Chapter One Cate’s apple-red Mazda is packed to the ceiling with suitcases, Rubbermaid containers, and boxes, bulging with the entire contents of her life. In the spirit of her new-found freedom, she’s committed to downsize and de-clutter. Dana’s artwork is stacked and wrapped in Cate’s favourite African, hand-woven, wool blanket. Candles, sage, framed meditations—the artifacts that create sacred space—are stored carefully in a wooden trunk that was carved and hand-painted in Thailand. Fredrick’s kennel, which becomes a clothes-drying rack, rattles on top. It’s close to ten o’clock in the morning when Cate is finally ready to hit the road. “Good-bye Taylor,” Cate says to her son as she embraces him on the front doorstep one last time. Her eyes, emerald-green with specks of amber-brown, are bright with tears that escape onto her cheeks as she reaches up to run her hand through her son’s thick, chestnut-brown hair. She rests her hands on his shoulders. “I’m going to miss you like crazy,” Cate says. Cate prays her son will be alright, but she knows she no longer needs to sacrifice herself for him, or her girls, or anyone else. She is grateful that Celeste and Dana have moved out and on with their lives, and consoles herself with the knowledge that her son is eighteen, a man really. She wipes her eyes with the back of her sleeve and stands on tiptoes to kiss Taylor’s eyelids—their private ritual since birth—one more time. “Take care of yourself,” Cate says. “I will Momma,” Taylor says. “Try not to worry so much. I’ll be fine.” Cate calls to her bichon-shiatzu, Fredrick, who has been busy rolling in the dry autumn grass of the front lawn. She gets in the car and scoops him up to sit on her lap. She picks off some dry leaves that cling to Fredrick’s paws and tosses them out before closing the door and starting the car. She continues waving back at Taylor, until the house disappears from the rear-view mirror. Cate drives to her friend Amy’s, who has agreed to accompany her on the first leg of her odyssey westward. Along the way, Cate’s mind races. The weight of the unknown presses down on me. Now that I’m free, I’m scared as hell. I haven’t been on my own for over twenty years, since I moved in with John. Will I find work? Will I make new friends? Will Celeste return, well and ready to resume her life, pick-up where she left off? And then, where will I go? Cate pulls into Amy’s driveway and files her worries in the back of her mind. She honks the horn. Amy waves from the window. She has a Calgary Flames cap on her head, her long auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail that sticks out through the cap’s opening. Seconds later, Amy comes out of her house and around the passenger side, dressed for the outback in a pair of khakis, a loose-fitting t-shirt and sport sandals. “Are you sure you have room for me?” Amy laughs as she climbs in. She wedges herself in-between the cooler and dog dishes and tucks her back pack between her feet. Fredrick jumps from Cate’s lap to Amy’s and barks a friendly greeting.

On the road to Amy’s family cabin in Revelstoke, Cate and Amy engage in open and honest conversations about love and loss. “I can’t believe you’re leaving,” Amy says. “It won’t be the same at the school without you to vent and share strategies with.” “Well, don’t forget, this is all a trial,” Cate says. “I have a year of leave to sort things out, but who knows, I might be back.” “I’d love that,” says Amy. “But I want whatever is best for you.”

The four-and-a-half hour drive whizzes by and, as luck would have it, they make it just in time for the last afternoon ferry across the lake. “Turn right here,” Amy says following a short drive from the ferry. She points towards a back road that is more like a rough clearing. Cate grits her teeth as her sort of new car bounces noisily over the potholes, belly scraping on fallen branches and protruding rocks, until they arrive at the edge of the lake. Cate parks the car. Amy hops outs and Cate follows in her high-heeled boots down the rocky incline, purse and over-night bag slung over her shoulder, inside there’s a bottle of wine, still in the liquor store brown paper bag. Fredrick waddles along beside them, sniffing his way to the boat that is idling at the shore. Amy’s father welcomes Cate like family and tosses her belongings onto the deck of the boat. “Hop in,” Amy’s dad says as he reaches for Cate’s hand. “Grab a seat; there’s a life jacket under the bench,” he says as he puts the boat in gear and eases the bow forward. Minutes later they pull up alongside a rickety dock, several planks missing and paint peeling. Cate’s face says it all. She stifles a gasp as she looks across to the cabin. “I told you we’d be roughing it,” Amy laughs. Cate recalls Amy mentioning that the cabin isn’t accessible by road, but somehow, she’s not prepared for things like outhouses. The cabin looks more like a shack.

