Early the next morning, Hunter’s baritone, echoed barks woke me. I dashed outside to meet him before disappearing. I could not contain my excitement at seeing my old friend again, but I had to try as it was 4 a.m. We played as quietly as we could, but Hunter was never one to stay silent, so I brought him inside. He trotted around, sniffing everything and checking it out, as if to ensure everything was still in order. I love how protecting me is still on his agenda from beyond the grave. Come to think of it, I still have one ambrosia pet treat from the first time I took Shiloh to the vet and bought every single treat they had. How mad would she be if she found out I gave it to Hunter? I’d better stick a pin in that thought, though. I have much more pressing issues to deal with before adding a newish fur baby into the mix. Plus, reviving him may be tough to explain to my family.
Hunter had to return to his resting place around 6:00, so I took a brief nap and began my day. I had a ton of soy wax collecting dust in my inventory, so I went to the maker’s space to make some candles. They probably won’t be worth much, but at least if they sold I could make a little pocket change. Because it had been a minute, and I’d only made one candle in my life, I began slowly to get my bearings. Ali said I was a natural. Such a bittersweet memory. We had such high hopes and big plans for starting a family business. Gosh. Not only did I destroy our marriage but also Ali’s dream. My thoughts made me a little weepy, but I pressed on. It’s important for me to keep busy or I’ll regress.
Getting comfortable with the process didn’t take long at all. I made a few regular candles before trying something a bit beyond my skills. Someone left a few molds behind, so I tried making a block and cylindrical candles. Getting the hot wax from the melting pot to the molds before it cooled took some doing; I guess that’s why these types of candles are on the intermediate level. But after a few tries, I got it down. It took patience to make them because the candles are more dense and take longer to cool. But I did it and was so proud. And I had fun! Perhaps Ali could look at them for me to confirm if they’re as good as I think they are.
After a few hours of candle making, my stomach reminded me lunchtime had long since passed, so I ordered a hamburger from the food truck in the courtyard. A familiar-looking young lady sat next to me. She sipped on lemonade from the stand a few feet away from us. I didn’t want to stare, but she looked so familiar but I couldn’t place her face.
“Forgive me,” I said, “but you seem familiar. Have we met?”
She smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, kinda. I deliver your mail.”
How embarrassing. She’s right, though. We’ve never officially met, but we’ve seen each other a few times.
“I noticed Ali hasn’t gotten mail in a while,” she said. “Are you… Is he still living at your address?”
The audacity! Ok…ok… Breathe, Emmy. It’s an innocent question. But, still! What made her think she may ask me that? And why would I tell her? We’re strangers! Audacity aside…it’s so creepy how random strangers can know intimate details about our lives. People are always watching, even if the intent isn’t to be hurtful. Me and this young lady were never going to be friends, but now she has ruined all chance of that happening. I’ll never look at her the same again.
