Admiring the turkeys, she said “Something about wild turkeys is almost out of place, like they belonged in some tropical far-away land, like the hummingbirds.” Claire smiled dreamily, looking at the metallic sheen coming off the feathers of the birds as they marched purposefully out of sight and into the brush. Pushing fifty, she approached middle age well, her un-dyed red hair having a few small streaks of gray, and the few lines and crow’s feet along her face showing maturity but not aging. Her sweater and jeans accommodated a thick yet toned and strong body with unassuming grace.
Harry himself had lost interest in playing sports between high school and his last years in college, but he was still lean and fairly muscular – something he was proud of when contrasted to his slightly older cousin who seemed to go from skinny to paunchy over the course of half a decade. Whereas his cousin was morose and eccentric, Harry was well-liked and popular, with a new girlfriend every few months. His current dry spell was unusual, perhaps meeting women in the real world was different from parties and dating in college, or maybe he just needed a break to focus on work and getting his life in order.
“Let’s cut up to this ridge over here, I’ve always liked the view there…”
“So did..” Claire spoke, her words interrupted by a jumped herd of deer, all does. The deer made their way up the ridge straight ahead of them, and when she stumbled a bit over a wet mossy log and fell into a clump of ferns, her son dutifully helped her up and walked on.
Upon reaching the top and looking down onto the fields below, Claire caught her breath and repeated, “I’m so happy you took this time off to visit, it’s getting more quiet and lonely with each day. Nobody to go walking with for one thing.”
“Come on, mom, uncle Frank is right down the road, your friend Mary comes by to talk your ear off more than you can take, and you’re busy with work…”
“I know, but it’s not the same. I guess, well…I don’t know what’s important to me now, with your father gone for more than ten years, and now you’re a few years out of college but just as far away now as before.”
“You know I’ll visit, like I am now. Philly isn’t that far away, and I have a flexible schedule. After all, how can I leave all this behind…my home, you, where I grew up. Even this. I love these woods, lots of fun and fond memories.”
“Even more for me – I’ve had more time for it to grow on me!”
Meanwhile, fall and summer were having their last wrestling match, where the warm, humid air of end summer was getting pushed back by a sudden strong cold front. The moist, stagnant air in the mid 70’s was going back and forth with air gusts that were at least 20 degrees colder, as the sky grew steadily grayer and darker. The forecast had in fact been accurate.
“Do you think we should head back, Harry?”
“Don’t worry, just a breeze, let’s head on…”
As Harry and Claire hiked on, the wind gusts picked up, stirring up fallen leaves in waves and spirals, and the forest seemed to realize that the front was serious. In the clearings, the butterflies and grasshoppers seemed to stop flying, and the calls of songbirds were nowhere to be heard. Then, after a calm pause, the sky opened up with a thunderclap, and the rain came down in torrents.