As evening falls and Cate settles in by the fire with a glass of wine in hand, she manages to distract herself. She chats it up with Amy’s eighty-year old family friend, Luke, about the good old days. His mind is still as sharp as ever and he looks physically fit too. Cate feels inspired and happy in a way she doesn’t quite understand. The unlikely assembly sits around the fire drinking wine and smoking pot and telling stories. Soon Cate is laughing so hard her cheeks hurt. She feels incredibly funny herself. It is late when she passes out in the trailer, the stickiness of the outback rendered irrelevant in slumber.

Cate rises early, as the first rays of sun filter through the tiny window. Amy snores; sound asleep. Cate retrieves her journal and pen and bundles up in a heavy sweater. She ditches her boots for her running shoes and wanders down to the lake, Fredrick on her heels. Rocks crunch under her feet. The boys are up and at ‘em. Cate waves at them. A fire crackles warmly in the pit. It is still and peaceful. The air is brisk and oh so sweet. Tarps are tightened and tied over the picnic table. Empty cans and bottles are strewn about; evidence of last night’s carefree abandon. Juno and Joe, the two border collies, frisk playfully along the water’s edge, but Fredrick chooses to curl up in a ball by her feet once Cate settles into a lawn chair. The sun is still climbing, lazily burning off the night’s clouds. For Cate, the pace feels like freedom. She gets out her journal and begins writing. Dirt under my nails. Reminders. The muckiness that I was trying to escape. For so long I’d felt dirty, or should I say ashamed? I’d felt responsible for being abused, and stupid for staying in an unhappy, unhealthy marriage. But things are about to change. Cate stops to brush away a fly that has landed on the stark blankness of her page with a swipe of her hand. Cups are over-flowing and spilling in this land of plenty. The goose calls its mate earnestly. Chit chat, chit chat; noises in my head. The open road is just over the lake and I’ll be driving it. Road trips are so epic. Like Summer of My Amazing Luck, Ulysses, and the first Vancouver Island. I’m coming back. Same, same, different; things like that, as they said in Thailand. Cate stops to look out at the rocky beach. She feels heavy with the weight of her uncertain future. Her heart-beats; thump, thump, as though a captive inside her ribcage. Little pin-pricks of ice are dancing along the surface of my so-called reality. Here at the lake, at Chug-a-Lug cabin, where dreams unfurl and secrets are revealed, I feel alive and present, attuned with my own body. The stillness is deafening. Like when a butterfly causes an earthquake. Butterflies in my stomach. Cate is distracted, this time by her feet, ice-cold despite the heavy socks and sleeping bag thrown over them. She shivers and rubs them together. Fredrick is basking in the multitude of stinky scents. Letting go of his once-leashed fears. Fish are practically jumping out of the lake into nets, onto fishing lines. Gutted, then fried. Life ebbs and flows. Why are some more, some less? The impact of a dead fish, a smacked mosquito, a father lying in a hospital bed wheezing his last breath from his tired lungs. Choices, thoughts, meanderings, musings. Some answers, but mostly questions. Cate closes her journal and heads back to the trailer. She rolls her dirty clothes up neatly and packs them carefully into her bag. Amy wakes up. “You’re up early,” Amy says with a yawn and a stretch. “It looks like you’re getting ready to go. Can I offer you some breakfast? We’ve got eggs in the cabin.” “Thanks,” says Cate. “But I’m not hungry; I had an apple and your dad brought me a coffee. I’m anxious to head out.” “I wish you luck, then,” Amy says, getting out from the covers to give Cate a hug. “Stay in touch,” Cate says, then calls to Fredrick and heads down to the dock. Amy’s dad lifts Fredrick into the boat as Cate climbs in and he takes them across the lake to where Cate left the car. Cate waves as Amy’s dad turns the boat around. She searches her purse for her keys and calls Fredrick, ready to get back on the open road.

