Claire looked at the photo in disbelief. Tony is forty-five, really? And who would care that she was at the symphony? Well other than her, since it was her first time allowed out of the house in two months. Has Emily seen this? What about her friends in Atlanta? The stupid magazine was supposed to take her mind off everything, not make it public. Claire flipped the magazine over. It was dated June 14. Today is Sunday, but what is the date? It is August, August 8, and Tony won’t return until the eighteenth. When she thought of it that way, it seemed even longer. She smiled, threw the magazine on the ground, and closed her eyes. The clock by the pool house read 3:15 when Catherine woke her again.
“I brought you something special, Ms. Claire.” Claire opened her eyes to see Catherine holding a tall glass containing something that looked like a smoothie. “It is my secret recipe, banana, strawberry, and yogurt.”
Claire appreciated Catherine’s persistence and took the drink. It tasted sweet and felt cool in her throat as she swallowed. The nutritional ingredients gave her body the sustenance it needed. While she drank Catherine pulled up a chair and chatted. Claire knew she was being watched. This wasn’t a depraved voyeur. It was an act of compassion and concern. Catherine didn’t talk about anything that happened, she just talked. Claire liked the sound of her voice. Once she finished, Catherine left with the glass.
Claire closed her eyes and recognized a new sense of emptiness and relief. Four months of despair had been washed out of her through gallons of tears. She remembered her grandmother saying that sometimes we all need a good cry. To that end, Grandma would read a sad book or watch a sad movie. Claire decided she’d watched the sad movie.
The sun still shimmered on high but began to move toward the front of the house, casting shadows on the pool and deck. Claire decided to go back upstairs, but realized she had no privacy in her suite.
At that moment, she noticed the trees. Her mind worked slowly, it had been through quite an ordeal in the past twenty-four hours. As she stood staring at the green leaves and thick forest she saw freedom. Not freedom to Atlanta or completely away from him, but freedom from cameras, instructions, rules, and freedom to relax. The realization energized Claire like nothing had all day. Tomorrow she was heading into the woods.
Monday morning Claire woke with a start. She’d been dreaming, but she couldn’t remember about what. She just knew her heart pounded, she gasped for breath, and she felt like she was suffocating. As her mind cleared and she looked around her suite, she saw reality. She was alone, the night had been peaceful, and today was a new day. She quickly showered and dressed for her exploration. When she stepped from the closet/dressing room, because she vowed to never be unclothed in her main room again, her door was closing.
“Wait please,” she shouted toward the door.
“I’m sorry, miss, I should have been faster.”
“Oh no, Cindy, you’re fine. I just need a favor.”
“Anything, miss. What can I do for you?” Claire explained to Cindy that she planned a day trip into the woods, needed a packed lunch and some water bottles. Cindy listened intently and promised to help.
Claire sat down to her breakfast. It wouldn’t take much for Claire’s appetite to disappear, just a few thoughts of reality. So she chose not to do that . . . she would get them into that compartment no matter what it took. Instead, she thought about her impending adventure. She thought about hiking boots and bug spray and ate.
There was a knock on her door. Claire called for the person to come in. “Ms. Claire, could you please explain to me what Cindy is asking?” She told Catherine about her plans to explore, how she didn’t want to return for lunch, and she knew Catherine wouldn’t want her to skip a meal. Therefore, she would need a packed lunch and some water bottles. Catherine seemed apprehensive. “I am sorry, miss, but if you didn’t come back?”