Weekend Retreat

It was 4:45 when her boss handed her another form to process. Kara took a deep breath and smiled, while she really wanted to snatch it from him. Why was it always this way when she needed to be somewhere? It was Friday afternoon for heaven’s sake. 

           By the time she clocked out it was after five. They needed groceries for their weekend getaway, and she was meeting Rob and the others at 6:00.

           “Running late guys. Can you get the beer and wine?” Kara texted. The traffic was slow as she inched her way toward the store. This trip had been on the books for weeks. Kara needed this and she wasn’t going to let anything get in the way. Rob’s cousin had offered his cottage by the lake for the weekend. It was a Godsend really. Money was tight and Rob had been distant lately. This weekend was going to be good for them. Julie and Ben were their best friends and they hadn’t gotten together all summer because of scheduling conflicts. The cottage was going to be the perfect place to retreat and reconnect.

           “Sorry I’m late guys!” Kara apologized when she pulled in behind Julie and Ben. Rob was there too, loading up the Rav4. He didn’t meet her eyes and she wondered if he was irritated.

           “Munchies!” Ben exclaimed, grabbing a bag of chips out of Kara’s hand. He was a big teddy bear with a huge appetite.

           Kara and Rob transferred the cold items to the cooler. “It’s a 2 ½ hour drive, so we should grab a quick dinner,” Rob suggested, putting the last of the food in the back of the car and shutting it with a flourish.

           “I made us some sandwiches,” Julie piped in. “And I have some fruit and granola bars.”

           “All right! Let’s get on the road then!” Kara and Rob high fived. “Woo Hoo!” Rob gave her a squeeze, so she figured she was forgiven for her tardiness. Lately he’d been moody.

           “Route 70 is bound to be backed up,” Ben mentioned, as he rode shotgun to Rob.

           “No negativity!” Kara shouted from the backseat. “We will have smooth travels.”

           Kara and Julie rode in the backseat and already began catching up on each other’s lives. Meanwhile, Ben broke into the chips, eating like he hadn’t just had two sandwiches.

           “So, how’s work?” Julie asked Kara. 

           “My boss is still dumping work on me at the last minute,” Kara complained. “Lucky for me I’m efficient and good at my job, even if I don’t get the respect I deserve.

           “I wish you could quit,” Julie sympathized.

           “I know. Me too. It’s not my dream job but it does pay pretty well.”

           The highway was stop and go, but by the time they reached 70 the cars were at a standstill.

           “Great!” Rob muttered.

           “There’s always an accident along here,” Ben said, still shoveling chips in his mouth. “There’s nowhere to go either.”

           A line of cars was pulled off on the shoulder trying to bypass the traffic and make it to the next exit.

           “If we get off on exit 20, we can go another route,” Kara suggested, looking at her google maps.

           “It’s 10 miles to exit 20,” Rob pointed out, once again irritated.

           Kara hoped she didn’t have to step around his moods all weekend. Lately he got agitated so easily it was hard to read him. He wasn’t confiding in her like he used too.

           “Have some chips, man,” Ben said, shoving the bag at Rob. 

           It took almost an hour to get to the exit. It would be dark by the time they got to the cottage, and it was off the beaten path.

           Kara continued to project positive vibes. They had the whole weekend ahead of them. Tonight, they’d be sitting by the lake having a beer, and it would be worth it.

           “Which way do I go?” Rob asked Kara, who was directing him on the back roads.

           “Left. I think,” she added. 

           “We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Rob muttered. “Are you sure?”

           “Let me see,” Ben said, putting the bag of chips down and reaching for her phone. “Maybe it’s the next left. It’s not too clear,” he said, handing the phone back.

           Julie and Kara agreed it was the first left.

           “Okay,” Rob said, with skepticism. 

           They drove back roads for about thirty miles when they came to a dead end. The road just stopped. “What the…?” Rob griped.

           “I guess it was the second left then,” Ben said, adding to the annoyance.

