She was so engrossed that when the conductor came by calling out “next stop Mirror Lake”, she was startled. The train was slowing, so she scrambled to gather her bags, and was ready when it stopped at the station. She had a friend in Mirror Lake and she was taking this opportunity to visit him. She hadn’t seen him in two years, and they had been friends since university days.
Gordon Matthews taught physics at the University of Manska, and had been at a gathering of physicists and astronomers in Port Welborne then, and they had enjoyed what time he had free then. As she was about to step down, she heard her name called, and looked around. There he was on the platform, waving and shouting. She waved, called “Hi, Gord,” and stepped down.
Soon they had gathered her luggage and were on their way to his car, exchanging greetings and laughing. He had lifted her large roll-along suitcase and was surprised at its weight. “What have you got in here, goldbricks?” he asked, as he pretended the weight was almost too much for him. “No, something more precious – books!” she laughed. “Books for my courses that I hope will liven things up. Also four on the history of Jewish settlement here, written by a Rabbi Goldberg whom met him on the train, and when I got to Bain City, he gave me a tour of the Synagogue library. Sadly, he died of heart failure while I was there. He was a wonderful man.” She sighed. Soon she was settled in his apartment and they were eating dinner, and catching up.
For the next several days they toured libraries and museums, went to an Oktoberfest celebration and spent two days sampling beer and food, and enjoying a break from academics. When that was over, they decided to use to use her last two days on the lake.
When they first got to the lake, it lived up to its name, reflecting the sky and clouds, the birds, and the trees surrounding it. But by the time they had boarded his sailboat, a breeze had risen, and there were waves to ripple the reflections. They spent two days sailing, or at anchor, just resting, fishing and talking. Gord had received and offer from the university at Port Welborne, and he had decided to make the move.
“Oh, Gord, how wonderful! We will be at the same university, and be able to see each other all the time.” Laura was really excited at the thought. “Yes,” he said. “That was part of what decided me. Of course the higher salary had a little to do with it.” He grinned. “Oh, silly,” she pushed his shoulder, “and I thought it was all on my account!” They both laughed.
The holiday was over, her sabbatical close to ending, and Laura was on the train, on the last leg of her journey. She relaxed in her seat and watched the season change. I what seemed no time at all, the trees were barn and snow gave things a light coat of white.
At last, she was home again shivering in the cold and getting her winter coat and boots form the locker. Once she was dressed for the weather, she took a cab to the garage to pick up her much improved car, and on the way out of the city. As she drove, she saw sheep nibbling at weeds sticking up out of the snow. “Lucky animals,” she thought, “with their ready-made woolly coats. Still, they will soon be locked in their cote, warm and safe for the winter; while I will be driving into town every day, to try to teach unwilling students history. Oh, well, it is my choice. And now I will have Gord around to make it more fun.”
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