Today was the perfect fall day--sunny, warm, a breeze only heavy enough to encourage leaves to fall. To take advantage, Blaine and I skipped the tailgate, blew off the football game and went to the state park for a hike. Finally!
It couldn't have been lovelier. We went for broke and chose the longest, most challenging trail. Once we were on it, we didn't see another person until we were off the bluff again.
We didn't try to make time. On the narrow paths we kept our pace up but through every clearing we slowed or stopped if we found a log or a lean-to with a view. The whole outdoor was a view, what with the orange, yellow and red leaves and the grasses turning a burnt reddish brown.
We had a lot of time to talk. I told him about sliding down the bank of a river and into the water during a high school event that had nothing to do with going near a river. He told me about getting his first car stuck in the mud so badly his dad took one look at it and wished him luck, then left him with it and drove off (returning later with a tractor and winch). Lots of little stories. Why I never learned how to swim. How he got the scar behind his ear.
Things turned serious for a short time. Last night it came out that Maggie isn't adjusting to my presence very well. Eve explained that Maggie always wanted the close friendship with Blaine's late wife that Eve had with her but they had never clicked in the same way. After Blaine's wife died, Maggie wanted to have that easy kind of friendship with Eve, but I came along and Eve and I clicked, and once again Maggie feels set aside. Just as bad, maybe worse, Blaine started dating me. Today, Blaine asked about it. Long conversation short, I'm glad I understand the problem now. I'll always be friendly with the hope that she'll adjust but I'm not going to try very hard with her.
Last night, after the Maggie conversation, Paul began reminiscing about Blaine's wife. He and Eve told several stories about her and the four of them. Not surprisingly, all were funny. It made me wish there was some way to bring her back to them. On the selfish side I'm glad that can't happen because I would hate to have this past year erased from my life.
Blaine wanted to know if the walk down memory lane had bothered me and apologized for not changing the subject. When it's from Eve, Paul or Allison, I don't mind hearing the stories at all. But it did make me wonder, again, what he sees in me. Sometimes I wonder if my biggest appeal is that I have been able to slip into a comfortable slot because of my friendship with Eve. There's a foursome once again. A rather big conversation followed and went well. He seems hell-bent on having me in his life. I can live with that.
What I almost couldn't live through was the descent down one part of the trail. We both had trouble, but I struggled more to find a way to stay upright. I finally had to sort of lurch down and use some young trees to slow me down. Once safely down I told Blaine I was glad I hadn't ended up inside a giant ball of mud, leaves and sticks rolling toward the river.
"At least you have experience falling into rivers."
"And you could winch me out."
"Anytime, anywhere, any mud hole."
"Aww, you're making me misty."
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