[Kätzchen]

Coming to a full stop, with all the dust trailing from behind on the old rutted road to the barn on CC’z property up on the Green Springs past Mt. Grizzly, Dayle sat and watched for signs of where to go next. Hy saw the note posted on the livery door and went to go read it. CC had left directions to find the spot for their secret meeting on the property. Being careful, not to leave it behind as CC had instructed, Dayle went into the stalls and found Sweet Pea ready to ride. Sweet Pea let out a whinny and reared a bit in the stall. “It’s okay,” soothed Dayle to the horse. “Let’s go find CC, okay?” After mounting the horse, Dayle nudged her to take off in the general direction of the place to meet.

It was not too difficult to manage the terrain, Dayle day dreamed thoughtfully. After leading Sweet Pea down the path that descended into a deep ravine that lead to a quiet stream at the bottom, it wasn’t long until Hy spied CC under the cascading water falls. Dismounting and leading the horse along the narrow path toward the opulent expanse of water lying beneath the falls, Dayle gently tied the reins of the horse to a broken limb of a fallen log by the water.

“Was it easy to find, Dayle?” quizzed CC with a smile.

“It sure was! Do you think we are going to be found out, meeting like this so mysteriously?” Dayle answered, as hy thought this plan of CC’z was a bit hair brained even if hy didn’t know the whole story, but would learn of shortly.

“Yes! Well, No, to the part of meeting, but yes to the part where she will find out!” laughing with the thought that Hy knew she would love a good treasure hunt!

“I left that envelope on her patio, just like you asked me to before I brought her home today” said Dayle, informing CC.

“Good! It won’t be long now until she makes that call to the detective, and I have already given him the next step of this masterful plan for the proposal of her life time!” CC smiled that one smile Hy always smiled when Hy knew he had outfoxed her again. He loved the game of hide and seek because CC orchestrated the false crime scene, at her favorite place to go unwind. Hy knew Hy had her hook, line and sinker!

Dayle burst out with utter laugher at the complexity of CC’z hair-brained scheme to propose marriage to her. After all these years of being her best friend, confidante and playful puppy of a guy; and occasionally treating her to a date or escorting her to some function that made Hiz brain go on overdrive with lustful thoughts of her, during the most boring of lectures, CC found Hymself going into a reverie about the final moment when she would be presented with the most magical moment of their life: Proposing marriage to his one and only in the world at the Black and White Ball: the most anticipated social event on the lesbian calendar in the valley.

“So how did you come up with the plan to propose to her, CC?” asked Dayle, while lighting a cigarette as Hy leaned against the rock wall behind the water falls.

“I’m glad you asked because you need to know how crucial it is, that everything fell into place this time. Last year, a fire broke out on the property and I couldn’t take her to the ball like we had planned to do. Instead, she came out here to help me oversee advisors to the fire crew and that was the time I had originally planned to propose. It has to be on this night that I ask her – because the first moment either of us shared about how we wanted it to happen, if it were to ever happen for the two of us, was at the first Black and White Ball we ever went to together. That night was the night I knew it would be her that I would marry and we’d live our lives together. We had shared such an incredible day at the park. We walked the paths together, skipped rocks into the stream; most of the time I followed her down the path and watched her walk and talk about the things she knew about: like the trees and the plants we were walking by. We finally sat upon a huge boulder by the edge of the stream and talked about things we both wanted in a relationship - if that should ever happen for us. At first, I was taken back by her candidness of things she thought about, needed, wanted or desired. I guess I never known someone to be so real – it blows my mind every time I think about it. I knew things for me were different with her and that if I wanted to be a permanent fixture in her life, I had to be true to me and true to her – and to remember the foreboding feelings of the moment that I realized just how important she would become in my life” as CC began to fish for Hiz smokes, wanting to enjoy a smoky pleasure while talking to Dayle.

“You know, CC, the first time I ever met her I knew she was different. You can’t help but get that feeling when you encounter such a woman as her” Dayle agreed with CC, as he exhaled from Hys last drag off the cigarette. “She is so bright and animated, innocent yet mature; talented, quick to be helpful and it doesn’t hurt when you hear her make a comical remark with that humor of hers. I remember that day I was in her line at the grocery store and there you were on the opposite side of her and I thought for sure, we would have been found out then; but I have to hand it to you CC, you do know her really well” as Dayle mused with laughter. “I’m especially proud to help a brother out – so we can see how it goes down the night of your proposal.”

“Dayle” CC said as hy inhaled from the cigarette, “do you know how hard it has been to keep this little secret? We, her and I, share about everything under the sun. I’ve given her little hints over the months, but then something in life will happen, like her going off the edge of the mountain or her mom will show up unannounced or something screwy happens on her job and she has to work more than usual or something comes up with her college schedule that reeks havoc on the little plans we set aside for our “we” time, since we live apart from each other. I mean, we might as well live together, but I know she wants her independence and not lose her space. And well, I have this ranch and I am not about to give it up. So finding the right moment to create an unusual memory for us has been the hardest task of my clever life ever and it’s just so darn important we keep dropping clues until the dance next week.”

Just then CC’z pager went off and Dayle’s too, for that matter. It was Detective Harris looking for both of them. It was urgent. Just as CC had predicted, she called the Detective and now, time was of the essence.

Looking at each other, they put their cigarettes out and mounted their horses for the ride back to the barn.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Dearest Diary,

Sometimes it is good to be still and listen to the gentleness of the wind or listen to the surf of the unbridled ocean, which is just as wonderful when I ride my bike while I daydream as I pedal furiously up an Ashland hillside or while coasting down a hill, swooshing in lazy S’s while I steer my bike crookedly for fun or while I entertain beautiful memories of family life or the challenges of living alone or the delightful friends who grace my life beautifully or the water I might have left steaming on the stove. Hurrying to fix a temporary problem is only a part of the solution, but finding a lasting, mutual decision is sometimes a fruitful and increasingly complex process. The things I value dearly in life are: Feelings of being liked and loved; feeling free to be me and all that I am. Being independent, yet co-sharing interdependence or the gift of allowing acceptance on every level imaginable and sharing a mutual respect with those whom I value most in life. And of course, the elements of kindness and caring or tolerance or endurance or strength and vulnerability or trust, and the ability to focus on the present moment and last, but not least, the ability to live honestly. I give myself permission on a daily basis to relieve life’s pressures by revising the aptitude of my attitude - so I am able to grow, even if it’s only on a moments notice. It’s true that the simplest things in life bring the most pleasure. Help me to remember and cherish the good, bad and ugly that life often gifts to me. Dearest Diary, thank you for being you and for the safety you provide me as I continue to grow.