A Second Life

Following his usual Saturday morning ritual at the café Zach made a slight detour to stop by the realtor's office to pick up his copy of the contract document. He noted the tenant in the agreement was listed as a business name -- Nightmoves Limited - and not a person. Thinking that this was not unusual for this day and age, he shook hands with the realtor, saying they should get together for a coffee sometime, then got on his quad bike again and headed home with Sam safely perched in his box on the back tray. He arrived just in time to see two large men carrying a couch out of the back of a removals truck in the cottage driveway and a third carrying a large armchair past the silver Audi hatch parked on front lawn as he negotiated the steps to the front door. Preferring to stay out of the way, Zach rode up his driveway to the top of the hill, and after tidying up his latest emails and filing the rental documents along with a few other papers he had lying on his desk, his thoughts drifted to Doug's words about moving on. He thought about removing the Annie's Dream sign at the bottom of the driveway, but couldn't bring himself to do it just yet -- at least not till he found a new person to grow old with. He had tried going out on a few dates, but each time his heart just wasn't in it. The sex with his dates had been average, and for the most part the relationships ended after only a handful of dates. Zach smiled as he thought the last time he 'dipped his wick' was over six months ago, then scratched the stubble on his jaw thinking that Annie's Dream was an awfully big house for someone living solo. He had better find someone soon.

Zach was idly toying with new design ideas for the interior of Annie's Dream as he rode the quad down the driveway with Sam in his usual place behind him. The plan for the next couple of hours was to head to the far end of the lake and ride along some of the trails through the woods with Sam trotting behind the quad. As he neared the bottom of his drive, level with the cottage, he caught sight of a shapely backside dressed in designer jeans sticking out from the open rear door of the Audi. As the rest of owner of the jeans slowly came into view revealing a slim body in a loose fitting T-shirt and slender arms wrapped around a large carton, a smile slowly grew on Zach's face. The familiar face of Julie Wellman could be seen above the carton. She smiled and tried to wave, but the carton prevented anything more than a quick move of one hand. Her smile grew as Zach removed his helmet and she recognised him as the same person from the café. She put the carton on the ground and came over to the low fence alongside Zach's driveway. "Fancy meeting you here! It's Zach, right?" she bubbled, leaning over the fence with her arms outstretched and inviting a hug.

Zach put his helmet on the quad's front carry tray, hopped off and wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug. "Hey there Julie! The realtor told me the cottage had a new tenant, but I would never have thought it might be you! I actually own it." Sam, curious about the nice smelling human his master was talking to, switched into protective mode and jumped off the quad, and then cautiously inserted himself between the two bodies.

Julie said "And who is this?", as she bent down to pat his head, but pulled her hand back when she heard a low growl. Zach immediately piped in, "No, don't pat him...not until he accepts you anyway. He's Sam. He's just protecting me." Then looking down at his faithful companion Zach gave a firm command, "Sam, no growling! Friend!" At those words, Sam visibly relaxed and moved so that he sat at his master's side, no longer between the two humans. Julie's only reaction to what she had just witnessed was open-mouthed amazement. She looked from dog to master, "I love dogs, but I have never seen anything like that. He must really love you." At that they both laughed.

Julie told Zach that she and Chelsea had been up to see the cottage several times over the last few weeks, and that after discounting a couple of other places in neighbouring towns, they decided that it would make a nice home for the two of them until they had saved up enough to buy a place of their own. They had not realised that he was the cottage's owner when they first met. At that point Chelsea suddenly appeared at the front door, simultaneously directing the movers on where to place the last of the unloaded furniture and boxes, and ending the conversation she was engaged in over her mobile phone. When she saw who her step-mother was talking to she beamed and ran over to say hello. A quick firm command from Zach to Sam kept the dog at his side. The two women excitedly talked over the top of each other, telling him all about how much they loved the cottage, and what they were going to do, how much they looked forward to living in the town, and how much they looked forward to having him as a neighbour. Zach politely nodded, then bade his farewells, saying he didn't want to take them away from their all the work they still had to do moving in, even though he knew the three burly moving company men had already done the bulk of the hard work. He promised to catch up with them later in the evening once they had everything unpacked and laid out everything.

