Old Florida

"Good morning, Bryan," she said cheerfully. "I hope you slept well."

"Sure did," I responded. Truth be told I really didn't. I tossed and turned a lot. I just couldn't get her out of my mind. "Welcome to my humble abode!"

She stepped in and looked around. I could tell she wasn't impressed. "Sorry," I said. "I'm sure you can tell that this place hasn't seen a woman's touch in quite a few years."

"Oh, it's okay..." her voice trailed off. I could see it in her eyes. It was almost like she was taking inventory of all the things she would change. I just chalked it up to her profession.

"How old is this house, anyway?" she asked.

"It was built back in the 50s," I responded. "Things back then were built a lot differently than they are now. The kitchen is through here." We got right to work washing, drying and putting away the pile of pots and dishes I had used the day before. Our conversation was light and a little playful as we finished up our chores.

"Can I offer you a little more wine?" I asked as I put away the last dish.

"Love some," Livy responded.

I grabbed a bottle out of the fridge and a couple of glasses and led Livy to the patio. We sat down at the patio table, overlooking the pond in the backyard. I poured the wine as we watched Cain run around in the backyard. At one point he must have gotten thirsty, so he walked into the pond until the water was up to his mouth. He lapped a few dozen times and then walked back out, soaking wet. Livy laughed at the sight.

"As you might have guessed, there's nothing subtle about my dog!" I announced.

"I don't know," Livy giggled. "He kind of fits into the ambiance around here."

"Hey!" I responded. "I'm not that bad!"

Livy just gave me a knowing smile, and her smile sure did light up my day. I inched closer to her and took her hand in mine.

"I've really enjoyed getting to know you, Livy," I started. She blushed and looked away. I reached over and put my hand on her chin. "You know," I said. "It was all I could do not to lick the marshmallow off your lips last night." I reached in for a kiss.

Our lips met, slowly, sensuously. It was obvious we both wanted this. She was smiling as I pulled back. She looked into my eyes as I reached in for another kiss. She put her arms around me as our kiss became more passionate. I moaned my approval. "Mmmm, that was nice!" I said as we came up for a little air.

We both took another swig of our wine. Livy sighed and looked back out over the pond. "I can't believe this is happening." she stated.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Livy looked back at me. Her eyes trailed up and down, taking in my features. "I just can't believe I'm..." she stopped in mid sentence. I saw her eyes tear up, but then she started to act nervous. She looked around as if to plan a quick exit.

"Livy, are you okay?" I said as I stood and tried to approach her.

Livy stood up as well. It was obvious she was now uncomfortable. "I can't do this!" she protested.

I tried to reason with her. "Livy, it's okay. We can go slow. There's no rush." It made no difference. She just made a beeline to the front door. She opened the door and she was through it before I could protest any further. I let her go. It was obvious she was triggered by something. I watched as she disappeared around the corner.

I shook my head as I plopped myself down on the couch in my living room. I wondered if it was something I said or did, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out where I went wrong. I resolved to give her a little space and see if we could reconnect later.

--

I gave her a few days before I tried to make contact again. I left a few voice messages but there was no response. She didn't seem to be spending any more time outside either, as I kept looking for my chance to face her again. I finally broke down and texted her. God I hate that way of communicating. So impersonal.

'Livy, I was really hoping to talk to you again. Would you be willing to go to dinner with me Friday night?'

'I don't think I can do that, Bryan'

'Is it something I said? Is it something I did? I want to see you again.' I typed out.

'Bryan, it's...'

I watched the little ellipsis dance on my screen. Those few seconds seem to take a lifetime.

'You look too much like him.'

'Livy, please!'

There was no response. I tried a few more times throughout the week. I was just met with dead air. Great. Betrayed by my own boyish good looks. Apparently my doppelganger had already damaged her heart beyond repair. I cursed his existence.

Livy never reached back out. I finally resolved myself to just leave her alone. She needed to heal and she couldn't do that with me as a constant reminder of her tormentor. I just went back to my old life, but I couldn't shake that empty feeling. Not when I thought I had finally found someone to fill it.