On the drive down a sparkling black highway, through a tunnel of nature, Cate thinks of how, in her married life, she’d always been in the passenger seat. This time it’s going to be different. It’s all up to her and it isn’t a one-month adventure; it’s her new life. In Vernon, Cate stops for lunch and a stretch, picking up a sandwich and a bottle of water from Subway before walking through the city centre park. The weather is perfect, sunny and warm. Ducks and geese waddle along beside the pond. Cate stops to watch the families picnicking and a ball game going on in the field. Fredrick rolls in the grass, his caramel-coloured fur turning a dirty grey. Soon it’s time to get back behind the wheel.

True to form, Cate gets lost in Peachland. She calls her Aunt Winfred, who sorts her out. Cate drives through the orchards, heavy with apples, through the tiny town and onto her aunt’s familiar driveway. She wonders how many times, in how many different vehicles, she has made this trip. As she ascends the cement stairs memories of sugar cookie dough, skinny dipping, and apple raiding filter into her consciousness. “Thank goodness you found us,” Winfred remarks with relief as she opens the screen, her stocky frame filling the doorway. “Henry, go on now and help Cate with that giant suitcase. And who is this now?” Winfred laughs as Fredrick jumps up on her calf and barks. “Down, Fredrick,” Cate says. “Did I not mention I was bringing him? I hope it’s okay.” She starts to flounder. “Oh, now I do remember you saying you were bringing your dog, Dear, and of course it’s no problem.” Winfred stops to give Fredrick a pat. Henry returns, just slightly out-of-breath. Cate thinks he is starting to look his age, despite his still-thick, salt and pepper hair. “Thank you, Henry, and you too Winfred,” Cate says. “I so appreciate you having me. It’s good to see you. It’s been too long.” Cate knows her way around the house like the back of her hand. She stashes her insulin in the fridge and digs out the bottle of wine she picked up in Vernon, handing it to Henry who thanks her, placing it on the kitchen table before disappearing out into the garden. Winfred and Cate sit down in the living room to talk about everything under the sun. “So, you’ve finally made the big decision to leave,” Winfred says. “I’m so proud of you. I never thought much of John. Your mom told me all kinds of horrible stories. Still, I know better than anyone the ties that bind.” Cate knows that Winfred separated from Henry more than once over the years. But she always went back. “I don’t think it’s ever easy,” Cate agrees. “Despite everything, John has his good points. I took my marriage vows seriously, the whole ‘in sickness and in health’ thing. And having kids complicates things.” “Yes, but your kids are all adults now,” says Winfred. “How old is Celeste?” “She just turned twenty-eight last week,” Cate says. “My goodness, doesn’t time fly?” Winfred touches her hand to her ample bosom. “I’ve always had a special place in my heart for that girl.” The past is resurrected, briefly, in the sharing of their memories. It’s Thanksgiving weekend and Winfred has been slaving in the kitchen all day to prepare a traditional turkey dinner. “I’ll set the table,” Cate says while Winfred whisks the gravy. The meal is soon ready. “Henry, it’s time to come in and carve the turkey,” Winfred calls out the kitchen window. Winfred’s forgotten that Cate is a pescatarian, and Cate doesn’t have the heart to remind her, so she just digs in and eats turkey with all the fixings. The meal is delicious, and the traditional dishes bring forth their own nostalgic whisperings. As Winfred whips up thick cream for the pumpkin pie, Henry finds a casserole in the oven and tut-tuts at her absent-mindedness but Winfred laughs off her failing memory. “The casserole will be perfect for tomorrow’s lunch,” Winfred says. After dinner Cate and Henry clear the table and Winfred makes a pot of tea. Henry chooses to stay and be a part of the conversation, totally out of character. After dinner he normally disappears downstairs to his study. “Remember that time Henry came to pick up you and Sally from the beach early, and caught you skinny-dipping?” Winfred laughs. “Do I?” Cate laughs along with her. “Only like it was yesterday! I’ve never dressed so quickly in my life and I was treading water!” It isn’t long before Henry is tired of socializing. He grabs the remote and turns on the TV. Cate notices his hands have aged too, become gnarled with arthritis and spattered with age spots. “Oh Henry, must you turn that dratted thing on?” Winfred complains as she rolls her expressive eyes. Winfred and Cate sigh in unison, then find themselves drawn in by the drama unfolding on the screen. They watch the news but, before long, all three of them are yawning. Cate takes Fredrick out for a pee, comes back in and says goodnight with two quick pecks on her aunt and uncle’s cheeks. She retires to her room and tucks herself in. Fredrick curls up in a ball by her feet and soon they are in a deep sleep.

