Near The Lake

Who: Anne and Doc
When: Afternoon
Where: Near the lake

It was the sort of day that Anne had always enjoyed, which meant that she just couldn't force herself to stay inside for it. After taking care of a few of her chores, she decided to head down to the lake for a bit of a walk, perhaps some reading. Tucking a book into her bag, she meandered down to the shore, trying to avoid any cars she might encounter on the way - she'd never figured out what made the horns go off as she passed, but it wasn't something she or the poor drivers particularly enjoyed.

She finally made it down, choosing a nice grassy spot, not too near the water but close enough to enjoy the quiet sounds of the lake lapping against the shore. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the rock behind her and just soaked up the atmosphere. Sometimes when the wind was right, she could imagine herself back in Ireland - not quite, but it was close. She contemplated taking a vacation out there.

Doc was thankful for the little things, the small tasks that kept him grounded in reality no matter how much world-hopping he had to do. Currently, he was grinning wide as he walked Voltaire, the chubby corgi blurring along the sand and stopping to sniff at every piece of driftwood or debris it came across. It was just his kind of day, with hints in the air of the changing season, but nothing unpleasant. Basking in the day, Doc's head tilted back as he puffed a smoke and regarded the sky. The view sure does change when you know what's out there, he mused before lurching forward.

Off-balance for a moment, Doc could only watch in amused embarrassment as Voltaire yanked the leash free abruptly and bolted towards Anne. He bounded up on his hind legs as he got close, yipping enthusiastically and running a mad circuit around her seat, then finally dropping to roll in the patch of grass. "Voltaire!" Doc yelled as he jogged over, "Sorry, ma'am! He's harmless!"

It would take a more focused woman than Anne to keep her attention on the book when adorable little dog was apparently doing his best to get her attention. With a laugh, she set her book aside and watched his antics, holding out a hand for the dog to sniff before giving some enthusiastic pettings. "Goodness, you don't have to tell me that!" she called back to the dog's apparent owner, giving him a wide, friendly smile. "He's absolutely adorable."

Voltaire was more than receptive, snuggling into Anne's leg as she ruffled his fur for as long as he could. Once Doc drew closer though, Voltaire scrambled up and back to his side, tail wagging happily as he zipped back and forth. "Some people accuse me of using him to meet women," Doc joked lightly, crouching to pet Voltaire with one hand and offer the other to Anne. "I just tell 'em, this dog loves people, period. Chubbiest ray of sunshine I've ever seen. Nice to meet you though, I'm Eric," he aid with the offered hand.

"I'd think it would work," Anne teased, "except I'd have to question your taste." She was significantly older than he was, she felt sure. "He's certainly a bundle of energy; looks like he keeps you busy." She reached out to shake his hand, grip firm. "I'm Anne," she introduced. "Good to meet you as well, Eric. Lovely day, isn't it?"

Doc laughed richly at her joke, nodding and returning the shake. "It really is, I think I could spend most every day down here if I didn't have to work. Voltaire wouldn't mind one bit, either. He'd swim up to Canada if he could." He took a long look out over the lake, sighing contentedly for a moment. "Shame that pretty soon this'll all be buried under three feet of snow, isn't it?"

"Oh, don't remind me of the approaching winter!" Anne said with a fake sigh, then laughed. "My old bones complain enough when the cold sets in; I like to avoid thinking about it as long as possible." She matched his long look out over the scenery. "It is indeed a shame to see it buried under all that white - though I can't deny the appeal of viewing a winter wonderland from the warmth of my hearth."

"Agreed," Doc replied with a nod. "I'll have to start stockpiling the freezer soon enough, for sure. Some days when it all comes down, it's just not worth setting foot outside." Though he could hold out hope for his duties to take him somewhere warm, and maybe just linger for a while... Snapping from his brief reverie, Doc looked back to Anne as Voltaire ran the length of his leash in an arc around one side. "You lived in town long?"

It was a funny question; most people Anne interacted with knew of her if they didn't know her outright. She smiled. "Goodness, yes," she said. "Some forty-one years now, if that isn't giving away too much. So much for never asking a lady her age, hm?" She winked at him, obviously joking again. "My husband, God rest his soul, was born and raised here. And you?"

"About four years now," Doc answered, chuckling good-naturedly. "Moved up with my kids, we needed a fresh start." What a decision that had proven to be, coming here. Crazier here than it ever got back home. "Gotta say, I love the area. I'm a city boy, born and bred, but this took me by surprise..."

"It has its own charm," Anne agreed. "I'm from a small town myself, though Dublin wasn't very far. I far prefer small towns. The sense of community here is something sorely lacking in larger metropolitan areas." She gestured to the grass beside her. "Why don't you join me for a bit?" she asked. "Tell me about your children. How old are they?"

"Oh, there's community in big cities," Doc retorted, settling on the ground near Anne. "It just exists in microcosms... there was a good six square blocks of Chicago that were like my little kingdom, once upon a time." He smiled nostalgically, reclining back on an elbow. "My kids? They're both nineteen. Twins. Absolutely great, both of 'em."

"Be that as it may, nothing quite beats the way small towns do it," Anne said, smiling peacefully. "Twin teenagers!" she exclaimed then with a laugh. "I'll bet they were a handful growing up, weren't they? My two had only a year between them and some days I thought I could barely keep up!"