           “Let me see,” Rob said, reaching for Kara’s phone.

           It took them another hour to get back to 70, which by then had cleared of traffic. 

           Once they were moving again, Rob’s mood lightened.

           “I can’t wait to float in the lake,” Julie commented. “Maybe we could go for a night swim.”

           “Not me,” said Kara. “There could be snakes.”

           “The cottage is right on the water, right?” Julie asked.

           “Yes,” Rob answered. “I’ve never been there. My cousin bought it about 10 years ago, but he doesn’t get a chance to get up here much anymore.”

           It was dark by the time they reached Valley Lake, and the wind began to blow.

“It looks like rain?” Julie cautioned. 

Between getting lost and pit stops it had taken them four hours to get there.

           “Look at some of these houses,” Kara gawked. “They’re beautiful.”

           Everyone’s excitement picked up as they turned off the main road leading to the lake.

           “Man, I need a beer,” Ben stated.

           They all agreed.

           “It’s next to a large house at the end of the lane,” Rob told them, as he drove slowly down the gravel path.

           “It looks like another dead end,” Ben said.

           Rob drove around the large gray house and found another turn off. At the end of the driveway sat a small, dark house. After seeing all the beautiful homes, they had their hopes up, but sat disappointed for a moment at the little, weathered white cottage. 

           “Oh, come on,” Kara said, ever the optimist. “It’s an adventure.” She hopped out of the car to investigate.

           By the time they stood on the little stoop of stairs, large, fat raindrops began to fall.

           “Oh no!” the girls squealed.

           Rob unlocked the stiff door and they burst into the tiniest kitchen they had ever seen. Kara fumbled for a light switch as Ben knocked into the table. The dim lighting showcased an old vinyl table with 4 mismatched chairs crowded around it. There was a tiny bathroom and a bedroom on the right of the kitchen and another little room on the left. 

           “Dang,” Ben stuttered, his bulk taking up much of the room. “It ain’t the Ritz.”

           “Well, we’ll be outside most of the time anyway,” Kara pointed out, even though disappointment had dulled her enthusiasm. The cottage was bare bones. No amenities, not even a TV.

           It began raining in earnest and they were all soaked by the time they had unloaded the car.

           “It’s hot in here,” Ben said, looking around for the thermostat.

           “We have to open windows,” Rob told him. “It gets cool up here so there’s no A/C.”

           Julie and Kara went around cracking all the windows, just enough so the rain wouldn’t get in. Soon a nice breeze was crossing through the cottage. Rob and Ben grabbed a beer out of the cooler and plunked down at the table. Everyone was tired and a little cranky.

           “Maybe there’s a board game,” Kara suggested, looking in cupboards. “A deck of cards,” she held up in triumph.

           But no one was up for a game. The guys finished their beers and headed to bed. leaving Kara and Julie to their wine. It was only 10:30. The girls stayed up another hour talking quietly before they too turned in. Tomorrow would be a new day and they would be able to explore the lake and enjoy the outdoors.

           The next morning, Kara was woken by a splat of rain on her face. The bed was pushed up against the window, taking up most of the room, so they had to store their overnight bags underneath.

           Rob was already up, but the rain made Kara sleepy and she just wanted to stay put.

           “Hey,” Rob said, standing in the doorway. “I thought I’d make breakfast. Doesn’t look like a good day for water sports.”

           Kara groaned and shuffled into the kitchen. Julie and Ben were already stirring when Rob began cooking bacon and eggs on the two-burner hot plate. The place was soon filled with the smell of coffee and breakfast.

           Breakfast lingered into lunch and still it rained.

           “How about a game?” Kara suggested, shuffling the deck of cards. No one really wanted to, but they were tired of staring at their phones, so they acquiesced. They’d played three games when Rob tossed his hand on the table in a huff.

           “I need some exercise,” he said.

           “It’s pouring out, man,” Ben stated the obvious.