Cate wakes up early and patters out to the kitchen. She lets Fredrick out and puts on a pot of coffee. There is no sign of her aunt and uncle, so she decides to get out her journal and settle on the couch to write. Yesterday I was on the road feeling the lightness of freedom, but today I’m fearful, questioning the enormity of what I’ve done. Yet, I know there is no turning back. Watching Winfred and Henry together after all of these years and all their challenges, I started to wonder. Hearing the two of them squabble about something or other in the kitchen gave me pause. But what I left wasn’t squabbles. It wasn’t a case of irreconcilable differences. It was deeper and darker. I can’t let myself forget. I feel a shift deepening, a widening. I’m shedding a skin and someone I don’t quite recognize anymore is emerging. She’s been hidden in the darkness for so long. I’m curious and excited to re-discover her. Winfred comes in, dressed in her velvety robe, and spots Cate on the couch. “I’m sorry I overslept,” Winfred says. “I’ll make up for it with a pot of my infamous porridge.” “It’s no problem,” Cate laughs, tucking her journal away. “I’ll come help.”

Soon the aroma of cinnamon fills the house and Winfred calls Henry, who is reading the newspaper in the living room, to breakfast. They share the morning meal and clear up the dishes. “Thank you so much, for everything,” Cate announces, as she puts away the last bowl in the cupboard, “but it’s time for me to go.” Cate retrieves her things from the spare bedroom, wheels her suitcase down the hall and calls Fredrick. “Drive safe,” Winfred says, a tear in her eye as she hugs her niece goodbye on the front step. Henry just grunts but the twinkle in his eye gives him away and he gives her a sort-of hug too. As she pulls out of their driveway, back out onto the open road, Cate feels the call of the wild and answers with a full-on, from the belly, howl.

It is a long drive through the winding highways of British Columbia that weave in and out of tree-lined forests and craggy mountainside. Autumn is radiant in all its glorious colour; green pines surrounded by rusty oranges, burnt yellows, burnished reds, soft pinks and deep burgundy leaves. The wind blows through Cate’s open sun-roof, tousling her fine cotton-candy-blonde hair. Cate has her iPad hooked up to the car stereo and Michael Buble’s It’s a New Day, blares out while Cate sings along at the top of her lungs and drums the steering wheel in rhythm. When she passes through the sleepy town of Hope, she knows she’s almost there and her heart starts to beat a little faster, a little louder. The worry of what lies ahead returns, but Cate silences her fears, repeating the affirmation in her head, “I am safe, I am protected.” Cate arrives on Vancouver Island in the pitch-black, dark of night. There are no street lights, only the moon and stars to guide her. She drives right past the turn-off twice, but eventually she spots Celeste’s bright yellow jeep. She pulls into the driveway. The car tires crunch over the gravel, the only sound in the silence. Fredrick jumps out of the car and scampers about. He sniffs the heady air that is thick with damp forest and ocean breeze. Cate soon realizes she has forgotten the instructions of where to locate the key. Her cell phone is dead. She takes a deep breath. Her heart beats loudly as she creeps about the property in the dark, looking for a likely key-hiding receptacle. On the large covered deck there is a table. She lifts each jar of half-melted candles, feeling underneath and finds the keys. Cate lets herself in and turns on the lights. She feels the chill of the empty house and, after storing her suitcases in the master bedroom, she looks about for the thermostat. She turns it up to 22°C. She is too exhausted to do much more than rummage through her things for her toothbrush. She gives her teeth a half-hearted swipe and falls into bed.

