Patrick and Cathy

"Well, I'll be damned," Patrick muttered as he looked at the numbers on the lottery ticket in his hand and compared them to the ones on the website. A perfect match. While it wasn't the big PowerBall, it was big enough.

The next several days were spent getting financial and legal matters in order. With the right investments and diligent planning, he wouldn't have to work again. And should he die before it was gone, with no other family, he was assured that it would go to some local non-profits that he had always supported.

Looking over the 32' Coachmen Leprechaun, a car trailer hooked to its back end, Patrick nodded his head, and it was time to head out of Dodge.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" the nauseating salesman asked.

Patrick rolled his eyes and looked at him, "Really, you can't come up with anything more original than that?" He looked at the stunned salesman for a few more seconds, "Please, just put the temporary tags on and I'll get out of your hair".

Quickly attaching the tag to the rear of the trailer and the RV, he offered his hand, "Thanks for coming, sir. You have my card. Please don't hesitate to call any of us should there be any problems."

Taking his hand and card, "Thanks, I will."

Climbing in the driver's seat and adjusting it, he looked around and smiled, 'This is really happening.' Starting up the engine, Patrick put it in gear and headed for his next destination.

He pulled into the parking lot of the store that he works at, at least for the next few moments. He made sure that he was parked well away from other vehicles before making his way in. There was no way he was going to allow anyone to dent his brand new home. Grabbing what few things were his out of his locker that he wanted to keep, he made his way to where his manager was standing, in amongst customers. 'This is the perfect spot, especially after announcing for all to hear that he had a complaint about my department.'

"Remember that time you thought it was funny when you said you could schedule me for 4am because you could?"

The manager looked around to see who was in earshot before turning back and giving Patrick an angry glare, "In my office."

"I'm here to tell you what a total asshole you are and to take this job and shove it. And you want to know why? Because I can" Patrick said as he dropped his keys and ID card on the floor at the manager's feet. With the biggest smile he had in years, he strode out the door and across the parking lot. Not one person dared to follow him out of the store.

It was now time to realize a wish; to travel around the country in the RV without a schedule, a time frame, or even a map. Just travel around and see what there was to see. Patrick had been divorced for three years. The last seven of his marriage had been loveless. Sleeping in separate bedrooms, it was like having a roommate more than a spouse. Now at 53, he wasn't sure if another relationship was in the cards for him or not. He was not what he thought of as an ideal candidate; a little shorter than most guys, an extra pound here and there, and naturally shy.

It took a couple of days for him to line up agencies to pick up all of the furniture and things that he no longer needed. Rather than trying to take the time to sell his belongings, he decided simply to donate to a local non-profit that could use the proceeds to benefit their cause. With a notice to his landlord and fully paid rent to the end of his lease, he was at last free of any chains that kept him where he was. It was time to hit the road.

With a brand new Jeep Renegade safely strapped to the trailer, Patrick left the city that he lived in for the last 40 years.

He spent the first couple of weeks meandering around the Colorado front range of the Rockies, taking the time to fully familiarize himself with the new vehicle before heading into the mountains. Leaving west out of Colorado Springs, he found a nice camping area in the mountains. It was normally referred to as the Arkansas River Valley. It was one of his favorite places in the state with a range of high mountain peaks on the west side. Set amongst trees and rocks, he found a spot to park the RV. Like most 'campgrounds' anymore, it had the hookups he needed for water and electricity. But the surrounding beauty along with the significant separation between spots, made it the perfect spot to base out for however long he decided.

Heading out in the Jeep, he roamed the valley and explored the nearby town. It had been a while since the last time he had been there and while things change with time, he was glad to see that a lot remained the same. Before returning to the campground, he located a small grocery just a few miles down the road where he picked up a couple of items to restock his stores. Waiting at the check-out stand, he noted that the woman in front of him was taking extra time trying to find coins to pay her bill. Where he once would have been impatient, he had time now. That extra minute was used to observe her figure. She was a little taller than him, but just an inch or so, and her hair was tied up on the back of her head, falling down her back. Her blouse ballooned out but her shorts showed a pair of perfectly tanned legs, ending with her feet in sandals.

