Xena the Wing Pup
The week went by in a flurry.
Wanting to look her best for Friday night's ceremony, Micaela scheduled a multitude of beauty appointments, and she even met with a stylist to help her choose the perfect outfit. Not to mention, and most importantly carving quality time with her husband, George, which meant going to all the home games the Seattle Mariners had this week.
Persephone had been on her mind the whole week, but it wasn't until Wednesday night after she and George got home from the game that she was able to reach out.
First and foremost, Micaela knew she had to vet Persephone to be certain she was not going to fall for Chris Ericson's good looks and charm so easily. The last thing she needed was to throw this innocent, unsuspecting lamb in a cage with her horny godson only to have him devour her completely and pick his teeth with her bones after only five minutes.
Anxious to get their real-life love story going, she sent her target a text asking to meet at the Kubota Japanese Botanical Gardens.
To her dismay, Persephone responded immediately that she had already planned a visit for the next morning as soon as they opened... which was six.
After silently cursing herself, Micaela texted back with feigned grammatical enthusiasm: "Six o'clock in the morning it is!!! Can't wait!!!!" (Adding emojis for good measure: Smiley face, smiley face, thumbs-up).
Thankfully, on the day of the garden tour Persephone greeted her with a cup of coffee from the shop where they met. Unfortunate for her, the concoction tasted of floral perfume with a hint of vanilla. Such sin, Micaela thought disapprovingly. Who the hell would ruin the precious coffee beans this way when their mission in life was to sacrifice themselves for the sole purpose of bringing joy to the brains of the masses?
Nevertheless, Micaela mentally hyped herself up. She was seldom up this early and if this was the only cup of Joe coming to her rescue, she knew she would have to power-on with the only form of caffeine coming to her rescue today, even if it was masked in frilly liquids.
Micaela Dawson was by no means a quitter!
Even so, she found that she could only muster a tight-lipped sip every-so-often, and only when she really needed it.
They spent an hour walking through the pathways of the garden, enjoying nature and the views of green foliage with sporadic smatterings of wildflowers in bloom.
The hydrangeas were especially beautiful with their soft hues of violet and blue. When Persephone suggested she take a few steps back and look at the scene as a whole, Micaela was left in awe. She was looking at a living masterpiece with the colorful shrubs standing in all their glory in the foreground and dramatic tall trees in the background. Their dark green bodies cut in geometric shapes really off-setting the beauty of the blooms. She hated to admit that seeing the garden in the softest sunlight was indeed a visual treat.
Forty years in Seattle and she never would have seen this if not for Persephone.
"Nature provides the most unique masterpieces," Persephone all but whispered, staring in the same direction as Micaela. "We just have to remember that we have the power to broaden the horizon."
The two women smiled at each other.
Taking advantage of the opening she quickly asked, "Is that something you do often?" Micaela countered. "Broaden the horizon?"
Persephone tilted her head and smiled. "It's what life is all about, no? When you're in a bind, you broaden your horizons to find a solution."
She looked at her, Micaela could swear she felt Persephone's soul. Her body may be youthful, but she would bet her career that her soul had vanquished a thousand hardships.
"You must have lived through some things," Micaela prompted.
Persephone simply turned, not acknowledging her words. "I'm going to look at the ponds," she uttered, walking ahead of Micaela.
She followed.
When they finally encountered a pond, Persephone stood near the water stretching her arms to the sky, closing her eyes and smiling. She inhaled profoundly as if wanting to fill her lungs with this precise moment forever.
This was the moment that endeared her to Micaela's heart.
What is your story? Micaela wondered, remembering she had an agenda to pursue. "Is peace something you didn't have much of in California?" She asked softly when Persephone opened her eyes.
Without making contact, she noticed the young woman take another deep breath... and take her time responding as if she had to seek the perfect answer.
When she finally faced her, Persephone simply said, "Peace is the best thing in the world," responding wistfully, walking past Micaela.
Trying to come up with a way to subtly segue into relationship talk, Micaela slowly turned towards Persephone.
She froze when she noticed the delicate way her body moved. She studied her as she made her way to a stone bench that didn't look very comfortable, although, she had to admit, if she was wearing the sandal wedges that Persephone was wearing on this walk, it would probably look mighty inviting to her as well.
