Krysten was with me each of the trips. Really Roosevelt, I am not twelve anymore.”

Roosevelt shook his head, “I know, but you are so...”

“So what? Vulnerable?  Negro please.  I have castrated more companies and men who thought they were tough shit just with the use of my pen.  If you think some man is going to overpower me you are mistaken.”

He was up and standing over her in less than 3 seconds.  It only took her two to bring him down to his knees with a few skillful moves he had taught her as a young girl.  She knew the moves, had practiced them and was showing him her mastery.  Darlene bent her head to his ear. “I am a certified bad ass Rosie.  I am also ready to get back to living.  I can have something powerful with Daniel.  I feel it, and it can be... a different life for me. ”

She let him up from the floor and off his knees.

“James and I want to meet this man, look in his eyes and shake his hand before you walk down any aisle or go to any courthouse.  Do you understand?”

Darlene burst out laughing. “And if I don’t, are you going to spank me?”

“I am serious. Things have changed in the 26 years you were married.  Men have changed,” he told her.

“Yes, they have, but a good man is still out there.  I found one in Daniel,” she told him.  The duskiness in her life was over.  She had forgiven herself for being so blind about George, she was going to walk into the dawn with Daniel with her eyes wide open.

She kissed Roosevelt on the cheek.  “You set a good example.  I have not misread what I see and felt within Daniel. I am excited to start a new life – a new life with him.”

––––––––

T
hump. Thump. Thump. 

Darlene’s footfall were heavy on the treadmill as she tried to make it through the second mile of her morning run. It had been two weeks since her brother’s visit and another thirty minutes before her morning call with Daniel.  The more she talked to him the more she liked the idea of sharing a life with the large man. Moreover, she loved sharing a vision with him to build something together.

Balance.

A life with Daniel would have balance.

The ringing of her cell phone brought the painful run to a blessed end. She hopped off the machine as if Santa had pulled up to her front door riding Blitzen. Phone in hand, she ran the pad of her index finger across the screen.  She hoped it was Daniel but instead it was Krysten.

“Gurl!” she yelled into the phone, “How long you gonna wait before you give that big hunk of yummy man some of that dusty Darlene?”

Darlene lowered the phone to stare at the screen.  She put it back to her ear, “Why am I friends with you again?  I keep asking myself that same question and I still don’t have a logical answer.”

“Because I am cute and Mama takes care of you. So...tell me,” Krysten urged.

“Tell you what?”

“How long you going to hold out before you mount that big strong stallion and ride him until your hip gives out?”

“If this is your idea of girl talk, it is not working for me,” Darlene told her.

“I am the closest thing you have to a sister...hey, speaking of sister, has Daniel told you he has six of them?”

He hadn’t spoken of them in any detail.  They hadn’t gotten that far in any conversation yet. Thus far, she was so damned happy to have someone else to talk to other than her brothers and Krysten, they hadn’t tackled the personal stuff of who was oldest or anything like that. She relaxed and cut herself some slack.  It had only been two weeks since they met in person.

“Krysten, everything was in the file you gave me. Of course I know he has six sisters,” she told her.

“Gurl, I’mma need you to find out which one is gay or bi before the wedding,” Krysten said in a rush.

“I think something is really wrong with you Krys.”

“Yes it is.  I have not had any since that hot little red head in Nawlins.  I swear, what that young thang did to me, I thought it would at least hold me for six months, but c’est la vie! I am hornier than ever,” she said in a huff.  “When is this wedding any way...I need to know how long it is going to be before a sister can get some loving?”

“My wedding is not a source for you hooking up with new victims,” Darlene said adamantly.

“Why not?  Your last wedding I had to get a new Rolodex.  There was so many bi-curious women there, I had to make a planning calendar.”

Darlene could not help but laugh. “I am trying so hard to understand how you can believe that one of his sisters is gay,” she responded.

“Six girls...yeah, one of them or a cousin is ready to try something new, step out and get some strange, and Krysten is going to be handing out the punch and finger sammiches if you know what I mean.”

“Sadly, I do,” she drolly told her friend.

“So, when is the wedding,” she asked.

“In a couple of months, or so.  I need to sell the house, get rid of the stuff in it, peddle the other car and plan to drive across country,” she said.

“Let Daniel help you with all that stuff,” Krysten advised.

That was the last thing Darlene wanted.  George took care of all the details for her and look what that got her
.  Nope. This go around, I am getting my hands dirty and getting in on the action
.

“I got it.  I will talk to you soon,” she told her as she hung up the phone.

It was less than three minutes later when it rang again but this time it was Daniel.

“Hey there Park Ranger,” she said in the line. Since hearing Cassandra use the line, Darlene had adopted it into her vernacular with him during their conversations.

“I want to see you,” he said to her.  Just like that.  Nothing more. Five words and her palms were sweating and other parts were starting to hum.

“Well, you know where I am,” she told him jokingly.

Daniel had been getting antsy.  He was afraid she would change her mind about marrying him.  He was a hands-on type of guy and he needed to be a little more hands on with her. “I will be there on Friday.  Can you tell me a decent hotel that’s nearby?”

“Hotel?  I wouldn’t hear of it.  I have plenty of room, you can stay with me.  Besides, I’m going to be staying with you pretty soon,” she said.

There was silence in the line.

“Daniel?”

“I’m here,” he said.

She paused for a moment, taking into consideration all of the details he made a point of emphasizing about living in Wyoming.  He had been careful not to be too personal.

“I’m not going to change my mind Daniel.  I am ready for a new life with you,” she told him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I am hoping after this weekend we can set a date,” he said softly.

“I need to sell the house and a vehicle, but it shouldn’t take too long.  After that I am all yours,” she told him.

“All mine?”

“All yours...” she told him after a slight pause to change the topic. She was suddenly feeling warm.  “What time and what airline?”

He loved how she cut to the chase. “United, 10:30 am, is that going to be a problem for you with your job?”

“I am not working, but more than likely, my brothers will be here and they will want to meet you.  Are you ready for that?”

He chuckled a bit. “Are you ready to meet my six sisters, who by the way, want to plan the wedding.  I guess they are happy someone is finally marrying me,” he told her.

“I am okay with the courthouse. I had the big wedding once, and it is over-rated.  I would like something more intimate,” she said softly. It was his opening to make a play on the words she used.

Daniel wanted something more intimate as well.  Since he held her in his arms, it was all he could think about; holding her again. Kissing her again, hopefully something more.

“I will let them know.  If you want, I can give Iris, that’s my oldest sister, your number,” he told her.

Darlene was disappointed that he didn’t have a snappy comeback to the intimate comment. Instead he went one better. The octaves in his voice were lowered when he said the next eight words which made her want to dance.

“I can’t wait to make you my wife,” his words were sensual. They were also loaded with something more than the formalization of a union on paper and the ceremonial gathering in a room full of family and friends. 

“I will see you on Friday,” she told him as they said goodbye and she hung up the phone.  She fell back on the bed clutching the cell to her breast as if she were holding his last breaths in her fists. Darlene felt young again.

I feel wanted.

He needs me.

“Thank you Jesus!” In retrospection, missing this type of feeling when she dated George was like an after light. Darlene was no longer afraid of the sun setting. The dark of night was not an issue for her anymore.  Her mornings were going to be much brighter.