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5 September

If I said I didn't want to get out of bed any of the previous days during our stay in this hellish Indian Summer turned muckish winter, it was nothing compared to today. I'd used parts of my body yesterday that I can attest to having forgotten belonged to me at any time in my life. The second I woke up I had aches whose origins I couldn't identify. I had been lucid enough last night, even after loading up on what pain medication we had - and that was basically aspirin - to place my robe and slippers within manageable range of my arms. I waited until Colin headed for the bathroom then used every ounce of what remained of any un-aching fiber of my being to, literally, roll out of the bed, into my robe and slippers and head for the hot tub. There was more than one obstacle to overcome at this juncture. One was navigating the stairs, the other was that the hot tub was on an outdoor patio, at the back of the house, off the kitchen. It was going to be a journey from hell. I stood at the top of that stairway and groaned. Walking, in any form, already hurt. An attempt at bending my knees any more than the basic mode of movement took wasn't going to happen. I could sit down and slip one step at a time on my ass, but that was the most damaged area of my whole body. I came to the only workable plan I could fathom in my present physical state. I painstakingly, after checking for other life forms, removed my robe, put it on backwards, tucked as much material as I could between my legs and slid down the banister. I shuffled through the living room, practically skated through the kitchen and trudged over a still snow laden patio to the hot tub. I wasted no time turning it on full force; then my robe, my slippers and I slinked into the warming water. Now that I had made it, there would be hell to pay for anyone that tried an extraction.

I felt as if my body had betrayed me. There was a time, in the not so distant past, that the type of activity I had engaged in yesterday would not have rendered me practically paralyzed the next morning. Every joint in my body was reminding me that I played a long time in a climate I was no longer use to. Despite my precautions to bundle up against the frigid temperatures, the years I had spent in Austin had taken their toll. My moaning and groaning as I got out of bed woke Jack. I knew he too was feeling less than spry as he tried to sit up in bed, groaned and then fell back into the mattress with an even louder groan. I left him to manage getting out of bed by himself and made my way to the kitchen for coffee and more aspirin. In the kitchen I noticed that Diane had performed the miraculous. She had somehow, although I had no idea how, gotten herself into the hot tub. While my aches and pains were only the result of a body no longer used to real winters, hers were by no means the same. I set up the coffee, put on the kettle and found her tea. I was assured that nice hot cup would be most welcome. As I was rifling through the cabinets to find the largest mug I could to use for Di, Colin appeared in the kitchen. The spring in his step was also missing this morning.

"Good Morning, Hilly."

"Morning Evel Knievel."

He let that reference pass and just sat down at the kitchen table. I don't think he was capable of standing for very long.

"It seems that Diane has vanished."

"No... she's out there."

Colin followed my pointing finger towards the vicinity of the hot tub.

"I'm fixing her tea. You can bring it out to her and there's a lot more you can do for her."

Colin looked up at me with an absolute clueless expression. I began to tick off the chores I expected him to perform.

"First, bring her tea to her. Then you can lay out all her clothes and accessories she plans on wearing today. And before you tell me you have no idea... ask her... she'll spell it out for you. When she's ready to get out of there... you will help her out... carrying her up to your room without any agenda on your part."

My arms were crossed against my chest and I delivered those expectations in my most authoritative voice. Colin cleared his throat and I knew he was attempting to rationalize those tasks as being needless. Before he could get a word out, I cut him off.

"You know you owe her that much today."

He smiled at me and shook his head. He knew there was no argument he could offer and that I was right. I set her mug in front of him and held open the door. While Colin was not dressed for the elements he, without any protest, took up the mug and carefully made his way to Diane.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, was going to take away the cornucopia of colors my body was turning. In less than a week we would be in New Jersey and, likely, back to shorts. There would be real Indian Summer and I supposed I would fit right in with the rest of the fall hues. I'd released the sopping robe and tossed off the deluged slippers to the side of the hot tub as it got to near boiling and my aches relaxed some. I planned on staying here all day, and night, if it was feasible. Which it wasn't. We had our screening at six. How the hell I'd get there was now open for suggestion.

"Morning sunshine."

"Shut up."

"I've brought you tea."

"Sit it on the bench so you don't drop it on my head."

"You look... in a word...terrible."

"Yes, thank you, I'm aware."

"I'm really very sorry."

I pulled myself up to a sit and looked around, but not at him.

"I know. I guess I should have seen it coming. But you know, it really was fun. Well, for the most part anyway."

I reached for my tea, but he snatched the mug before I could maneuver enough to reach it and then handed it to me. Not exactly handed. He came over to the side of the tub and held it up to my mouth. I lifted just my eyes, definitely giving a quizzical indication with them.

"Least I can do."

"No, you could join me in here."

"I doubt it would be a good idea. I assume Jack wouldn't appreciate another show."

"Do you care at this point? He's already seen it all."

"More than, I presume. Come on, let's get you out of here and back up to bed. You can sleep until it's time to help get you ready for the screening. You look like a prune Diane."

"No, that's just the colors of bruising. Wait. What do you mean help get me ready?"

He didn't answer me my last query as he leaned in and picked me up out of the hot tub. I put my arms around his neck as he gave me a kiss that helped ease my suffering, but added new anxieties to the aching.

"I believe we'll not be doing anything more in bed tonight than sleeping, am I right?"

"Colin, if there's anyway possible...we'll figure it out."

He finally smiled and carried me inside, butt naked. We passed Hilly, who could do nothing but laugh. Jack wasn't down for his morning jolt yet. He wasn't far behind the rest of us as we passed him on the stairway.

"Morning Jack."

I think I heard him fall off the last few steps as we turned the corner towards our room. This was one weekend I was in no doubt Jack would want to forget, but was convinced he never would.