departures continued.

The car took them to her condo, they went up together and she walked one last time through it. Quest remained by the door humming some song that sounded a lot like the Ting ting’s “That’s not my name.”  She gave him a quizzical look at this and he just grinned and nodded at her bags. She sighed as she crossed to the closet where her traveling clothes awaited her on a hanger inside. She changed in her empty bedroom fighting off the urge to panic and rush into the other room and tell Quest she had in fact changed her mind and she would be needing all her stuff back and would he be a nice hero-maker and get all of it for her. She stood looking out the window at the bay as she changed out of the dress she had worn to the office party and the silky underwear. She stopped long enough to glance at herself in the sliding mirror door of her closet.

Her body had lost almost all the softness that it had not too long ago. She looked at the slightly strange woman who stared back at her. The woman that looked back at her, for one thing this woman was fit and toned; instead of the woman who had barely worked out before. Her arms were beginning to show signs of musculature as were her calves. She ran a hand down the length of her body in admiration of what her newfound determination had achieved.

She shook her head in disbelief at what she had become as if her body had been born to this and perhaps it had. There was a firmness in her stomach she had never known could be there never mind her butt! She glanced back up to find her new self smiling back at her and she blushed a little. Had she always been this vain?

“We can get going as soon as the peahen stops preening in the mirror.” Quest said from somewhere beyond the door.

Vanessa gave an involuntary jerk and shot a glance back at the still closed door of her bedroom. She crossed back to the closet and retrieved her traveling outfit. Donning a tee shirt, then LL Bean button up shirt, Blue Jeans, socks and hiking boots; the shoe salesperson had called them Rocky Rangers, she had bought them because they looked good and fortunately felt very comfortable.

She found Quest inspecting her gear by the door and felt a rush of pride as he nodded in approval at her choices in backpack, slingback satchel and duffle. He glanced at her clothing and grinned. She took a breath and then realized she had been holding it. She knelt to tuck the Jeans into her boots, retrieve her Sigma survivalist watch to her wrist, polarized shades and Converse ball cap. Standing she strapped on the fanny pack before shouldering her backpack and watched Quest pick up the rest of her bags.

“I can’t help but wonder if I will see any of this again.” She said taking one last look around.

“You will if you wish it.” He answered looking around with her.

“Is that the cryptic message of the night?”

“Always too much of life is already shrouded in mystery to deny it.”

“What is that? Did you get that piece of wisdom off a cereal box?”

Quest answered her by laughing then he smiled his smile and spoke.

“People always want to know what comes next, what should they expect, as if knowing will prepare them for what is going to happen. Being ready is not knowing what will or may or even might happen; it is rather recognizing what can happen and being ready to deal with it. If you are open to life then you will not only survive what comes next but you will also be able to make the most of it.”

Vanessa opened her mouth to reply then shut it. She knew that he was right, she frowned up at him then shrugged and nodded. She had no idea where she was going but she did know she was ready to go there. Wherever there was that is. She grinned before speaking.

“I am ready.”

Quest smiled his smile and said. “Lock the door on your way out.”

She glanced back at him as she walked out the door and could have sworn he was scoping out her behind as she swaggered out before him. She raised an inquiring eyebrow at him as they walked out to the elevator.

            “I may be a hero-maker but I am still a man, even if I am old enough to be a distant ancestor.” He said then waggled his eyebrows mischievously.

            In the elevator he plucked off her cap and curled the brim of it. “Red-neck Style” was all he said as she pulled her hair into a tight pony tail. She laughed with him before replacing it on her head.