After a quick shower to wash off the dirt from the afternoons ride through the woods, Zach dressed casually in clean jeans and a light polo top, and gave Sam a quick feed. He then picked a nice red and a white wine from his extensive cellar, and walked down the driveway to the cottage with Sam following a couple of paces behind. Zach walked up to the front door and knocked, but not before telling Sam to stay on the porch -- the dog quietly curled up in his familiar corner from his puppy days. The two women who stood at the open door looked nothing like the two that Zach was chatting to earlier in the day. They had showered and changed, and after a quick touch of makeup, had transformed into something he thought he would more likely see in a glossy women's fashion magazine. Gone were the sneakers, tight fitting jeans and T-shirt look, to be replaced by attractive designer blouses and three-quarter cotton trouser ensembles with expensive looking leather sandals. Even Sam lifted his head to take a look. Zach felt underdressed, and sheepishly said so, but the two beautiful auburn-haired women only laughed and grabbed him by both hands, pulling him into the house. While Chelsea took the wines through to the kitchen, Julie ushered him into the lounge and directed him to the couch he had seen unloaded earlier in the day. She informed him that he was to be their guest for dinner. After all, how else could they thank him for paying for their coffees and cakes at Mrs T's the first time they had met. Zach quickly looked around and, despite the few cartons still lying around, quietly nodded his approval of how quickly they had managed to transform what had been a typical man cave into a home befitting two beautiful women. There were now paintings on the walls in stead of photos from fishing trips, lace table cloths on side tables instead of beer coasters, and two attractive pot plants in place of the ugly old cactus Doug used to love.

The rest of the evening seemed to race past -- they chatted over wine accompanied by cheese and crackers, and talked some more over one of the tastiest homemade lasagnes Zach had ever eaten, and finished with tea and cookies while sitting on the porch. Zach sat on a comfortable outdoor armchair with Sam as ever at his feet between him and the ladies, who lazed with their feet up at either end a comfortable outdoor settee that was long enough to double as a bed. As evening became night, the talk got more serious. Chelsea asked about the significance of name of his house, and Zach told them about his life with Annie, and how events had brought him here. Julie asked him if he still missed Annie, to which he replied, "Only every day." In the moment of uncomfortable silence that followed, Sam slowly got to his feet and walked across the porch and lay down by the settee on top of the ladies' sandals. Zach informed the ladies that this was a good sign: Sam had just accepted them as part of his pack, but they still shouldn't pat him until he touched them first. After another short discussion on what it was like to live in Stanley Bay, where to shop for food, clothing, and other essentials, Zach used the excuse of Chelsea's quick yawn to thank them for a lovely evening, with a promise to reciprocate with an invite to coffee or a meal up the hill once they had settled in. After exchanging phone and mobile numbers, and a quick hug and peck on the cheek from both ladies, Zach and Sam hopped over the fence for the short walk back towards Annie's Dream.

Third Meeting

Zach hardly saw anything of Julie or Chelsea for a couple of weeks, except for an occasional quick wave or hello from the quad as he hurried off to town, or across the busy supermarket car park. A tight deadline for a new design project kept him busy in his office in order to meet the quick turnaround time, even to the point of missing his usual Friday swim and Saturday coffee the week after they moved in. However, the project was completed in time to celebrate with his swim session in the lake the following Friday. Julie was waiting with two coffees on the porch settee as he and Sam jogged back from the lake and drew level with the cottage. He could see she had probably been up just long enough to brush her hair, and throw on a simple baggy track suit before making the coffee. But even like that she looked stunning in the early morning sunlight. He stopped and climbed over the low fence as she waved him over and held out the steaming brew. As he sat on the armchair they chatted about the swim, his work, and his hobbies. Julie then mentioned that Chelsea was heading away later that morning for the whole weekend visiting a girlfriend in the city, and asked if he would like to take in a meal and a movie in town that night. Zach accepted her invitation, but on the condition that it was all on him. As Chelsea would be using Julie's car, they would use his - he would pick her up at 6:00pm. When Julie asked what he would do about Sam for the evening, Zach told her he would tell Sam to guard her cottage -- he liked his old spot on her porch, and would happily lie there until they returned; Zach would bring his old blanket and a bowl of water for him.