Weeks dragged into months. Livy and I never crossed paths. I may be old but I can still catch a hint. She didn't want me in her life. I just needed to let it go.

--

We hadn't had any major storms that year and it was getting late in the hurricane season. I normally keep a pretty good eye on any storms that develop. A tropical storm had just formed over the Atlantic. Nothing major, but as the next few days passed, the storm slowly grew in intensity. Its path was following a normal trajectory, it just wasn't clear yet whether it would hit Florida or pass to the south.

I had already made my normal hurricane preparations earlier in the year. It's a lot easier and cheaper to get supplies when there isn't an emergency. Being a lifelong Florida resident, I already had all the needed materials to board up if a major storm was to come through. All I needed to do now was watch and see if the storm was going to hit us.

I did have a new worry this year. Imperial Lakes. I had no confidence that those buildings would withstand even a minor hurricane. If those houses started to give way, all the flying debris would be a danger to all the other houses...including mine. Of course I was especially worried for Livy.

The next morning it was all over the news stations. Hurricane Lee was coming our way. Probably as a category 3 when it hit the coast. We were further inland so it would probably be about a category 2 by then. Only the coastal regions were ordered to evacuate.

I started my preparations. Closing down my hurricane awnings and boarding up windows. I took my time. I had done this so many times before and I had the operation down pat. I was working on the patio, throwing my furniture into the pool, when I looked over at Imperial Lakes. A few people were milling about, mostly scratching their heads. I walked over to the fence and yelled out to some of my neighbors.

"Aren't you going to start boarding up?" I asked.

"Nah," one guy responded. "That's too much work. I think I'll just tape my windows."

"At least make sure you pick up all the debris and furniture around your yard," I added.

"Why?" he responded. "I don't think we need to do all that!"

I just shook my head. This had bad news written all over it. I grabbed my phone and texted Livy about my worries. I even offered her shelter at my house. My pleas were met with static.

I walked back home and finished my preparations. I made sure all my equipment was charged up. We would usually lose power out here for a few days after the storm. It would take them that long to get out here to restore service. My generator was gassed up and ready. I had already had my house pre-wired to run electricity from the generator to the more important circuits, such as my well, water system and freezers. I'd use candles and flashlights for light. Finally I pulled out my weather radio and installed fresh batteries. At least I was ready.

--

I watched the wind blowing through the trees. Its intensity slowly picked up throughout the day. I was ready, but when I looked out over at my neighbors, it was obvious that only minimal preparations were done at best. Livy's house had the windows taped, that was it. I found myself hoping that the storm would turn and only skim us or something. I had no confidence in those McMansions next door.

I took Cain for one last walk as the wind picked up speed. A few palm branches were already flying around over at Imperial Lakes. I settled into my house and bolted the door. The weather radio played out its bad news. We were going to be in the direct path. Would probably even have the 'eye' pass over our location. I grabbed a cold beer and settled in to wait out the storm.

As the storm neared and the winds reached tropical storm force, we lost power. That was quick. I threw a few breakers and started up my generator. It was getting to be evening at this point. I looked over at Livy's house and shook my head. Things were completely dark over there. I texted in vain one last time. No answer of course. I grimaced and headed back into my battened down fort.

The wind howled and the rain beat down. It was getting too dark for me to see what was happening next door. I was hearing a lot of crashing and banging however. Every odd sound would set Cain to barking. No doubt things were coming undone over at the Lakes. I was worried. I vowed to try to get out and assess any damage when the 'eye' moved over our location.

My little rancher was doing fine. I could hear some debris hit the outside of the house, but I was safe inside. The rain wasn't any issue either. Only the expected minor flooding, but my house was built up on a 3 foot pad. Only the lower lying areas had standing water.

I'm sure my worrying about my neighbors made time slow to a crawl. It seemed to take forever for the eye wall to pass us by. Once the wind finally started to die down, I grabbed my high powered flashlight and headed outside. Holy crap. There was debris everywhere. My property was covered in splintered plywood and roof shingles.

