She enjoyed the mornings on the patio with her herbs. Each had been chosen carefully for its personality and she loved them all. Her favorite lavender cotton from Ybor City was struggling to survive since the Joker had mistakenly pruned it back too far. She had spent much time with it this last week but she feared it would not survive the weekend. At least her prized valarians had survived the trip from Baton Rouge and she and the Joker had quickly gathered a wonderful collection of basils, rosemaries, oreganos and thymes. Ybor City had a good variety but they pushed their plants too hard resulting in small, immature root balls. This meant they needed almost constant watering. She missed her little garden in Baton Rouge but was teaching herself the basics of container gardening. She had just washed off the patio and the concrete was already dry and almost too hot to walk on.
Spiral walked out onto the sandy coastel soil and over to the grove of trees half way down to the lake. There, the little wild rose was starting to wilt and she gave it some water. It had opened into a bright purple bloom the day they moved in as if to welcome them but it couldn't stand the heat and dryness. The petals would probably drop soon. She wished it luck and continued walking down to the lake to sit on the bank. Every day the water level dropped lower and the bed was dry in places. But here, in the shade of a great cypress, the cool water still touched the shore. "Yes", she thought. "It was going to be a hot day."
Spiral had mixed feelings about returning to Florida after all these years. She had family down the coast from Tampa Bay and she was looking forward to seeing them again. She attended high school and college on the Atlantic Coast. But not all her Florida memories were pleasant. Her ex-husband and other old aquaintences still lived over there. And Florida was where her beloved father had died and was buried. She remembered that strange feeling she had when they crossed the Alabama line and saw the big "WELCOME TO FLORIDA" sign looming over the road side.
There had been much to do during the two weeks between signing the contract with American Mobile Nurses and the day they had to leave Baton Rouge. A Florida nursing license was expensive and required a ton of paper work to obtain. Their car, which they referred to as "that piece-of-shit Mazda" needed extensive repair before it would be road worthy. It sucked money the way a leech sucked blood and had already cost far more than it was worth. Next came sorting thru and packing their worldly goods. It was unbelievable to Spiral how much stuff they had accumulated. The Joker came to Louisiana with a hatchback full of boxes and Spiral stepped off the Greyhound in New Orleans with just two duffel bags. But that was a long time ago. When they relocated to Baton Rouge they needed the largest U-haul available to move their things. A weekend yardsale proved very profitable as they sold off their furniture and plant collection. They sold a few more items privately and gave alot away to friends. Finally, the nite before they left, they went thru the last of it, making tough choices before hauling 35 garbage bags out to the curb. The joker had talked the U-haul guy into putting a carrier on top of the p-o-s mazda despite dealer policy that the car was too small to handle it. He'd also shipped a few boxes to Florida by UPS. But he was still surprised how much he had managed to stuff into the little four-cylinder. Spiral had to admit that she too was impressed with his packing job.
They left early on a Thursday morning during a blinding rain storm that was drenching the entire gulf coast. With their little dog Gizmo in Spiral's lap and their cat in a cage behind the Joker, they sped east down I-10. It rained the entire trip but the car handled well and each nite they found clean motels. The joker had made a couple of cassettes with their favorite songs to listen to and they chatted and remembered, hoped and dreamed as the miles fell away. They both were high on adventure and felt themselves drawing closer together. They had worked hard those last two weeks and learned new repesct and trust for each other.
The Chasco Woods Apartmrents in Port Richy were nestled among large, old trees with long limbs heavy laden with spanish moss. The neighborhood was semi rural, three mile inland and surrounded by orange groves and retirement communities. The buildings were about 30 years old and being renovated by new owners. Their apartment was on the ground floor next to the clubhouse with big windows overlooking the lake. Inside it was clean except for the carpets and after a couple of phone calls the complex agreed to clean them. It was a well thought out design with a nice living area, efficient kitchen and a large walk in just off the master bedroom. But the furniture... American Mobile had paid for a modest furniture package but Aarons had provided old furniture from their close-out department in a sleezy effort to squeeze a few more months rent out of the shabby stuff. It had taken two weeks, a dozen angry phone calls and a trip into Clearwater to speak with the manager before Aarons agreed to provide the proper furniture package. At one point they had even been physically threatened by the delivery driver who, it turned out, lived in the same apartment complex.
But they soon settled in. Most evenings, after the Joker came home from work, they spent their time on the patio caring for their prosperous herb collection, playing with Gizmo and taking walks along the lake. After sunset they sat in the living room and watched the OJ trial coverage and reruns of Star Trek TNG. Spiral read books from the local library and the Joker resumed his celtc painting. He liked his job although it was physically demanding and the pay was lower than he would have liked. But they were enjoying their new adventure and felt happier than they had been in a long time.
Spiral heard Gizmo barking back up on the patio and she smiled. He had discovered that he was not the current center of her attention and was angry. Reluctantly, she stood and walked back up the bank. Her right leg was dragging that day and the pelvic pain was harsh. At least her headaches had been easily controlled that last week. Dr. Murphy in New Orleans had given her enough medication to last awhile and she hoped she wouldn't have to see a another doctor anytime soon. Gizmo raced across the yard and jumped into her arms and licked her face. She hugged him tightly for a moment before puting him down. She had some work she wanted to get done before the heat drove her indoors. Sitting cross legged in a shaded corner she smiled to herself as she trimmed a shaggy mint. She was thinking of her husband at work and the plans she had for him that nite after he came home.
Her heart was filled with peace and love.