"They got into trouble, sure," he answered, nodding and laughing over the few memories he had from visits as the twins had grown. "Funny thing about these two, though, is that they focused more on each other than anything else. I think it cut a lot of the teen wild side." Except for the murder, and the asylum stay. He wondered, not for the first time, how things could've been different but for his own stubbornness, and sighed quietly. "Their mother was the one who really caught the brunt of it, at any rate."

"They sound like a good pair," Anne said, then sobered as she caught his tone. "I'm sorry; I hope I haven't blundered onto a sensitive subject. It's been said that I talk too much. Nosiness is the curse of old women everywhere, I think."

Shaking his head at her apology, Doc flashed a reassuring smile before lighting up. "No need, really. But you have it exactly right, they're a pair. I've never seen it as truly as with those two. You mentioned children of your own? What do they do?" It was nice to have the distraction of someone else's life, someone's normal life.

"Well," Anne said, "Harold teaches economics at Brown and Judy is a dentist. She has a practice in Connecticut. They're both married and have nearly grown children of their own, of course. Good kids, though they had a penchant for mischief when they were younger. Positively ran me ragged some days."

"Nothing more tiring than healthy kids, hey?" Doc asked with a light chuckle. He'd missed far too much of that with the twins; large handfuls of months at a time spent on the road, chasing one contract or another with no real reason but the act itself. It was time he couldn't make up for, no matter how much he was here now. "Sounds like they grew up great, though." With his own kids, he'd just be happy to see them keep growing up.

"Healthy and energetic," Anne said, chuckling with him. "Though I did my best to make sure they never got sick." She smiled. "I'm a fair hand with home and herbal remedies, should your family find themselves under the weather and need a quick pick-me-up. My husband and I used to run a shop." She nodded. "They did, indeed. They're good children."

"My kids've always been pretty healthy, but you should give me some kind of contact info," he agreed readily, digging in one coat pocket for a pen. "I travel a lot, and sometimes not a damn thing I do makes me feel rested." That got a brief sigh from the man, a reminder that peaceful moments like this could never last long for him. Not anymore.

"Certainly," Anne said, prepared with a scrap of paper and her own pen. Sometimes the benefits of a large bag that she rarely left home without were invaluable. She scrawled her name and telephone number, handing it over, then scrutinized him a moment. He looked a little worn around the edges - though she tended to think that of anyone who admitted to being overly active. Her little Jamie included. She decided she couldn't let him go without a little something to help - and happily enough, she had a packet of tea she'd been planning to take to her friend Esther's right there. "You know," she said, digging around in her bag again as if just remembering something, "I was planning to visit a friend later today who has the same problem. But I've forgotten a recipe I'd promised to bring, so it's no trouble to give you this now and run home to pick up some more for her later." Withdrawing the tea, she curled her hand around it, pushing with her will. The mixtures were similar enough; it didn't take much effort to change it to a sleep aid and give it just a bit of added kick. "Chamomile and valerian," she said, holding it out to him. "Works like a charm for restful sleep."

Doc didn't protest, nodding thankfully as he took the tea and number from Anne and pocketed it. Of course he wouldn't be so foolish as to just drink it, but it wouldn't take long later to explore it with tendrils of pure will, to understand it inside and out... "Much appreciated, sometimes I feel like I've just stopped entirely," he said, winking, then lurching to one side as Voltaire tugged at his leash. "Might be because of the little realist here, now that I think about it..."

Anne grinned, the antics of the pudgy dog quite entertaining. "He walks like he's the one holding the leash," she observed, amused. "I think we've all felt like that at one point or another; the trick is to make the time for relaxation." She winked. "Of course, it gets easier as you get older and you have nothing to do but relax."

Never gonna get those days, Doc thought regretfully, thinking on how the grey at his temples had even faded slightly since everything changed. "Ah, retirement... the golden chalice. I'm sure everyone says this, but I think I'd go crazy with that much free time." He'd even tried it briefly, when they'd first moved here. It was simply too deeply ingrained in his spirit; that urge to fight.

"I flirt with the edge, myself," Anne confided. "Thankfully, I've managed to keep my nose into my neighbors' business. Rarely a day goes by when they're not coming to me for help with something. It's wonderful. If I had nothing to do but play shuffleboard or complain about the way things were, I think I'd be a wild-haired madwoman by now."

"Fifty cats in your yard and everything," Doc added with a smirk, hauling Voltaire over as the dog tugged the leash again. "And I'd be willing to bet that it's harder to get your neighbors noses away than it is to keep yours out. Trust me, when people know you can do something, possibly for cheap, the phone never stops ringing." His situation could be comparable, if the whole world was the 'neighbors' and he never quite knew whose nose would be poking in.

"Goodness, I advertise what I do," Anne said, waving a hand. "I grow more herbs than I know what to do with, and if my little mixtures can help people as well as keep me busy, why shouldn't I? I very greatly enjoy being able to provide a service to my neighbors - or anyone who asks, for that matter." And some who didn't because they were too stubborn to admit they needed it. "My home is always open to those who need me."

"Mighty thoughtful of you," Doc complimented, bracing himself as Voltaire rushed up into his lap and was summarily lifted clear. "I think you'll definitely be hearing from me, Anne. But I think I should finally take the little master's hint." With a smile and a ruffle of the dog's fur, Doc slowly rose. Dusting himself off quickly, he offered a hand again to her. "But this was great crossing paths with you. It's always good to make another friend around here."

"I look forward to it, Eric," Anne said, shaking his hand again. "It was lovely to meet you as well. Do come by and visit whenever you like." She smiled. "Otherwise, I'm sure I'll see you around. Small towns have a way of doing that, you know."