I Should Have Known Better

She put on those familiar soft straps of her backpack, put her trusty earbuds in her ears, took a deep breath and took her first step into the luscious green forest ahead of her. The cabin she was in was “nice” she thought but fresh air is what she needed. If I walk this way along the path it should head to the waterfall everyone was talking about at check in. She was in her mid-thirties with long brown hair and deep blue eyes she was cute professional but lately her life has gone awry. The guy she was sure she was going to marry after swiping right ended up being a serial cheater after 3 years together. The job she thought she loved is so damn toxic she cries in the shower every day. She needed this time to ground herself “to plan” she said and the more she thought about her life the more she just wanted to scream so she let out a loud “WHAT THE FUCK!” She got a concerned look from two close by hikers but once they realized she was okay they started to giggle, seemingly understanding that sometimes you just must get it out. “Hey” they pushed out as they walked by. She just raised her hand and gave a half smile “What the fuck, am I going to do with my life? How the fuck did I get here?” Those questions went around in her mind perpetually.

 As she kept hiking, she thought about all the ways her life isn’t working out as she planned. “They say hindsight is 20/20” she thought, but there were some definite red flags she should have noticed. How could she not notice the cheating cycle? He would be cold distant and working a lot sometimes for a month or two and they would fight and just not be connected and then when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he would be the most attentive and loving boyfriend for a few months. He would tell her how amazing she was and buy her beautiful gifts and take her to amazing places. How could she not see he was love bombing her? “Ugh love bombing” she hated using therapist speak, but in this case, it was an accurate description of what was happening. “Fuck,” she exclaimed as she tripped on a rock. The trail seemed busy today. As she came to the top of the hill she heard it for, the first time, the roar of the waterfall. Just a few more feet and she will be able to see it. As she got closer, she could also hear many voices talking loudly and lots of laughter. And then she saw it tucked high up in the stone pouring down into a frothy turquoise water below. People were swimming, admiring it’s beauty and spending time together.

She sat down on a rather bumpy rock a little bit away from people and started listening to her music. First, it was “Fur Elise” by Beethoven, then “Living Dead Girl” by Rob Zombie and now it was Tanya Tucker’s “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane”. At the point she let out a loud laugh was her playlist as chaotic as her life and what does that say about her? Then she heard a “What’s so funny” from behind her and she removed an earbud to respond and that’s when she saw him. He was gorgeous fit like he cared but not so buff that he looked gross. He was taller than her about 5’10/5’11, but not so tall that she would be hugging his waist. He had a defined jawline and short brownish hair, but his most striking feature was his eyes. They were a sparkling blue/green that lit up when she made eye contact with him. All she could think was “Dear God” She tucked her hair behind her ears and said, “Oh just my playlist” “Is it like comedy jams or something?” “No”, she laughed “It’s more of a reflection of my life at the moment chaotic sad and disturbed yet hopeful. If that makes any kind of sense?” “He looked at her took a deep breath and said “yes”. He came and sat beside her on the rock next to hers. “I’m Sarah” she said, “I’m Jack”.  “well, what brings you to the falls, Jack?” “I just needed some fresh air you know.” “I do know”, she said. With that they sat there talking about their lives. She talked about her ex, her toxic job and her chaotic life and he told her about his last girlfriend, his toxic family, and how he was still finding his purpose careerwise. She felt completely comfortable with him. They laughed and talked until they were the only ones left at the waterfall. They looked up and it was getting dark. Jack said “We should head back. They have mountain lions here.” “Do they really? In the Ozarks?” “That’s what I have heard.”

They parted ways and she headed back to her cabin. When she got back, she made herself some popcorn and some meat cheese and crackers grabbed some wine for her fruit lol and turned on her favorite horror movie “Scream”. She ate dinner, drank some wine and thought about what she needed to do next. She opened her laptop and sent two emails. One to ex reminding him, all of his things needed to be out of their apartment by the end of tomorrow and to give his key to her brother when he stops by at noon. No excuses, no drama and no contact after this. She was proud of herself for finally standing up for herself. The second and final email was to her director of HR exposing all the toxic behavior she was experiencing at her job caused by her inept sexist boss and fellow enabling and lazy coworkers that she consistently works circles around. She sent copies of emails, texts and recordings she took during meetings to back up all her claims. She went to sleep finally feeling good about herself that night. She woke up the next day ready to tackle her chaotic life. She went on Amazon and bought a planner, some pens and a new bed with new bedding. She booked herself a hair appointment and a damn massage because she deserves some love. She updated her resume and then she heard the email notification on her laptop. She tabbed over and saw an email from her HR director. She opened it with shaking hands fearing it was her dismissal from the company.

“Dear Sarah,

First let me say, I am so sorry you have been dealing with this. We at HR had our suspicions but could never prove what was happening.  Please rest assured actions are being taken even at this moment to remedy the situation.

We thank you for coming forward and would like to set up a meeting with you to discuss your positive future with our company.”

She closed her laptop. “Positive future, what could that mean?”  She went and grabbed a pop tart and her phone started blowing up. Her work bestie was texting her telling her they had escorted her boss and like half the team from the building. She told her rumors are flying and that they were told “to sit tight they will have answers Monday after you return”.

“Oh my God” she thought what an amazing turn of events. She grabbed a snack, her backpack and her trusted ear buds and headed out the cabin door. She finally felt like she had hope for the first time in a long time. She headed back down to the waterfall once again. Maybe she would get to see Jack again.

As she headed down, she noticed a group of people including a park ranger standing around talking. She passed them and gave a polite smile and said “Hi” and just kept on trekking. She heard a faint mumble something about a set of paw prints and it must be desperate.

When she made it to the waterfall there was no Jack in sight. So, she sat on her rock and listened to her music.  Not even five minutes later there was a bouquet of wildflowers dangling in front her. She looked up to see Jack. They talked some more and he invited her to his cabin for dinner. She happily agreed and they went to his cabin. He poured her a glass of wine and then he made her steak, potatoes and green beans. It was the best steak she had ever had in her life. After dinner they headed over to the couch where they watched “Underworld”. It was amazing night, she thought as she headed back to her cabin. She didn’t remember much of the movie, but she had a great time. They agreed to meet up in the morning for breakfast at her cabin.

As she walked back to her cabin the forest was eerily quiet, but she chalked it up to it being just after dark. She thought about the events of the day and she was so incredibly happy. And then she felt it! She felt something sharp swipe at her back and then something enter her neck and the warmth of her own blood gush out of her and before she lost consciousness, she saw the tan side of massive beast and her final thought was “I should have known better”