Morning blazes through the still wide open, forgotten curtains. Cate wanders into the kitchen, where she is delighted to discover a bag of Drumroasters coffee and a carton of Silk creamer in the fridge. There is a note on the counter from Celeste, “I recall you loved this locally roasted coffee last time you were here, enjoy!” Cate smiles, thinking of her daughter, then brews a pot of coffee. She sits on the couch in Celeste’s living room with the sun pouring in the huge windows. She pinches herself in disbelief. Her decision to take a year’s leave from teaching in Calgary and sublet Celeste’s rental seems outlandish. But Celeste asked for her support and in the end, her children still meant everything to her and it was exactly the excuse she needed to push herself into making the leap. Cate and Fredrick go out to scout the property. It is massive, with an over-grown garden in the back and caterpillar infested apple trees in the front, all surrounded by forest. The air is fresh and it is like her own little garden of Eden. Back in the house, Cate looks around for a suitable spot to set up her sacred space. There is a wall-hanging of the Buddha in the corner of the living room, next to the fire place, and being somewhat of an eclectic spiritualist, Cate decides it is the perfect place. She finds a plank of wood in the basement and sets it on an old cardboard box, then covers it with flowing purple and scarlet silk scarves. On it, she sets her framed Vision Board, along with her Goddess cards, a statue of the Buddha, some candles, crystals, and incense. She finishes by taking a cushion from the couch to place on the floor. She lights incense and sits in meditation. Cate closes her eyes and takes a few deep, calming breaths. She repeats an affirmation inside her head, “I love and approve of myself.” She takes another deep breath, inhaling peace. She bundles up all her worries and anxieties and exhales them. Feeling centred again, Cate returns to the task of unpacking her suitcases and boxes. When she finishes, it is close to noon. Cate hitches Fredrick on his leash and they walk down the hill to the pier. It is a bustling centre of local businesses along the fishermen’s wharf. Cate chooses a patio at a small café where a sign informs that dogs are welcome. She sits down at a wooden picnic table and ties Fredrick to the table leg. She orders fish and chips and a glass of pinot noir. The simple meal is greasy, salty, deliciousness. When she finishes, they walk back up the steep hill to their new home, that is really Celeste’s, and settle in for the rest of the day. Later that afternoon Cate runs a bubble bath and lights candles. She takes off the chill of the autumn day, of the ocean damp, her petite frame easily immersed in the sudsy warm water. After a good soak she dries off and gets dressed in cozy clothes before setting her computer up in the office to work. She leans back in the big, black, leather chair and notices for the first time a message in giant lettering across the office wall: “You will be published!” She smiles and gets out her journal to work on the activities for week one of the writing course she just started, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. The affirmation this week is, “I am a gifted and talented writer with a voice that deserves to be heard.” Looking. Looking out the window and at my reflection and inside myself. Hearing. Hearing the sound of the crows cawing, a plane in the sky, the heater coming on, Fredrick’s tags clinking together as he rolls on the carpet. Tasting. Tasting strong, bitter coffee smoothed out with milk. Thinking. Thinking about options. Writing. Time to work on my book. Before long Cate’s brain is drained, the words turning to drivel in front of her eyes. She takes a break. She heads outside with Fredrick to investigate. The misty mountains poke through the clouds in the distance. She feels God’s presence. She prays that following her heart will lead her on the right path, that God has the keys for the cupboard labeled, “Cate’s Life.” Seemingly out of nowhere, it begins to rain intensely, yet still the sun’s rays pierce through the clouds. Cate and Fredrick run through the deluge with gleeful abandon. The rain soaks her clothes to the skin, but she doesn’t mind. Surrounded by the abundance of nature, she embraces the chance to heal. The next day Cate and Fredrick head out for yet another adventure. They take the path at the end of the lane that leads to the ocean. It is slippery with felled fall foliage and dew. Cate moves cautiously while Fredrick runs off ahead, oblivious. Cate starts to think about bears foraging for food, preparing for hibernation and her heart beats faster but then she is through the forest and standing on the rocky beach looking out at the vast ocean and forgets to be afraid. Woman and dog walk and run, taking in the sights and scents of nature with no sense of time, following their own internal rhythms. Back home, Cate spots three deer in the yard. It feels like a sign of good fortune to come. Fredrick starts to bark and goes a little crazy. Lucky for him, the deer run away. Inside the house Cate makes tea. She drinks out of a blue ceramic mug with an eagle embossed on it. It is so quiet. The fridge rumbles and the dryer squeaks. Cate retrieves her journal. The sound of silence creates space for me to feel my fears. My choice feels crazy and I’m scared. I know I need to push through it, embrace the silence and open my heart. I’m looking for the courage I know resides inside of me. I’m summoning my faith that, in this space I have created, inside of the fabrication of my life, God will show up with possibilities that feel like coincidences but are of the Divine. Cate sets her journal on the table and stares out the huge bay window into the forest. The sun filters through the tree branches. Cate longs for a soft touch, for hands caressing her. She closes her eyes and imagines soft lips kissing her. She pictures herself lying naked and completely at ease with her body, without judgement. She thinks of her pregnancy stretch marks and diabetic needle scars. She tells the critic inside her head to shut up and chooses to notice her strong, lean legs instead. She looks in the mirror over the fireplace at her dreamer-eyes and full mouth. She smiles at her reflection.