"Did I drop something" the woman asked.

"Um, no. I'm sorry" looking back up to see a pretty face. He guessed her age was not that much younger than him. Patrick felt his face turn warm at having been caught, "I'm sorry. I just."

She cut him off with a smile, "It's okay. It's nice to know that I can still have someone look at me at my age." She turned to the cashier, "Thank you." She turned back to look at Patrick, giving him the once over, "Thank you for making my day."

The cashier was a lady who was past retirement age, "Oh to be young again."

Back at the RV, Patrick pulled out a grill and lit the charcoal. Sitting back and waiting for the coals to become ready, he watched as the sun set over the mountain range on the other side of the valley. He grilled the nice juicy steak he had bought. That combined with a fine bottle of red wine, he toasted himself to his new life.

The night air quickly cooled as the sun disappeared. He made sure that the coals were totally out and stepped inside. He cleaned up and put things away before sitting down and the table and pulling out his laptop. He decided at the start to keep a diary of his travels. He had no idea how long he'd travel and figured that he'd like to have something to remember the time by. He completed his entry and uploaded related photo's that he took during the day and shut the machine down.

Turning out the lights save the one at the head of the bed, he thought about life. There were a lot of ups and downs in his life. He had already gone through two marriages. He had fallen in love with a woman that he used to work with. Unfortunately it wasn't until he had left that job that he realized that she had been dropping hints to him that she had an interest in pursuing something with him. He knew that he was often clueless when it came to women, and sometimes slow on the pickup. She told him that she dreamed that they were roller blading somewhere in California and it was up to him to finish the dream. Being shy and clueless, even at 50, he never saw the sign. He frequently lamented the loss of a potential relationship with her. Nevertheless, he still liked women and really missed having one in his life. And the sex of course.

He thought about the woman that he met at the store. He kept thinking about the brightness of her smile, the wave in her hair and the tan on her legs. Even after all these years, he still wasn't sure. And he wasn't sure that women would even find him interesting. He didn't see himself as one women would desire to be with.

Morning came early as the sun streamed into the RV. With a fresh cup of coffee, Patrick stepped outside to enjoy the morning air. That air was filled with the sounds of birds, a sound that he didn't often hear when he lived in the city.

"Good morning, neighbor" said a female voice.

Patrick turned to see who had called out to him. It looked like it was the same woman he saw in the grocery line yesterday, "Good morning."

Recognizing the man seated in the chair, she smiled and said, "We meet again."

"How are you this morning?"

Taking a glance at the surrounding mountains and the clear blue sky, she looked back at him, "I'm great. I can't believe how beautiful this place is. And the sky, I don't know if I've ever seen a sky so blue."

"Where are you from?" Patrick inquired.

"Boston, actually."

"Welcome to Colorado," Patrick replied. It wasn't uncommon for people from either coast to gaze in wonder just how deep a blue the skies can be in the Colorado mountains.

Stepping forward and putting out her hand, "My name is Cathy."

Standing, Patrick shook her hand, "I'm Patrick." Not wanting this woman to wander off just yet, "I have a fresh pot of coffee inside. Can I get you a cup?"

Thinking for a moment, "That would be very nice, thank you."

Patrick stepped inside and poured a cup. He yelled out through the door, "How do you take it?"

"A little sugar and creamer if you please."

"Coming right up."

He stepped back outside and handed the mug to her. Grabbing a lawn chair from the storage compartment, "Please, have a seat."

Not sure how to start the conversation, "So, what brings you out here?"

Holding the mug with her two hands, she looked out at the mountain range in front of her. Life had been very difficult lately. She had recently finished a bitter divorce from her husband of 30 years. They had started off young and poor. They were madly in love with each other for most of their marriage, until he became successful. He created a startup that provided a unique service. She spent years being the primary bread winner as his endeavor took its time to grow. Then, all of a sudden it took off. He was now making a few million a year and he found a cute young thing that he became enamored with. Suddenly the love and passion in the marriage disappeared. Cathy found out that his frequent 'business trips' were not trips at all, but time with the arm candy. She rejoiced in the fact that after the divorce, the arm candy dumped him. She wasn't interested in marriage. She was interested in just his money. 'Bastard'.

