Chapter 5

I woke in the morning of August the fourth, already grinning because I’d dreamed of what Tanya’s photo and note would reveal. Ness had slipped out earlier to head in for her shift, so I had to help myself with my morning wood. After relieving that ache, I emptied my bladder and then went to look at the calendar.

This time Ness’ note was the childish ditty, “Tanya and Liam in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g...” She hadn’t written the rest of the lyric, but I heard her saying it in my mind anyway. Instead, Ness had written, “Well, it’ll be a bed, not a tree. But k.i.s.s.i.n.g., you will be!”

I spent the rest of the morning reviewing my stock market portfolio, ensuring I was happy with where my short and long-term stocks were invested. I put off making any final decisions on what to change until I reviewed them a second time after I’d settled down from receiving Tanya’s note and photo.

Much to my chagrin, this month’s fourth day fell on a Sunday, so I had to wait until Monday to get Tanya’s latest letter. To add to my disappointment, the postie had one of his rare late days, and the mail hadn’t arrived before Ness got home. She didn’t know that, of course, so as soon as she walked inside, she held out her hand and demanded, “Show me!”