View from the Mountain, pt 1

"You know, we have these things called phones," Mariah Huntley said gently.

"What?" Miranda Silveroak-Goth blinked, coming out of her own thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we could have talked to Aadi on the phone," Mariah said. "You know... rather than coming all the way to Henford."

The car service, a perk courtesy of Miranda's superstar mom, Cassie Goth, had dropped them near the Finchwick village green. Mariah knew there were closer places to park, but she hadn't objected when Miranda had announced her intension to walk to nearby Old New Henford and the house on Old Mill Lane.

The house had been Miranda's childhood home. Sometime after her family had moved to Glimmerbrook and the ancestral home of Miranda's other mother, Gwen, the house on Old Mill Lane had been given to Miranda's friends, Jake and Beth Volkov, as a wedding gift. Technically, Jake and Beth still owned the property, renting it out to a local artists' commune, which now included Miranda and Mariah's friend and former college roommate, Aadi. 

"It's not that much out of our way," Miranda said. Her distracted look transformed into a genuine smile as she added, "Besides, this way we can see Aadi and what they've done with the old house."

"Si, OK," Mariah nodded. "So, we're here to see Aadi?"

"Of course," Miranda lied. "Why else?"

"Mia amata, never try to give me a surprise party, OK?" Mariah laughed.

"What?" Miranda said.

"For a wise and mysterious witch, you suck at hiding things," Mariah said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Miranda said loftily.

"Certemente," Mariah shook her head. "This sudden desire to visit Aadi has nothing at all to do with Cassie suddenly revealing that Gwen's father - your grandfather, for all practical purposes - lives just up that mountain there. Si, OK."

"What?" Miranda said with a hint of bitterness. "You mean, the grandfather who lived practically next door to me for basically my entire childhood... but who no one ever even told me about?! The one I've never met? The one Gwen still won't talk about?"

"I'm just not sure this is a good idea," Mariah said seriously.

"I'm sorry." Miranda wheeled on her. "What was that, Ms. I-Became-A-Gangster-To-Get-To-Know-My-Father's-Family?"

"Si, and that went so well, didn't it?" Mariah replied.

For a long moment, their eyes met. Mariah could see the turmoil in her lover's face. She could practically feel it roiling in her own guts. With a deep breath, she just waited, knowing that was what Miranda needed now.

Finally Miranda sighed, "God, what am I doing?"

"Stressing out," Mariah said, forcing herself to relax. "I get it."

"Of course you do," Miranda laughed ruefully. Throwing her arms in the air, she turned, taking in the green of the trees, the solid bulk of the mountain, the bubbling of the nearby stream and the smell of the rain on the wind. Finally, she looked back at the face of the woman she loved. "Of course you do. I love you."

"Anch'io ti amo," Mariah smiled back. "Come on, let's go see Aadi and then hike up a mountain."

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Author's Note: So, I got hit by a major game bug in the Sims game that I use to generate pictures for these stories. I wasn't able to get all the pictures I wanted for this short story. After nearly giving in to despair, I decided that I did have at least some pictures, and I have the words. So, I'm going to press on anyway. This story will be more words and less art than usual, but it will get done.