Looking at Patrick, she revealed a small smile, hiding the emotions that she was feeling, "Well, I'm making my way to California. My daughter is graduating from college in a week and I plan on attending. You?"

"I'm just taking time and seeing the country. I was able to stop working and I figured I needed to see more than what was in my back yard. So, I got rid of a bunch a stuff that I no longer need and couldn't bring with me. Now this," pointing back to the motor home, "is now my home for the time being."

"Nice" Cathy replied, nodding her head and looking at the motor home and Jeep combination, wishing she could do the same thing. But she still had a home outside of Boston and obligations that needed to be met. "So you don't have house or anything anywhere?" curious as to how he lived.

"Nope. I have a post office box at one of those mailbox places. I figure I can call every few weeks or so and have them ship whatever came in to me wherever I'm at. The only bills I have are ones I can get are ones that I can get notices in my email and pay electronically" he said with a smile, feeling free of any anchors or anything to tie him down to a specific location.

Cathy nodded her head. She had never heard of anyone doing that and couldn't envision not having a 'home' somewhere. 'But then again, there is a certain appeal to the idea' she thought to herself.

"How long are you staying here?" Patrick asked, beginning to like the woman and hoping that he might be able to spend the day or maybe two with her before she left.

"I have to leave tomorrow. I have some friends in Durango that I need to visit on my way."

"Ever been to Durango?" Patrick asked, curious about how much of the west she's seen.

"Nope, never. In fact, outside of flying into San Francisco a few times to see Beth, that's my daughter, I've never traveled west of the Mississippi."

"Where does your daughter go to school?"

"Stanford."

"Good school" Patrick said with genuine admiration.

Setting the empty cup down, Cathy stood and turned to Patrick who also stood up, "Thank you for the coffee. That was very nice of you."

Patrick hid the disappointment he felt that she was leaving so soon, "You are most welcome." Following her back towards to roadway, "Listen, I was planning on taking a ride to a nearby ghost town today. If you're not doing anything, would you care to come along?" hoping that he didn't sound desperate. But he was becoming captivated with this woman and really wanted to spend more time with her. And he thought she was beautiful to boot.

Cathy looked at him, trying to decide if he was safe enough or not. Deciding that he seemed like a nice enough guy, "That sounds like fun. I'd like that."

"Meet me here in, say, a half-hour?"

Smiling, Cathy said "See you in a half-hour" and walked back the direction she originally came from. While Patrick couldn't see it, the smile remained on her face and there was an extra lightness in her step.

Patrick put the chairs away and washed the mugs. All of a sudden he became nervous and couldn't figure out what to wear. 'It's not like it's a formal date, for pete's sake. Get ahold of yourself.' Settling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he put together a cooler of drinks and stuff for lunch.

Nervousness set in when a half-hour went by and Cathy was nowhere to be seen. It had been years since he had 'been' with a woman. He had totally lost his self-confidence with the other sex and hadn't even been on a real date since before he met his ex-wife.

His heart started beating a little faster as he saw Cathy come around the corner. Trying to remind himself to quit acting like a youngster going on his first date, he took a deep breath and smiled, "Ready?"

"Yep, let's go. I'm anxious to see this ghost town. I've heard about some of the old mining towns that used to be around here but have never seen one."

He tried not to look but couldn't help but glimpse as her shorts rode up her thigh a little as she climbed in the Jeep. His breath caught as her inner thigh was exposed for just a moment. Fortunately, her head was turned away as she reached for the door to close it.

The sun shined on the pair as the spent the day exploring not only the ghost town that Patrick wanted to see, but other sights in the area. The sun had already dropped behind the mountain range when they pulled up next to Patrick's RV.

"I have some burgers that I was going to grill. Would you like to stay for dinner?" Patrick asked, hoping the time with her wasn't yet over.