Cate decides to go to a restaurant by herself for the second time in two days. The writing course is having her stretch herself out of her comfort zone. She calls herself names inside her head like loser and geek, but stops herself. She takes a deep breath. She makes a conscious decision to quit criticizing herself and wondering what other people think of her. It’s none of her business. She looks around the restaurant, observing. She pulls out her Out and About journal and starts writing. Not long after, a handsome, young, indigenous man approaches. “Excuse me, but do you mind me asking what you’re writing?” he asks. “I don’t mind at all,” Cate says with a smile. “Would you like to join me?” she asks, pointing to the empty chair. K’esu sits down and within minutes they are engaged in conversation about magic and the spiritual world. They talk for over an hour. “Wow,” K’esu says, as he glances at the clock on the wall. “I really enjoyed our connection, but I need to get going.” “I did too,” says Cate. “Maybe I’ll see you around some time.” When K’esu leaves, Cate lets her mind drift. She starts thinking about sex again. She was in the same relationship for twenty-six years and is excited about being with different men. She thinks about the guy from the local repair store with his grey hair and icy blue eyes. She thinks about the human resources fellow with the Cowichan School board. She thinks about strangers she hasn’t yet met.

As part of her new life, Cate decides to try a new style of yoga at a studio in Duncan. She’s been practicing yoga for a few years, but Bikram yoga is all new. She rolls out her mat on the foam floor. The heat is so intense, she’s sweating, full-body, within five minutes of the practice. The instructor barks out, “straighten your knee, reach further, work harder!” He tells the class to look at themselves in the mirror. Cate looks at her body and the criticism immediately sets in. She doesn’t feel like the image staring back at her belongs to her. But the heat and the difficulty of the poses distract her from her judgment and soon she is present only to the physical sensations.