I carefully made my way around to the side of my house, trying to avoid the wood fragments that might be hiding protruding nails. "Oh, shit!" I said to myself as I focused the flashlight beam on Livy's house. It was still standing, at least. There were a number of smashed windows. About half of her roof shingles were gone along with the tar paper, showing exposed wood. There was even a 2x4 that was protruding out the side of her house, wedged between the siding. Part of my fence on that side was down as well, probably toppled by flying wood. It was a real mess.

I moved as quickly as I could toward her house. It was easy to see that it was in no shape to weather the second half of this storm. I needed to get Livy out of there and to safety. I slipped through the downed fence and moved around to the front of her house. I beat on the front door and called out her name. No answer.

I tried the door but it was locked. One of the windows on the lower level was already blown out. I moved over to that window and screamed out her name. I still didn't hear her answer. I climbed through the broken window. I felt the pain in my arm as a shard of glass ripped through my shirt. I completely ignored it, calling out Livy's name and searching for her in the house.

There was already significant damage inside the house including a lot of broken glass. It must have been hell trying to hide out in here. I was banging on all the doors but still no response. I finally found her curled up on a bathroom floor. She was catatonic. Snookums was curled up in her grasp. I shook her shoulder as I tried to get her to recognize my presence. She just looked at me but it was obvious she wasn't really recognizing who I was.

"Get away from me, Jerry!" she screamed. Great, she was calling me by her ex-husband's name.

"It's Bryan! You need to come with me! You're in danger!" I called out. I needed to get her out of here now. We were running out of time.

"No...No...No," she yelled as she fought with me. "Let me go!"

"I'm not Jerry! We have to go now!" I screamed at her.

She seemed to return to a more catatonic state. I grabbed her purse which was sitting on the counter and slung it over my shoulder. I scooped her up in my arms, with her little dog still curled up in her lap.

I made my way toward the front door. It was obvious the wind was picking back up. I could hear debris bang up against the house. I unlocked the door and made my way back to my little rancher. It was all I could do to carry her while trying to avoid all the scattered building materials. Some of which were starting to become airborne again.

I breathed a heavy sigh as I made it back inside my rancher. I carried Livy to the bed in my guest room before I laid her down. Cain was following me the whole way. He laid down next to the bed. I scooped up Snookums and set her down right next to Cain. She jumped up on him, circled twice, and cozied into his fur. Both dogs relaxed into a wary sleep.

Livy and I were soaking wet. I tried to bring her back to reality.

"Livy? Livy? Are you okay?" I asked as I patted the back of her hand.

She seemed to come out of her trance. "Where am I?" She said weakly.

"You're safe now.," I said as I stroked her arm. "You're at my house. Snookums is here too. Are you hurt? Do you feel any pain?"

"No...I don't think so," she said as she tried to sit up. "I think I'm okay. Oh my god, Bryan! Your arm!"

I looked over at the sleeve of my T-shirt. There was a pretty sizable blood stain around the tear from the glass shard. I pulled off my shirt and looked at the wound more closely. It was mostly superficial. "Don't worry," I said. "I'll be fine. Let me get you something dry to put on. I don't know what I have that would work for you."

"Just get me one of your t-shirts," she directed. I made my way back toward my room and grabbed a couple of fresh shirts. I grabbed a wet towel and started to clean off my arm as I made my way back to Livy.

"Let me help you with that," said Livy as I returned to the guest room. She took the towel from me and gently began to cleanse my wound. "How did this happen?" she asked.

"I think I scraped it entering your house through a broken window," I responded. "I'm sorry, I had to find you. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I found out you were hurt and I hadn't done anything about it."

She teared up. "I was so scared!" she confessed. "I should have listened to you, but I just couldn't face you again. I didn't expect to lose power so soon. My phone was completely dead."

"Well," I said, consoling her. "You're safe now." Just then we heard a large crack of thunder and the unmistakable sounds of debris hitting an outside wall. "Don't worry, this house has stood up to many a storm."

"Oh, I'm soaked!" complained Livy. She took one of the T-shirts and headed off to the bathroom across the hall. "I'll be right back."

