Yesterday morning I was sitting on the beloved back deck working on my tan. It was beautiful, warm and sunny. Then it was noon, time for the Bored meeting which was sunshine with an ocean breeze as girls in bikinis made their way up and down the sidewalk. It was shaping up to be a glorious day!
Then I took Goddess for a walk and we made it to the marsh and the Lighthouse and watched these purple clouds rolling in from the west. Moisture hit my face and I grabbed the leash and we raced back to the house barley making it before the hail came. Hail?
“What the hell?” but there is was pelting the beloved back deck, filling up Goddess’ water bowl and knocking the petals off of the flowers. In about a minute the entire deck was covered with white balls of ice.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon the temperature dropped. I didn’t like this one bit! Surely the world is coming to an end! I started getting worried about the people that I love and grew contemplative and suspicious. Sitting at the kitchen table I turned on the computer and finally hooked up with my friend whom I love and we talked until late in the night. The first part of the conversation was slow and guarded but then we busted through those things as friends who love each other do. Then we shared and I found myself excited about tomorrow and the future. So I rubbed Goddess’ belly and fell into bed.
The windows have been open for days and though it was cool inside it was that good snuggle weather under the covers kind of night. I like sleeping when it’s like this and was immediately having wonderful dreams of girls with Mona Lisa smiles and laughter that is contagious.
The next thing that I knew … all of hell was breaking loose! Somebody was pouring the ocean over the top of my house. I bolted into a sitting position and looked out of the seven windows that I can see from the bed and the house was obviously under a waterfall somewhere.
I prayed a simple prayer.
“Jesus Christ!” I said out loud.
It was pitch black! The alarm clock that projects on the ceiling had been taken out by an act of God … or Georgia Power. Either way it was gone; as were the other things that project something into the darkness to give just enough light so that I know where I am. I couldn’t hear myself think, much less if Jesus Christ would have heard me when I called out his name.
So I got up to shut the windows and immediately tripped over Goddess who was half under the bed and half out.
Then I yelled out a noun followed by a verb followed by a pronoun (though the verb and the pronoun are normally written as one word or sometimes it is a noun/verb combination followed by a pronoun).
Then I had to pee in the dark. Darker than dark actually! My friend Angela keeps referring to this Sabbatical as me spending time in a cave. I found the cave last night. It is my bathroom! So I felt around until I found the toilet and then had to make one of the most important decisions of life in the dark … sit down or stand up?
Of course I tripped over Goddess again on the way back to the bed. She obviously has no trouble seeing in the dark and was flat on her back with her paws up in the air wanting a belly rub. Now I am a lover of certain bellies and Goddess’ has one of those … though underneath a waterfall, in pitch black darkness, with a Monsoon going on outside is not the best of places to give one.
So I tripped over Goddess and literally fell back into bed. Sitting up observing the Apocalypse that was obviously taking place, I started to laugh. Then Goddess decided that she was over belly rubs and had moved on to butt rubs. She slammed her body into the side of the bed! Again and again and again! She was not going to be denied. Even in pitch dark, monsoon waterfalls outside of the windows and thunder and lightning decided to show up as if on cue.
So I fell back into the bed with my arm sticking out in the dark rubbing Goddess’ butt. I found myself smiling a Mona Lisa smile. I love this house. I love this island. I love my friends who have taken care of me through dark places. I love … for the first time in years … I mostly love!
Then Goddess turned around and licked my hand in the dark. And I fell asleep again, dreaming good dreams about things to come.