Despite the chill in the air, Persephone unbuttoned her pink twill coat revealing a stunning, white summer dress with brown medallion designs. She sat down with the grace of a gazelle, crossing her long legs in the same dainty fashion.
This was a very well put-together young lady, she thought approvingly. Chris would be lucky to have her- she just hoped he wasn't riddled with venereal diseases.
Before she joined Persephone on the bench, she decided it was time to finally end the charade with the vile drink she was still carrying around. She remembered passing a trash receptable a few steps back and wasted no time in heading towards it. As she neared the bin, she noticed a very, very good-looking, sweaty young man kneeling next to his dog nearby. His hair was matted down with perspiration making the black shade look like glistening onyx. His face was angular and masculine.
He looked at her for a moment, flinching as if he recognized her - which was funny because she had a feeling she had seen him before as well.
What didn't seem familiar were those magnificent eyes! From this angle, his eyes looked like an impossible soft shade of violet!
Dear God in heaven, this man was perfection, Micaela mused, regretting, actually regretting that she wasn't forty years younger!
He was unleashing his golden retriever but his eyes were now trained on Persephone.
"Ok, there she is, girl." Micaela heard him whisper to his dog. He put a tennis ball in her mouth. "Here's the ball. Go!"
On command, the furry dog dutifully ran to Persephone dropping the ball at her feet.
Micaela saw Persephone's face light up with a smile as soon as she saw the dog. "Aren't you precious?" She asked the pup sweetly, scratching the dog's ears. "Yes, you are!"
Son of a bitch, Micaela mused. This guy had the art of the pick-up down to a science: muscles, irresistible dog, violet eyes... everything.
When the young man ran towards Persephone with a smile, (that only made him even more devastatingly handsome, she admitted,) Micaela knew it was time to rejoin her new friend. With any luck, this would tell her what she wanted to know because if Persephone could resist this Adonis, she could definitely resist her godson.
Micaela power-walked her ass to the two.
"Xena!" Hot guy called to his dog as he neared Persephone's bench. "What are you doing? Don't bother her, girl! She's relaxing!"
Oblivious to the deliberately accidental meeting, Persephone ate it up. She continued to cuddle the perfect dog.
"She's not bothering me," she looked up briefly at the hunk of a man, but her attention went right back to the dog. "She's the sweetest."
Micaela didn't know how the dog did it, but she actually thought she saw the canine smile.
"Thank you," he bent down to cuddle his pet as he knelt right in front of Persephone. "You are the sweetest, aren't you girl?" He stroked her fur lovingly, but quickly focused on Persephone. "My name is Ryan La Montagne," he extended a hand towards her.
She shook his hand, "Persephone de Cordova," thankfully, she motioned towards Micaela, who was starting to feel like a third wheel.
Fourth, if you counted Xena.
"That's Micaela Dawson."
He stood, stretching his hand towards her. Micaela put two-and-two together. "Ryan La Montagne? First baseman for the Seattle Mariners?" She asked him more as reflex. Of course that's who he was. She hadn't recognized him without a baseball cap and his butt-hugging uniform pants.
Standing akimbo, he motioned to her with an open palm briefly. "Yeah- you're a season seat holder, right? I think I've seen you behind the dugout with your... husband?"
Micaela nodded. "My George!" She confirmed, placing her hands over her heart.
Persephone gave one last cuddle to Xena the wing pup and stood. "Actually, she's a famous author." She rubbed her hands against her coat.
Ryan turned to her. "Oh? What have you written?"
Micaela shook her head. "I'm sure nothing you've read." She couldn't see this jock staying up late at a night to finish sickly-sweet musings from her brain.
"Try me," he challenged.
Challenge accepted, Micaela thought. "Romance," she shrugged. "I'm sure it's not your genre of interest."
He cocked a smile and looked at Persephone. "Not yet."
Oh, he was good, Micaela mused as she realized that now he was using her to open the door for a flirting session with Persephone.
Although the movement was nearly imperceptible, Micaela saw Persephone stiffen.
She wasn't as subtle as she probably hoped when she yanked the mobile phone from her coat's pocket.
"Oh, shoot. I'm late." She turned to look at the two. "Micaela, lovely outing. Let's do it again!" She turned to Ryan. "Bye!" She said awkwardly to him before sprinting towards the exit.
Micaela and Ryan turned to each other, each lost in their own thoughts.
Bingo, thought Micaela.
Let the love story begin.