While Drinking Coffee I Saw the Most Magnificent Creature

Paige – Chapter Nine

I’m running for my life jumping over rocks and fallen trees.  Hearing the faint sounds of dogs barking, I stop to look behind me to see faraway lights bouncing up and down.  There must be a  way out before they catch me.  I’m spinning around looking for the exit out of this blackness.  I see a faint path and run without abandon and trip falling over the edge of a tall cliff. 

“Aaaaahh!” I jump upright into a sitting position and I’m drenched in icy water.  My mouth is gaping open and closed and I’m thoroughly confused.  What the Hell!  “Hopefully that will cool your hormones long enough for us to have a little chat.” Sheriff McGregor steps back and hands Paige a dry towel.  “What the Hell Daddy! Have you lost your ever-loving’ mind?”  “Do you kiss your momma with that mouth of yours?”

Paige jumps out of bed and runs into the bathroom.  “You know slamming the door is not gonna keep you from hearing what I have to say, little girl.”  How in the hell did Daddy find me here?  Oh my God, where is Cody?  “Paige, I mean it, you best come back out here so we can discuss your behavior over the last 24 hours.”

I can feel the flame of fury creeping up my neck to my face.  Ok, deep breaths. Smell the rose, blow out the candle.  Smell the rose, blow out the candle.  This is NOT helping.  “Daddy, you need to go outside.  I’m not even kidding.  I won’t be responsible for my actions if I come out right now.”

“Alright, I’m giving you 5 minutes and then you’d better have that but of yours out here to have a serious conversation.”  I hear Daddy’s heavy footsteps leave the room and I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

This is absolutely ridiculous, how is it that I’m about to be lectured by my father in my own house.  Well, I guess it’s actually Mamma and Daddy’s Guest House.  Damn it!  What happened to Cody?  I finish drying off, change into some dry clothes, pull my hair into a ponytail, and prepare myself to face the music.

“Finally, I thought I was going to have to come in there and drag you out.  Paige, I’m serious we need to talk.”  Shuffling and grumbling to myself, I flop down onto a chair and cross my arms.  “Daddy, you want to explain why you dumped a pitcher of ice water on me for no reason?  You trying to waterboard me or something?”

He calmly walks over to sit on the ottoman directly in front of my chair.  Sighing heavily, he puts his elbows on his knees, his hands come up into a praying position, and he’s resting his chin on his fingers.  He’s giving me that long stare of disappointment that I can’t stand, and his left eye is twitching.

“Peanut, you know that I love you right?”   I shake my head yes as tears are starting to well up in my eyes.  “Honey, you know I’ve been a Sheriff since before you were born.  I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve seen a lot of things I wish I’d never seen.  You just run off last night with that stranger, on a motorcycle no less, threw me for a loop.  Paige, you’re my only daughter and it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.  You’re not making my job easy that’s for damn sure.”

“Daddy, you do realize I’m 27 years old and I’m not a little girl right?  Please, you must let me live my life.  You can’t live it for me.  I need to be able to make my own mistakes.  That stranger’s name is Cody and I don’t know what it is, but we have a special connection.”  “Yep, I bet I can guess what connection you had in mind.  Paige, you just met the guy, how in the hell do you even know that he’s not a serial killer or worse a liberal.”

“Oh, for the love of Pete Daddy!”  I get up and move across the room. Smell the rose, blow out the candle.  Smell the rose, blow out the candle.  “Peanut, can you at least let me check the guy out before you get too involved with him.  I’ve got a call into Tom Bowie to check out Cody’s story.  He was on Tom’s Special Forces team and I want to see what ol’ Tom has to say about him.” While Daddy was rambling on and on about doing his super-secret background check on Cody, I found my phone and texted Mama.

“Knock, Knock, Avon, calling.  There you are Paige, I’ve been looking for you.” Mama, thank God, my get out of free jail card has arrived.  “Delores, what do you think you’re doing?  I am trying to have a serious conversation with our daughter.”  My mama, Delores McGregor, is about the only thing that will keep me from killing my father about now.

“Oh, hello dear, I didn’t realize you were here in Paige’s cottage.  Paige and I have an important appointment this morning.  I’ve just stopped in to collect her, so we can get going.  Come on Paige, we are going to be late, chop, chop.”  That’s my cue to get out of dodge.  I run and grab my purse and slip on my flip-flops.  “Ready Mamma let’s boogie.”

“We are not finished with this conversation young lady.  We will be continuing this later.”  I quickly shuffle past Daddy giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and full tooth smile.  “Bob, leave the poor girl alone, how can she possibly have a coherent conversation this early in the morning.  Paige honey have you even had a cup of coffee yet?”

“No Mamma, as a matter of fact, I haven’t.”  “Really Bob, you know the women in our family have to have their coffee before any form of communication commences.” Mamma is in rare form this morning.  “Come on honey, let’s get some coffee into you on our way to our appointment.”

Putting her arm around my shoulders, Mamma is shuffling me out the front door.  She stops and turns toward Daddy, “I’ll see you at home later dear.  Now go on and find a nice criminal to interrogate.”  “Now Delores.” Mamma shuts the door on Daddy in mid-sentence.

“Come on honey, let’s get out of here and get some coffee before your Daddy realizes there is no appointment.  Paige, do you know why I love living in the country.”  A look of confusion crosses my face, “Uh, is this a trick question?”

Momma smiles that secret smile she gets when she knows something that will totally embarrass you. “No, it’s not a trick question.  I love living out in the country because you never know what beautiful creatures will appear in your yard.  You know I love drinking my morning coffee on the back deck in the morning.  It’s my time to reflect and breath in nature.”

Oh brother, where is she going with this?  “This morning while drinking my coffee I saw the most magnificent creature while looking out across the lake at the cottage.  Paige, you do realize we have a perfect view of the cottage from the back deck, right?”  “Well I guess so, I never really thought about it before.”  Mamma continues, “Yes we do and I’m curious as to why there was a half-naked man coming out of your cottage this morning.”