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Post by Jordanna on Jun 12, 2006 19:31:27 GMT -5
The drive to Connecticut was an interesting experience: Sid, his three children, Alex, Miriam, Daws, and a small heap of suitcases, all piled into a minivan. It was just as well that Consuela had opted to spend the weekend in Philadelphia, visiting one of her numerous sets of relatives.
The destination for the artificially-extended Rosenstein family was a sprawling, five-bedroom cabin house beside a private lake. At one time the staff residence for a long-defunct children's summer camp, the property had been bought and refurbished as a family retreat by one of Sid's wealthier social acquaintances. With a standing invitation to make use of the place, the Rosensteins had visited at least once every summer for the last six years.
"It's absolutely beautiful," Miriam breathed as she stepped out of the minivan. "I can't imagine why anyone who owned this place wouldn't just live here."
"Yeah, well, Fred doesn't come here much since his kids grew up," Sid supplied, gathering an armload of suitcases from the back of the vehicle. "He's a businessman, an' he keeps pretty busy in the City. 'Sides... I guess comin' here reminds him too much of old times." The widower paused, glancing over his shoulder at the view of the lake, and his voice caught just slightly as he added, "I know how he feels."
Alex clapped Sid gently on the shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "We'll make some new memories, buddy."
"Yeah." Sid shook off his momentary sadness, and with a suitcase under each arm and another in his left hand, he led the way up onto the broad front porch. He unlocked the front door of the cabin and shouldered it open, revealing a spacious, bare-raftered living room, with a massive stone fireplace and a sliding glass door that opened onto a large wooden deck.
"Our bedrooms're upstairs," Sid announced to the other adults, as he dumped his load of suitcases on the sofa. "The kids'll sleep in the bedroom down here--it's got a coupla bunk beds. Kitchen an' downstairs bathroom are down the hall."
Miriam had already wandered over to the glass door, to gaze out at the glorious view of the lake and its small island. "It's amazing." She turned to Alex. "Have you been here before?"
Alex grinned. "Yeah, I've come a coupla years. I'm not much of an outdoorsman, though," he said with a slight blush.
"Oh, like this is roughin' it," Sid retorted.
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 1:04:28 GMT -5
Daws grinned and unshouldered her battered Army-surplus duffle. "Hey, it is to me," She replied, taking off her fedora. "I can count the number a' times I've been this far outta the City on one hand -- and half of those were on business."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 13, 2006 18:38:01 GMT -5
Sid grinned at Daws. "Y'know, after Tara teaches ya how to swim, maybe the next job's for us to teach ya how to drive. Then you'll really be able to travel."
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 19:06:08 GMT -5
Daws held out one hand, chuckling. "Whoa, Sid -- one thing at a time."
She cast a somewhat apprehensive glance at the lake outside and added "Let's see if I manage to keep from drownin' before we start talking about operating heavy machinery."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 13, 2006 20:50:16 GMT -5
"You're not gonna drown," laughed Tara, who had just come in through the door with her siblings. "Not with me around."
"She's gonna look funny when she's wet," Caleb pointed out earnestly.
Tara scowled at him and gave him a mild smack on the back of the head, then grinned at Daws. "Forget him."
Sid rolled his eyes. "You three go unpack."
"They'll be in the lake in five minutes," Alex remarked. "I think I'd better put the food away before I go swimming. What about you girls?" He grinned at Miriam and Daws.
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 22:39:10 GMT -5
Daws shrugged one shoulder and glanced at Miriam. "Guess we might as well get our luggage put away, huh?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 13, 2006 22:47:46 GMT -5
Miriam nodded, picking up her one suitcase.
"I'll show ya the rooms," Sid offered, leading them up the stairs. At the top, he gestured to the doorway at the end of the landing.
"That's always been our... my room," he corrected himself ruefully, and cleared his throat. "Uh... I think I'll trade rooms with Foxy this time. That's the one on the left. So you girls got your pick of the two on the right."
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 22:59:14 GMT -5
Daws glanced at the Doc, shrugged, and opened the closest door.
The room inside was well-furnished and comfortable, with wide windows that let in an impressive view of the surrounding woods and the lake. Daws emptied her duffle bag into the knotted-pine dresser, nosed around the room a bit (old habits died hard, after all) and then ducked back out into the hallway.
She poked her head into the room next door, where Miriam was just unpacking the last of her things.
"Think I'm gonna go look around outside. You wanna come with, Doc?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 13, 2006 23:16:13 GMT -5
Miriam smiled and nodded, having just finished placing her neatly-folded clothes in her own bureau drawers. "Sure."
The two women ventured downstairs, where Alex found them on his way out of the kitchen. "You going outside? Go out by way of the deck. There's a nice trail through the woods back there."
"Are you coming?" Miriam asked.
Alex smiled and shook his head. "After I unpack, I'm gonna put my trunks on and splash around with the kids for a little bit. Then I'm gonna fire up the barbecue pit and start on dinner." He grinned. "Later tonight, we'll roast marshmallows."
"It sounds wonderful," Miriam replied with a smile. Alex's grin broadened, and he bustled off again, leaving the ladies to continue their walk.