My jaw dropped as she emerged from the bathroom in nothing but my Moody Blues t-shirt and her pair of panties. She moved back toward the bed in the dim light. "Looks like the bleeding has stopped," she said as she inspected my arm.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I responded. Another crack of thunder scared her and she jumped into my arms. She started to whimper and shake. "Don't worry," I said as I put my arms around her. "I've got you."

"I'm so scared!" she replied. "Please don't leave me! I don't think I can stand it by myself!"

I held her close as we lay back on the bed. I was on my back, still without a shirt. She draped herself across my side and put her head on my chest. It all seemed to calm her down and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

I held her close. I didn't get much sleep as my thoughts raced through my mind. It had been forever since I had someone else sleeping in my home, much less a beautiful half-naked woman draped over me. Between that and the thought of the clean-up we'd have to face tomorrow, I barely caught any sleep at all.

--

My eyes popped open the next morning. Livy was still draped on my side. It felt so warm and comfortable to be holding her. I even had a little morning wood as I was thinking about her body next to mine. That hadn't happened in a very long time. Didn't matter though, we had a hell of a mess to get through today. Besides, when I rolled over I noticed the two pairs of eyes watching me. The dogs needed to go out.

I pulled on my t-shirt and a pair of shoes and headed to the bathroom. I took care of my business and then coaxed the dogs out back so they could take care of theirs. Watching Cain and Snookums pal around was comical, but they seemed to really like each other. Cain wouldn't stop sniffing Snookums' butt, even though he practically had to lay down to do it.

Once I was all the way outside I surveyed the damage. My house looked okay. No real issues. When I walked around the side of the house I was able to get a better look at Livy's place and the rest of Imperial Lakes.

What a mess. It was early and people were just starting to emerge from their homes. Most of the units had lost a good portion of their roofs. Many windows had been damaged or shattered due to the airborne debris. The houses still stood, but many weren't going to be livable for a while. Livy's house was one of those.

My yard was filled with debris from the houses next door. I sighed. It was going to take quite a bit of work to get all this cleaned up. No matter now. Getting Livy's living situation squared away needed to take priority.

It was with some trepidation that I made my way back to Livy in the guest room. I needed to brace her for the inevitable shock. "Livy," I said as I made my way into the room. "We need to talk."

"I know," she responded. "I'm so sorry. Thank you so much for looking out for me. I don't know what I would have done without you. I know it was silly of me to equate you with my ex-husband. It's just that he hurt me so much. When I started to fall for you I got so scared. I couldn't face my feelings."

I just stuttered. I wasn't ready for that. I sat down on the bed and hugged her. "Livy," I said. "You don't need to apologize to anyone. You needed to heal. I know how you feel, I've lived through it myself."

"I've been constantly replaying my marriage in my mind," she continued. "Wondering where I went wrong, wondering what I did to cause all this. If only I could go back in time and change things."

"That's just it," I said as I held her close. "It took me a long time to learn that it wasn't me. It was her. I did nothing wrong and nothing I could do could change what happened. We always think we're the ones that are the cause. We're not. It's them."

"She must have really hurt you," said Livy as she held me close.

"She did," I responded. "But she hurt herself so much more." I spilled my guts right there, telling Livy all about my wife and how things finally ended. It still brings tears to my eyes. By the end we were both crying holding on to each other.

I gave Livy a tight hug and kissed her forehead. She responded by burying her head in my chest.

"Livy," I said. "Those things are in the past. I want you to know I am here for you now. I've already been outside. It's not pretty. You are going to need someplace to stay. Please know that you can count on me for whatever you need. We can get through this together."

She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Is it that bad?" she asked.

I hugged her tighter and said, "Yes, your house is damaged and the roof is gone. We need to rescue whatever we can out of your home before anymore storms come. It will be hard work, but I am here for you."

Her eyes misted up and she buried her head in my chest once more. I just held her. I needed her to be ready to face the task at hand.

--

After I was convinced that Olivia was up to the task, we made our way over to her house. I could see the tears in her eyes as she surveyed the damage.

"Livy," I said. "I know it looks bad, but we have to take advantage of the time we have to rescue what we can from your house before any more storms hit. It will take some time, but I'm sure that you'll be able to rebuild after the insurance comes through."