Page 115 of Mountain Pine
The day before it was how she cut her food.
The day before that it was… shit, I can’t even remember but trust me there was something.
“Ugh,andI have yoga.” She stomps into the bathroom and leaves the door open. “We’re out of toilet paper!”
“Check next to the sink.”
“What? Oh. Found some!”
Heading into the kitchen, I get her tea and my coffee brewing. Fall is upon us, and I’m thrilled for the cooler weather.
Ever since the day we got engaged, I haven’t seen or heard from my father again. My mom’s never reached out, so I’m not really worried there. I did start back up with my therapist though because I want to make sure I work through what happened. Especially since right after that day Taylor beat my dad with her flowers, I started having nightmares that she was in danger, and I couldn’t stand the anxiety I’d wake up with.
So far, counseling has been helpful. Like Taylor says, gotta do shadow work and release all my negative energy.
I honestly have no clue what any of that means.
“Hey, I wanted to ask you about something,” I call out from the kitchen.
Taylor comes in, pulling a tank top over her head that says,Support your local witches. “What it is?”
“Do you think we should do a string cut?”
She looks at me confused. “A what?”
“You know. That thing where you cut the strings and then the other person leaves you alone.”
Her brows knit together. “A cord cutting?”
“Yeah.”
“Conner, I thought you didn’t believe in woo woostuff.”
“Well, I believe in you and if you think it’ll help, I want to try.”
She sits at the kitchen table, eyeing me. “That kind of thing is for releasing unhealthy attachments and reclaiming your energy.”
All the more reason to do it. I mean, I’m doing the work for my mental health with a professional, why not to the spiritual part with a pro too, right? Makes sense to me.
“I’ve never done that before,” she confesses, sounding worried. “What if I mess it up?”
“You won’t.”
“But what if…”
“What if it’s the last door closing to all the old, bad shit?” I set her teacup in front of her. “What if it’s just a little something extra to bring me peace of mind?”
She chews on her bottom lip.
“I’ve hung that tiger’s eye pendant in my truck for you for years. What’s the difference?”
“Well….” She dunks her tea bag and goes quiet. I let her be because I can see she’s thinking hard. “Okay. We can do it. I’m pretty sure I have everything we need.”
Of course, she does.
“Go get it.”
“Okay.” I watch her walk out of the back door to head into her little shop, and my god her ass is spectacular in those yoga pants. She’ll be blessing the town all day in those damn things.
