Elementals 20

       The bus rumbles north on the 93. We're heading out of Massachusetts and into New Hampshire. Misha is cuddled next to Tony nibbling on trail mix and I sit alone a few seats back and across from them. I pull out the map and look for a place to stop. I know now that we'll have to get off the bus before I planned too. I try to find a random stop as close to the border as possible. After I pick one I put the map away and lean back iny seat. I'm exhausted and need to rest.

        When my eyes close I see myself opening the door to the house in Harverhill Misha toddles in behind me and Tony follows. I feel a sense of relief. After a few months in the cabin with Alexis she helped us find this place. No one had come for us. We felt that we could be ourselves here or at least a version of them. 

      We used altered versions of our real names. I got a job teaching pre-school and became Ms. Anne to my students. Tony found work on the docks and I enrolled Misha in daycare. We didn't pretend to be married. The few people who became as close to friends as I would allow them knew that I was a widow and the Tony was just looking out for us. I even tried to play match maker and got Tony to go on a blind date with one of them. In the end he just wasn't interested. Me on the other hand after a few years of settling in was ready to give it a try.

    A tall dark and handsome single father asked me out for dinner. He had spent the weeks prior dropping his son off at the preschool and making small talk in the mornings. When I came home excited and little scared Tony offered to babysit and prepared me for my first date in years. when Eric arrived at the door I made him wait a few minutes while I talked myself out of calling the date off. Tony and Misha interrogated my new friend. When I heard him charm them both I came out of the bathroom and left with Eric. We got into his E350 and headed toward the restaurant.