Even though she was in a big city, and the world sucked sometimes, it was important for her to stand here and to just reconnect. She was a water baby and absolutely adored Mother Nature, even at her shittiest. Standing here, right now, in the pouring rain, many people would probably say that this was an example of a crappy time when Mother Nature was not being her best, but Kate loved it; she absolutely loved it. She turned toward her vehicle and drove home, wondering if she should do a workout. She probably should, but she was also tired. The trouble was, she also knew a workout would invigorate her. She checked the time and winced when she saw how late it was. She better just go straight home. As she neared her apartment, almost there, her phone rang.
“Where are you?” Simon asked.
“I’m almost home. I was thinking about going for a workout, but trying to convince myself isn’t exactly making it happen.”
“Sometimes you just need a break and the chance to rest and relax.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of walking in the rain.” She smiled about that. “How are you doing? Sorry I canceled earlier.”
“It’s okay.”
But something was off in his voice. “What’s the matter, Simon?” Her voice sharpened, as she stopped, parked, and locked up her vehicle. “Did something happen?’
“Yeah, what else?” His tone was hard. “Shit’s always happening in my world.”
She froze. “Have you connected with something?”
“I don’t know what I’m connecting with, but it’s like my sense of smell is on overdrive.”
“That could be a good thing,” she said lightly.
“Holding a beer in my hand right now is a good thing. I can smell the hops like it’s ten times the strength of what I was thinking it was. But, on the other hand, going to the washroom, walking in back alleys, the traffic with its carbon monoxide, and the smog, not so good.”
“Are you at home then?”
“Yeah. I was at the coffee shop when I talked to you earlier. I stayed for a little bit longer, realized my nose was acting up, and I headed home. By the time I got here, honest to God, it was all I could do to get into the apartment and to shut the door to keep out all the scents of the city.”
“And did it work?”
“No,” he snapped. “The Italian food I ate for lunch became this overwhelming aroma that I wanted to just dive into, but, after three or four bites, it’s like I couldn’t handle it anymore. So I brought the rest of it home, hoping I can handle the leftovers later.” Maybe just some smells hit him harder than others.
“Is this like a psychic thing?” she asked, cautiously looking around to make sure nobody was within earshot.
“And I love how you probably checked to make sure nobody heard what you were saying,” he said in a dry tone.
“Hey, it’ll be a hell of a long time before I’m comfortable with anything along that line. I managed to get the wordpsychicout, so be happy with that.”
“Oh, I am, and I don’t know what this newfound ability of mine is. So I don’t have an answer for you.”
“And I’m always looking for answers, right?”
“Answers I can’t give.”
“Which just makes me really frustrated and fed up,” she said.
“I know, and yet somehow we still work.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“No.” Her voice had a hard tone to it. “It’s worked for a little bit.”
“Hey, don’t even go there. I’ll hang up right now if you think you’ll be breaking up.”
“Do we have anything to break up?”
He laughed. “Oh, God, it’s one of those nights, is it?”
“Yeah, a young woman died today at the university. I thought she’d been hit by a vehicle, but it turns out she’s got a small bullet wound in her head.”
“Interesting.”