Life on the island continues to pick Cate up and hurl her out of her comfort zone. But that’s what adventures are for, she tells herself. Part of her weekly tasks with the writing course require her to take herself on an artist’s date. This week she chooses to go to the pub on the wharf. She chooses an empty stool at the bar, one seat over from a man sitting by himself. “Excuse me, do you feel like company?” he asks. “Sure, why not?” Cate answers. “I’m Bruce, and you are?” Bruce says as he pulls back the stool beside her. “I’m Cate.” Cate smiles. She shakes Bruce’s hand, which is large and deeply calloused. “Are you new to the area?” Bruce asks, sitting on his stool. “I don’t remember seeing you around before.” Cate proceeds to tell him the framework of her story. They talk about the weather. Cate discovers that Bruce is an automotive repair man. He has a boat and likes to fish. “You can walk down to the wharf and buy fresh fish right from the fishermen,” Bruce says. Cate finds Bruce attractive, although he is much younger than her. After a while some of Bruce’s buddies come into the pub and he introduces them to Cate. They are surprised when Cate reveals she is forty-five. She tells them stories about Celeste, Dana and Taylor, getting a bit carried away with the details of her children’s lives. She’s clearly a bit rusty with the flirting routine.

When Cate gets back home, she is feeling the wine and wants sex. She regrets not making a move with Bruce, but decides to have a bath with bubbles and candles and put on sexy red lingerie, just for her. She tries touching herself, but it doesn’t do anything for her so she lets it go. She reads her book until her eyes are heavy.

Cate wakes up the next day to the kind of day Islanders talk about as quintessential autumn. It is overcast with periods of rain. The ridge is engulfed in a heavy mist. The rain is so thick she can hear it as it drips off the giant maple leaves. When it clears up, Cate heads out with Fredrick to further explore her new neighbourhood. Near the top of the lane Cate sees a man raking up leaves. He waves and calls Fredrick over for a pet. “Are you new around here?” he asks, as he squints into the sun that has just peeked out from the clouds, lifting his hand to his brow. “I suppose so. I’m staying temporarily at my daughter’s house, the rental at the bottom of the lane,” Cate replies. “Well, welcome to Cobble Hill,” he says, holding out his hand. “I’m Reg. Me and the wife, we’re the first home owners here. Almost forty years ago now.” “Hi Reg, I’m Cate. Perhaps you met my daughter, Celeste, and her husband Grayson?” “You know what, now that you mention it, I think they had a yard sale a few weeks back,” Reg says. He scratches his stubbly chin. “Is it the house with the bright yellow jeep out front?” “Yeah, that’s the one.” “I remember your daughter alright,” Reg says with a leery grin. “She’s quite the beauty. I can always remember a pretty face.” Cate is unimpressed with Reg’s ramble. It goes from bad to worse. “You know, in the good old days, when I first moved here, I had a view from my house of the bay, but that was before the Indians stopped allowing the cutting back of the trees. They’ve fished all the fish out of the ocean you know. And they won’t let us fish anymore neither, except for certain kinds.” Cate is surprised to hear Reg express such clear disdain for the indigenous people, but she doesn’t say anything. She has no wish to create conflict. “I best get back to Fredrick’s walk,” Cate says, as an excuse to move on. A little further on up the road Cate sees another older man out walking with his dog off-leash. She sighs, not up for another draining conversation. “Hello there, I’m Hank and this is my dog, Sparky,” Hank says as he approaches. Hank has a friendly demeanour and somehow his white-grey hair and beard make Cate think of leprechauns. Sparky comes running over to inspect Fredrick, who lowers his tail and puts down his head. “Don’t worry about him, he just likes to act tough,” says Hank. “Hi Hank, I’m Cate and this is Fredrick,” says Cate. “We just moved in at the bottom of the road.” “The house with the yellow jeep?” asks Hank. “Yeah, that’s the one,” Cate says. “Well, welcome to the neighbourhood,” Hank says. “I was just about to take Sparky to Bright Angel Park. Would you like to come along? It’s not far from here, and if you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out on something special.” “No, I haven’t heard of it, and I suppose we don’t have anything else to do, right Fredrick?” Cate says on an impulse. “I’m just over on the next court,” Hank says. Cate follows Hank up the hill. A green Toyota hatchback is parked in the driveway. Hank gets out his keys and whistles for Sparky. Cate gets in the passenger side and lifts Fredrick on her lap. For some reason she can’t explain, Cate trusts him. Fifteen minutes later, Hank turns off the highway onto a rubbly road and parks in a gravel lot. They all file out of the car and the dogs start in sniffing. Cate can see right away why Hank loves Bright Angel so much. The ancient trees stretch forever up into the sky, creating a ceiling of green foliage, with just enough space in-between the branches for the sun’s rays to sneak through and the ground to become a carpet of moss. They walk along the river that runs through the park, the gurgling, clear water a pleasant back-drop of tranquility. The dogs are in heaven, scampering down the pathways and investigating the lush, dank scents. Cate is happy she chose to come along and decides she will bring Fredrick back often.

