aliens were parachuting out of the sky and I’d believe you,” Diana said.
Chapter Eight
Carmen set an eighteen-inch log up on an old tree stump, drew the ax back, and brought it down with a vengeance. The log split perfectly down the middle, leaving two sides to fall on either side of the stump.
Just like my marriage, she thought as she picked up another piece of wood. This time she swung and hit a knot. The shock jarred her slim body so badly she dropped the ax. She bent forward, hands on her knees, and got hold of herself, then picked up the ax, repositioned the wood, and went at it again.
Just like me, wanting to hold on to what is already split. I’m just throwing knots in the inevitable. She swung at the log and split it this time.
Two hours later, her muscles were screaming in pain, but there was at least one rack of firewood split and ready to be stacked. She ignored her aching shoulder and arm muscles and carried an armload to the end of the house where she could see a little of last year’s wood still racked up. When that job was finished, she picked up the ax to split more wood, but the aroma of food wafting from an open kitchen window said that supper was almost ready.
She sat down on the cold ground and leaned back against the stump. Life went on. It didn’t seem to matter that her heart was broken, that she’d put her trust in a man who’d betrayed her from the beginning of their marriage. Life didn’t care about all that. It just wanted oxygen, food, and water to keep going.
“But how does it go on with a broken heart?” she muttered.
No answers fell from the cloudy skies above her. Nor did the north wind whip a few into her head. So she stood to her feet.
I can do this. I am strong. I can get over this and go on with life. My broken heart will mend. My dignity will be restored, she thought with each step toward the house.
Her dark hair stuck to her sweaty face, and she cried until she was sure her eyes were red and swollen, but once she stepped inside, she realized Tootsie had been right. She felt a hell of a lot better.
“Perfect timing,” Tootsie said when she entered the house through the back door. “Supper should be on the table in ten minutes.”
“I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be down by the time it’s ready.” Carmen took the stairs two at a time. She removed her dirty, sweaty shirt and jeans, peeled her underwear down her thighs, and left them all on the bathroom floor. She wished she had time for a long hot bath in the deep tub, but that wasn’t possible in such a short time. She adjusted the water temperature, drew the curtain, and stepped under the spray.
If only she could wash Eli out of her heart like the dirt and sweat from her body, but that wasn’t going to happen with one simple shower—or phone call, for that matter. She shampooed her hair, rinsed it, and turned off the water. Drying her body in a hurry and then wrapping her hair in a towel, she was amazed that she felt better than she had since the divorce papers had arrived. Maybe there was something to be said about that old adage—when you’re mad or sad, work it off. If that was the case, she might be chopping wood forever.
“Something sure smells good,” she said as she approached the dining room.
“Sissy left a pot roast in the refrigerator,” Diana told her. “Luke made biscuits and a salad. Tootsie put together the sweet tea, and we set the table. Do you have something to show for your anger, or did you opt to tear up a trash can?”
“There’s enough firewood to finish filling up the woodshed. We should have enough for a month if we want a full blaze, or longer if we just want to have a small blaze in the fireplace to roast marshmallows,” Carmen answered.
“Fireplace?” Diana asked.
“Check out the living room, behind that tall folding screen thing,” Joanie said.
“We’re back in the boonies, here,” Tootsie reminded them. “Luke, you can have Smokey’s place at the head of the table. I’ll sit by Carmen right here, and Joanie and Diana can have the other side.”
“You sure about that? I can sit at the other end,”