The Cabin - MWBB

I'm getting back into the flow of writing for the Mid-Week Blues-Buster again. Although this week's song wasn't really to my taste, a story appeared within seconds of listening. When that happens I know that I will be able to write for it. This one was a hidden dark tale, and earnt a 2nd place due to the fact it caught the judge unawares. Enjoy.

The prompt song this week was:

  Home in the Woods, by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons.

With each mile he felt his shoulders loosen. The dusk came in and as the land opened up the clouds reflected the last few rays of the day colouring them a rusty orange, reminding him to pull off for wood at a gas station before he reached the cabin, so he could get a fire going.

He needed this weekend. He’d been holding on for a long time. City life always took more than it should - but so had the woman he’s been foolish enough to start dating.

She was from the office, Melinda, and all his colleagues were hot for her. But she’d only had eyes for him it seemed, and what eyes they were. He was no better than the others, and couldn’t resist them. He wished he had.

She’d used all her wiles on him, although they hadn’t been necessary. She would sidle up to him at the coffee machine.

“Hey Gary, how you doing today?”

And he would try and not choke on his coffee, and coolly reply, “Good Melinda.”

He’d been told before that he was a magnet for women. He didn’t see it. He thought he was too big and clumsy, and too quiet. But they seemed to like it; they would come and chat to him about their lives, and he would listen and try and understand as best he could. He struggled to relate to city folk, even though he’d lived here all his life. They were all so busy with so much stuff that wasn’t important. He didn’t get it.

It was why he’d bought the cabin, his place of refuge. He didn’t get there as often as he’d like. He dreamt of being able to save enough to move there permanently, but city life was costly. And not just financially, emotionally too - Melinda had taught him that.

She’d been so easy in the beginning; their first couple of dates a delight. Then on the third they’d spent the night together. He couldn’t have been more bowled over by how incredible she was and he was pretty much suckered after that, even though he tried to keep his distance at work.

But she wasn’t having any of it. Everyone knew. The guys all wanted details, the girls started complimenting him on romantic details from their dates. They considered them a hard and fast couple straight away, no longer two individuals who were dating.

Gary struggled with that. He needed privacy and to keep his work and home life separate. Then she started to be invaded that too. More and more often she would turn up unannounced, and he couldn’t refuse her. She would bat her eyelids, give him the come on, and he’d relent. They’d spend days in bed, or out walking in the parks, drinking coffee, whatever she wanted, because he couldn’t say no to her.

Until one day he noticed how much stuff she had in his apartment. He went looking for a sweater and found she’d moved his clothes around to make drawer space. Then he spotted her ‘spare’ make-up bag on the chest of drawers, her ‘spare’ toothbrush in the bathroom, and her music CD’s in the lounge, stacked on top of his.

He wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t want this. That was when he knew he had to go up to the cabin. He’d thought about taking her there a couple of times, but hadn’t ever mentioned it. And now he was glad he hadn’t; the less people that knew the better.

He saw the lights of a gas station ahead, and pulled in. He found stacks of firewood outside and grabbed a few, along with a bag of coals; he needed a long burning fire tonight. And after paying and exchanging pleasantries with the owner, he took them round to the boot of the car, saying he’d be fine; he could load them up himself.

He opened it and tucked the bundles in around her, touching her cold face for a brief moment, wishing it could have turned out differently; that she’d had an idea of the boundaries she had crossed.