"Thanks, that's nice of you. I won't be able to stay long. I have some things I need to do before morning. I want to be on the road very early.

"No problem, I understand" trying to sound understanding, but a little disappointed. He was glad that he was able to at least have a little longer with her while they ate.

"Thanks for dinner and the most wonderful day since I can remember" Cathy said as she took a step forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking back towards her camp.

Patrick stood there until she disappeared from view. There was still wine left over from the night previous, he poured a glass and thought about the day. Cathy turned out to be just 2 years younger than he. She was funny, smart, and a joy to be with. He knew that he would miss her. His diary entry that night noted more about his time with Cathy than it did the sights he had seen. If it wasn't for the pictures he took, he might not have remembered everything they had seen; the wildlife, meadows of flowers, the ghost town.

He was up early the next morning. He knew that she would have to drive by his camp as she left the grounds. Hoping to see her one last time, he sat outside with his coffee in hand. He hoped he hadn't missed her.

A noise just up the roadway caught his attention as he watched a car come into view. The rolled down as it pulled up to his slot. He could feel his heart skip a beat as Cathy's face came into view as she rolled down the window.

She smiled, "I didn't think you'd be up this early." The eastern sky was bright but the sun had yet to break the horizon.

"I'm an early riser" he responded, not telling her that he set the alarm just in case.

"I'm glad I got to see you before I left. I wanted to tell you that I had a lot of fun yesterday. I wish I didn't have to leave, but I need to get going."

"I'm glad you did. It was a good time. Wait a sec" he motioned to her as he quickly went into the RV and emerged a few seconds later. Handing her a piece of paper, "Here's my e-mail address. I'd love to hear from you."

Cathy looked at the address in hand and then to him, "I will."

"Drive safe."

"You too." Cathy hadn't planned on meeting anyone on the trip. Never mind someone that she found fun to be with. She sniffled a little as she thought about yesterday. He treated her like and lady, a real gentleman. A smile formed as she thought about him. 'Yeah, he sneaked a peak here and there. But I did tease him, too.'

They waved to each other as she pulled out of the campground. Like before, he watched until he could no longer see her car. Patrick spent the rest of the day exploring other areas, Cathy never leaving his mind. It was only at the end of the day that he realized that he never got her e-mail address or phone number.

Patrick stayed another couple of days before moving on. He checked his e-mail every day, sometimes several times a day. The only messages were ads that he could care less about and the occasional notice that a bill was due that he promptly paid.

*****

"Mom!" Elizabeth cried out as she saw her mother, Cathy, come across the parking lot of the condo complex.

It had been a little over a week since leaving Colorado. She spent time in Durango with friends before taking a lazy path to San Francisco. She was glad that she was able to find her daughter's address without a lot of difficulty. She could tell that she had grown out a little more since she last saw her. Elizabeth was, in her humble opinion, a very beautiful lady.

"Beth," taking her in her arms, "I have missed you so much. All the e-mails and phone calls don't make up for being able to actually see you."

With their arms wrapped around each other, Beth led her back to her condo. Cathy was able to quickly see that the place had already been cleaned out. "What happened?"

Looking around the empty unit, "Well, almost all of the furniture belonged to Sally. You remember my talking about my roommate Sally?"

Cathy looked at Beth and nodded, "Yeah, but."

"Well, she moved out yesterday being that the lease is up in a couple of days. I sold my bed and dresser to her so that's gone too" Beth explained, without a note of concern in her voice. "It was second hand when I bought it. So no real loss."

"But," was Cathy's only response.

"Sally didn't want to stick around for graduation. I tried to talk her into it but she didn't want to. She was anxious to get to Phoenix to start a new job and left."

"It kind of leaves you in a spot, doesn't it?" concerned about her daughter's welfare.

With a smile, "Not really. I figured we could stay in a hotel for a couple of nights. Graduation is tomorrow and we can leave the day after."

Cathy nodded her head back and forth, thinking about the situation, "Okay, I guess we can do that." Looking at the luggage on the floor, "Is that all you have?" She assumed that there would be boxes of personal belongings, not just a couple of suitcases.