Cate settles into her new neighbourhood and quickly becomes good friends with Hank and his wife, Dorothy. When Halloween rolls around the couple invite Cate and Fredrick to a block party at their house. Shortly after dark Cate hitches Fredrick to his leash, grabs a bottle of red wine, and walks up to join the group who are already huddled in the dark around the fire, drinking hot rum and handing out candy to the children who come along trick-or-treating. One of the neighbours, who appears to have a had a few too many beers, gives Cate a hard time. “How come you’ve got that poor dog tied up on a leash?” Bob asks. “He’s a city dog,” Cate says. “He’ll just get into trouble.” “Well, you’re in the country now,” Bob says. “Go on, let him be free.” Cate caves into the pressure and lets Fredrick off his leash, against her better judgment. When she calls for him shortly after, he is gone. Cate grabs the flashlight she brought along and starts to search for him but he isn’t anywhere in sight. Cate starts to panic. Several of her neighbours join her in the search. Cate ventures closer to the main road, her heart beating faster as she thinks about Fredrick getting hit by a car. Just as her imagination is getting carried away, Bob returns with Fredrick in his burly arms. “No need for alarm,” Bob says as he walks up, his ball hat askew. “I was ringing doorbells down the street and found him curled up on Ned and Izzy’s couch, all warm and cozy. Ned was just about to head out to look for his owner.” “I told you he would only get into trouble,” Cate says. Cate is relieved, but she’s had enough drama for one night. With Fredrick safely on his leash, she heads home.

A few days later Cate accepts an invitation from Celeste’s good friend, Megan, who has taken it upon herself to introduce Cate to some more people in the community. “Do you want to come with me and my husband to a hockey fundraiser at a local bar?” Megan asks. “Sure, that sounds fun,” Cate says. Cate meets Megan and her husband, Charles, at the bar. She remembers Megan from when she visited Celeste and Grayson in the summer and recognizes her massive mane of blonde waves as soon as she walks in. Megan waves from the table and Cate joins them. “It’s so good to see you again,” says Cate, giving Megan a quick hug hello before sliding onto the bench beside her. “It was kind of you to think of me.” “It’s no problem,” says Megan. “It’s good to see you again too. And I’d do anything for Celeste’s mom. By the way, have you had any luck with your job search?” “Ugh, don’t even mention it,” says Cate. “As it turns out, I have to update my certification to teach in BC. It’s looking like it’s going to be quite the go-around.” “Sorry to hear that,” says Megan. “But for tonight, let’s just kick back and have a good time.” Cate takes Megan’s advice to heart and gets a bit tipsy. She flirts with one of the single dads, a friendly and out-going guy originally from Scotland named Finn who has a good singing voice and entertains the crowd at the karaoke station. After he finishes a set Finn walks over to Cate and Megan’s table. “Would you like to go for drinks sometime, just the two of us?” Finn asks. “Moving in on the new girl in town already?” Megan asks, a mischievous look in her big blue eyes. “What the heck,” says Cate, feeling bold. Cate gives Finn her phone number and he promises to be in touch.