           “I’ll go with you,” Kara said, getting up from the table. They needed some time alone, even if it was raining.

           Kara threw her hair in a ponytail and reached for Rob’s hand, gaging his mood. He gave her a weak smile and they headed out.

 Kara couldn’t remember the last time she’d let herself be enveloped by the rain. She always tried to avoid getting wet, but when she’d been a kid she and her brother used to play in the rain. Immediately nostalgia washed over her. For the first time in a long time she felt in the moment. They walked down to the dock and watched the rain fall on the lake.

           “Careful,” Rob said, pointing out a rotted piece of decking. The old dock creaked and rocked but it seemed solid enough. “Come on let’s walk.”

           The weather was warm, but the rain was cool on their skin. They were soaked in minutes. “This is great!” she twirled around. When had she felt such abandon?

           “My rain gypsy,” Rob smiled tenderly. The sweet Rob, who she hadn’t seen in a while.

           Kara didn’t want to break the moment with worries, but she needed to know. “Are we okay?”

           “What?! Of course,” Rob assured her. Then he was quiet. “It’s just. I need to tell you something and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.” They stopped in their tracks with the rain pouring down on them. Rob took her hands in his. Kara felt her stomach drop and wanted to snatch her hands away. She didn’t want to face whatever he was about to tell her, assuming the worst.

           “What is it?” Worry filled her brown eyes and her heart started racing.

           “I hate my job. I’m miserable and I want to go back to school,” he rushed out.

           Relief washed over her. “That’s all? How long have you been thinking about this?”

           “I don’t know. A while, I guess. You’re not mad?”

           “No, of course not. I know you’re not happy there.”

           “It might take me a couple of years to finish school,” he warned her.

           “I support you one hundred percent,” Kara said, linking her arm through his. “You can talk to me about anything. I wish you hadn’t kept this to yourself for so long. I knew something was bothering you.”

           “I know you’re not particularly happy at your job either,” Rob pointed out. “But it’d be a bad time to quit if I was in school.”

           “I’m not,” she admitted. “But I’m good at my job and I’m not ready to go anywhere yet. I’m not going to let one person ruin a good thing for me. And if you and I are okay, I can handle anything.”      

           “I’m sorry about this weekend. I wanted it to be relaxing, and Paul never mentioned the cottage was in such poor condition.”

           “Like I said. It’s an adventure,” Kara smiled up at him.

           “Let’s go into town and find a place to eat. We all need to get out,” Rob suggested.

           It was about ten miles to the town of Valley Lake with the rain following all the way. They found a pizza place and got extra beer and wine before heading back to the little cottage, staying up late reminiscing about old times. Rain pelted the roof and the cottage was cozy with all the lamps on casting out a glow into the night.

           “Well, it’s not the weekend I’d thought it’d be. But here’s to good friends,” Ben proposed, raising a beer.

           “Cheers!” they said, around the table.

           The next morning Kara woke to the sun slanting in through the east window and the smell of something delicious.

           “Breakfast!” Rob hollered, dive bombing the bed, nearly bouncing Kara out.

           Laughter billowed from her and she couldn’t remember ever seeing Rob so carefree. She realized how important it was to him to go back to school, and she was glad to have the old Rob back again. 

           “What smells so good?” she demanded.

           “French toast, but now we don’t have any bread for lunch,” he warned. “But the sun is out!”

           They wiped down the old Adirondack chairs and ate breakfast overlooking the lake.

           “Now this is what we came for,” Ben said, with a look of peace on his face.

           Rob was the first to get his swimsuit on and do a cannonball off the rickety dock. The others quickly joined him and frolicked in the cool water, eventually crowding onto the dock to dry out. The sun warmed their backs and dried their hair.

           “Best weekend ever!” Rob shouted to the lake.

           “Yeah!” they all agreed. The cottage wasn’t much to look at, but when you’re with friends it doesn’t really matter.