As Alex had promised, a woodland trail practically opened onto the steps leading down from the deck. Miriam followed Daws in meandering down the leaf-littered, sun-dappled path. The lapping waters of the lake could be heard through the trees, and birdsongs filled the forest--although a few birds began to send up warning squawks at the presence of Daws.
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 23:29:47 GMT -5
Daws looked around appreciatively, turning her head to catch unfamiliar sounds and scents. She grinned.
"This really is something." She tipped her head to one side, chuckled, and added "Although it's weird, not hearin' the traffic -- that gets me every time I leave the City."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 13, 2006 23:35:36 GMT -5
"I grew up in a quiet town," Miriam said, wrapping her arms around herself and gazing up into the canopy of the trees as they walked.
"When I was young, my parents and I used to go camping. I miss it... I miss them." She smiled sadly. "I miss them more now than I did in all the years since I left home."
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Post by skybright on Jun 13, 2006 23:45:28 GMT -5
Daws sighed, reaching out to briefly squeeze the other woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to get caught up in this whole thing, Doc. I'd trade places with ya, if I could. I mean," She let her hand drop and shrugged, "You had a lot to lose. And I'm sorry you did."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 14, 2006 0:04:15 GMT -5
Miriam smiled sadly and shook her head. "My only regret is for my parents, Daws. For myself, I really didn't have anything to lose. What I had wasn't a life."
She plucked an orange flower from a vine that sprawled over the trunk of a tree, lightly caressing its petals. "At least I met you, and Sid, and Alex." She chuckled. "I hardly ever laughed before it all happened--but Alex makes me laugh. And he keeps my hopes up. I think sometimes he makes me believe there's hope even when he doesn't believe it himself."
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Post by skybright on Jun 14, 2006 0:13:31 GMT -5
Daws grinned. "He's got a talent for that, yeah." She let a few rather nosy remarks go unsaid -- although she did wonder, to herself, if the Doc realized how she sounded when she talked about Alex Malone.
She chuckled. "Y'know, it's funny." She glanced out over the lake, "We got thrown together in about the worst way we could've been. But I think I've still gotten to be better friends with you and Alex and Sid than I have with . . . " Daws shrugged and examined the ground before her. "Well, with anyone, really -- at least since Jack died."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 14, 2006 0:27:27 GMT -5
Miriam nodded, her smile becoming warmer. "It'd be hard not to become friends with people who are as worth it as all of you."
From the end of the trail in the distance behind them, there came sounds of youthful laughter and footfalls against the wooden deck. This was followed a moment later by the splashes of swimmers diving off the end of the small boat ramp.
Miriam grinned at Daws. "Sounds like Alex was right. The kids couldn't wait to hit the water."
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Post by skybright on Jun 14, 2006 0:35:16 GMT -5
Daws grinned crookedly. "Which I guess means I'm next," she said, shrugging philosophically.
"I suppose if nothin' else it'll be nice to do away with the irony of lookin' like a cat and bein' afraid of swimming."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 14, 2006 0:45:45 GMT -5
"Oh, I think you'll do fine," Miriam replied, as they began to make their way back toward the cabin. "I'm not really the best swimmer myself. I can manage, but..." She shrugged, glancing sideways at Daws.
"There was a pretty strong current in the river, that night at the bridge." She let out a slow breath. "When Alex and I fell in... I don't think I would have made it, if it weren't for him."
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Post by skybright on Jun 14, 2006 0:56:16 GMT -5
Daws flinched. "Yeah, most of the rivers in the City're like that. You don't know what you're doin', and . . ." she broke off rather abruptly, burying her hands in her pockets and looking uncomfortable.
"Y'know . . . to tell ya the truth, Doc . . ." She shrugged. "I kinda lied to Tara a little bit the other night. It's not just that I didn't wanna learn to swim when I was a kid." She chuckled hoarsely.
"When I was a little kid I fell into the Hudson. Well, t'be more precise, my sister pushed me into the Hudson. It . . . wasn't pleasant."
She shrugged again. "But the other night, at the Bridge -- I could've been a serious liability if I'd fallen in. And I don't ever want that to happen." She half-smiled and glanced at Miriam, "There might not be an Alex there to save me."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 14, 2006 1:10:13 GMT -5
"I understand that. I feel the same way about... cemeteries." She winced. "I guess I had my own kind of near-drowning experience at my grandfather's funeral."
She smiled then, attempting to lighten the mood. "But I'm sure you couldn't have a better swimming teacher than Tara. She's been so excited to go on this trip. The water in swimming pools is so full of chemicals that she can only breathe it for a few minutes, but she could stay in that lake for as long as she wants." She chuckled. "Or as long as Sid will let her."
They had arrived again at the end of the trail. Miriam started toward the steps of the deck, but then turned back to Daws. "Do you have a bathing suit or something?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 14, 2006 1:17:23 GMT -5
"No -- but I've got an old t-shirt and shorts I thought would work." Daws grinned somewhat sheepishly. "I didn't really think the swimsuit clerks at Macy's were quite up to dealin' with someone with fur."
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