The rest of the day went by quickly. With Sam supervising his every move, Zach's mower attachment for the quad bike made quick work of the property's large area of lawns; the irrigation system for the trees were checked for leaks, and the two he found were quickly repaired; and that still left enough time to give the Volvo a quick wash before it was time to get ready for their informal date. After a quick shower and spruce up, Zach picked his best casual outfit of a short sleeved shirt, cotton chinos, and light sports jacket, then headed out to the car with Sam close behind. At the bottom of the drive he unloaded Sam's old blanket and water bowl, placing them in the corner of the porch. A knock on the door, and a quick command to Sam of, "Sam, guard," and he was ready.

The vision that appeared at the open door made Zach take a step back. With her hair pulled back in a pony tail, and dressed casually in trousers and a loose top under a light knee-length woollen cardigan, it seemed that anything Julie wore made her look stunning. He gave her a quick hug, and with a quick check to see Sam was comfortable on his rug in the corner, they hopped in the car and drove the short few miles into town with his favourite Pink Floyd CD playing softly in the background.

During the drive Julie talked about herself while Zach listened. She talked about her life and how she had been adopted by her parents, how much she adored her older step-sister - Chelsea's mother -- and how happy she was when asked to be one of the bridesmaids at her wedding. She was even happier when her step-sister made her a step-aunt with the birth of Chelsea, and spent much of her spare time helping to look after the new baby of the family. Chelsea was just twelve when her parents died in a plane crash while on holiday. Julie was twenty one, just out of university with a business degree, and trying to establish herself. Her own step-parents had had died some years ago, so she was Chelsea's only living relative. She had already been living with her step-sister and husband in their modest suburban home in a small granny flat in their backyard when it happened. Chelsea didn't accompany her parents on their holiday, so Julie was taking care of her at the time. With their tragic deaths, half of her step-sister's and husband's estate went to her, and the other half for her to keep in trust until Chelsea turned twenty one, allowing them to live quite comfortably. The authorities also felt comfortable that she should become Chelsea's legal guardian. But realising that Chelsea still needed a proper mother figure, she adopted the younger girl once she turned thirteen. Except for a few relationships with the occasional male suitor that never went anywhere, she and Chelsea were very close, and they had not looked back since. Like him, she and Chelsea felt they had to get away from the city and all the memories. They felt restless in Chelsea's parents' home, and after a few months of searching, decided on Stanley Bay. The plan they had agreed on was for Chelsea to flat with a couple of her girlfriends and finish her degree at the university, then find a job somewhere near Stanley Bay, while Julie made a home for the both of them in the town.

After parking the car behind the town's small theatre complex, Zach suggested a small new Sushi restaurant not far away, where the food was always fresh, tasty, and presented on a narrow conveyor belt system where the diners could see and choose the dish they wanted as each small plate slowly moved past. Julie admitted that she had never tried Sushi, so it would be a new experience, but she was always open to new ideas and experiences. The manager at the restaurant seemed genuinely happy to see Zach, and shook his hand warmly, followed by Julie's, then showed them to two seats at the end of the long central counter within which the conveyor belt operated. A short while later he placed a small warm earthenware flask and two small earthenware cups in front of them, saying "Saki on the house for you, Mr Zach." Seeing the puzzled look on Julie's face, Zach explained, "I did some work on his daughter's house." They chatted quietly about his work, but when he asked about her work he noticed she kept it vague, and remained elusive about the actual nature of her online business.

After an enjoyable meal they returned to the theatre complex where Zach let Julie choose the film -- a romantic drama about a couple dealing with day to day issues after the Second World War. It wasn't really his cup of tea, but Julie seemed to enjoy it. Zach's biggest surprise for the evening came halfway into the film, when Julie slipped her shoes off to curl her feet up on the seat, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Unsure of what to do, Zach just sat and tried to make his shoulder as comfortable for her as he could, aware of the sweet smell of her hair and her perfume just inches from his face.

The drive back to the cottage was uneventful, with most of the talk coming from Julie, and mostly about the film. As they approached the cottage Zach observed that Sam was still lying on his blanket on the well-lit porch, but he had obviously heard the familiar sound of the Volvo, and had raised his head and was wagging his tail. As the car pulled into the cottage's driveway, Sam got up on all fours on the blanket, tail wagging furiously. As they exited the car, Zach called "Good dog Sam", giving Sam the signal to race over to his master to greet him with the best face rub he could muster. Zach declined Julie's offer of a cup of coffee or tea, saying he still needed to check on an upcoming project before going to bed. Sam sat obediently at his side as Julie stepped close to give him a warm hug and kiss on the cheek and thank him for an enjoyable evening. After throwing Sam's blanket and empty water bowl in the boot, closely followed by Sam, Zach had an idea. As he reversed his car out of the cottage's driveway, he lowered the passenger side window and called out to Julie standing on top step of the porch, "How do you feel about seeing some of the local scenery tomorrow?"

"Yes please," came her reply.

"Pick you up for coffee and cake at Mrs T's at about nine-ish. Wear something comfortable that you can get dirty in, bring your bathers and a towel, and don't wear heels!" he called back with a smile. And with that, he reversed the rest of the way out, then drove up his sloping driveway to the large empty house.

Fourth Meeting

As he slowly rode the quad down the drive Zach though about how strange it felt to be taking Julie out for a day on the quad. Even though they had met a few times since their first encounter at Mrs T's, other than talk, they had done nothing more than wave, or give each other a polite hug and kiss on the cheek, and only to say hello or goodbye - they hadn't even held hands yet! By the time he reached the bottom of the drive with Sam trotting happily behind, he could clearly see Julie had taken his words of fashion advice and dressed for the occasion. The pony tail was still there, but the chic outfit from the previous night was replaced with a sturdy track suit and running shoes, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Sam's box on the rear carry rack had been replaced by a padded passenger seat. A similar sized box was now attached to the front carry rack, and held a large rolled up rug, a bottle of water and bowl for Sam, a spare helmet, and a mid-sized backpack containing a thermos flask, an empty plastic lunchbox, and a towel. As Julie put on the spare helmet and climbed onto the rear seat, Zach placed her backpack in the front carry box. Zach told her to hang onto the grips by her knees, and slowly drove the quad down to the edge of the lake, following the shoreline to the right towards the town. Since trotting after the quad was one of Sam's regular exercise routines, he happily alternated between trotting behind and sprinting ahead to sniff a bush. As they neared the town, Zach turned up a track that ended just a few yards from the familiar car park in front of Mrs T's café. As Sam trotted off to his familiar spot under the corner window, Zach parked the quad, and grabbed his backpack after he helped Julie off the passenger seat. With a quick command of "Sam guard", they entered the café with their helmets under their arms, and walked to the corner table, but not before Zach passed his backpack to Mrs T with a request to fill the thermos and for some sandwiches for the lunchbox.

With a help of a map Zach briefly explained their route for the day -- they would go back the way they came and circle the lake clockwise, stopping at the far end where there was an excellent rock pool swimming hole at the base of a waterfall. They would stop for a swim there followed by lunch, then they would carry on, with a few detours along some tracks along the way, until they made it back to the shingle and sand beach by the cottage. It would take most of the day travelling at a speed that Sam could keep up with, and would be quite isolated the further they got from the town. A quick nod of agreement from Julie, and they rose from the table. After Zach paid for their mocachinos and cakes, and for the additional thermos of hot chocolate and cut lunch in the lunchbox, they mounted the quad and headed back to the lake's edge.

Soon after they passed the cottage, Zach felt Julie shift her weight behind him, then move her hands from the grips by her knees to his waist. He felt comfortable, but unsure of how handle this new level of familiarity -- after all, he was legally her landlord. After a few stops along the way to look at the magnificent scenery and to give Sam a short breather and drink of water, they eventually came around a bush covered corner onto a long flat granite shelf a few feet above the surface of the lake. Behind the shelf was a tree-lined natural swimming hole fed by a twenty foot high waterfall at the far end. The water from the swimming hole gently cascaded down the front face of the granite shelf into the lake. Zach safely guided the quad across the wide flat surface of the shelf to the other side where there was an open grassy space. With Sam already splashing around in the swimming hole, Zach and Julie dismounted the quad and removed their helmets.