![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/bar-bocce-300x222.jpeg\" "\\"Sausalito\\"")
Ana was sitting in the living room staring absently at the page in front of her. She\u2019d read the same paragraph four times and sighed, frustrated, closing the book and tossing it onto the sofa.<\/p>\nAna was sitting in the living room staring absently at the page in front of her. She\u2019d read the same paragraph four times and sighed, frustrated, closing the book and tossing it onto the sofa.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou OK?\u201d Willow was perched at the table doing some kind of spreadsheet for her business.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Ana said. \u201cJust bored. And restless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow smiled sympathetically. \u201cNo news from any of the jobs you applied for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d Ana grumbled. \u201cNot even a rejection email.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow closed her laptop. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we do something today,\u201d she said suddenly. \u201cHead out of town somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about that place over the bridge. The one everyone seems to go for lunch on the weekends. What\u2019s it called again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSausalito?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d Willow exclaimed. \u201cWe can hire a car for the afternoon and drive over. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ana shrugged. It\u2019s not like she had anything better to do. \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
As it turned out, the didn\u2019t hire a car, but ended up going down to Fisherman\u2019s Wharf and catching the ferry across. They sat outside on the deck, sunglasses, suncream, scarves and heavy jackets firmly in place. San Francisco. The ultimate city of contradiction. Even more so than on dry land, out here in the middle of the bay it felt as though two completely different temperatures were battling for supremacy: The icy wind competing with the fabled Californian sun. At this stage, both girls felt as though the wind were winning easily, the huge ball of fire in the sky waging no more than an anaemic campaign.<\/p>\n
Ana bought them each a cup of hot tea, more to warm their frozen hands than to drink, and they watched as the landmark rich landscape slipped by: Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, the funny pointy building that neither of them knew the name of\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me ladies?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow and Ana looked up. Standing in front of them were two affable yet predictable looking chaps dressed in sensible clothing, eager expressions on their college-boy faces. Baseball caps proclaiming allegiance to what the girls\u2019 supposed where sporting teams were perched loyally on their heads.<\/p>\n
\u201cMind if we take a seat?\u201d one of them said. He had a drawling mid-west accent, so in actual fact it sounded as though he\u2019d said \u201cMahnd if way tayke a sayt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ana and Willow looked around at the almost-empty deck of the ferry. There were about fifty other chairs they could have occupied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re on vacation,\u201d the friend – with similar tonality (\u201cway\u2019re on vay-cay-shon\u201d) – said, as if that would explain their desire to sit in such close proximity to Ana and Willow.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow pleasant for you,\u201d Ana said calmly, \u201cand as much as we hope you enjoy your vacation, we don\u2019t, in fact, wish to play a significant role in shaping it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d The two boys looked at each other. One scratched his head, as though that would somehow arrange the words into a semblance of order for him.<\/p>\n
Willow coughed to try and hide the laugher that bubbled up in her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019m trying to say,\u201d Ana continued patiently, \u201cIs that we think you would probably enjoy yourselves a lot more without our company.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boys looked a bit put out but had the good grace to know when they were fighting a losing battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thaynk thay must be les-bee-ans,\u201d Willow and Ana heard one of the young men whisper to the other as they walked away. The two boys turned to look back with curiosity and Willow waved coyly, putting her hand on Ana\u2019s knee, trying not to laugh when one nudged the other and gave him a look: \u2018I told you so!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t want to be fawned over by college boys today did you?\u201d Ana said. \u201cBecause if so, I wouldn\u2019t have told them to leave us alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I ever want to be fawned by anyone ever again,\u201d Willow said, with far more brevity than she had intended.<\/p>\n
Ana smiled at her and gave her hand a quick squeeze.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you ever think about Tom?\u201d Willow said suddenly.<\/p>\n
Ana looked at her surprised. \u201cOf course I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never talk about him,\u201d Willow said. \u201cI just wondered\u2026\u201d she shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t stop<\/em> thinking about him,\u201d Ana admitted, sighing. \u201cBut I know that he wasn\u2019t making me happy, so in that regard it was the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho do you think will make you happy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m ever going to find a guy that makes me completely<\/em> happy,\u201d Ana said. \u201cI\u2019m now convinced that I\u2019m going to end up all alone. Maybe with lots of cats.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou hate cats.\u201d<\/p>\n Ana shrugged. \u201cPerhaps I\u2019ll learn to love them because I\u2019ll be incapable of loving a man.\u201d<\/p>\n Willow laughed. \u201cTell you what, we can be spinsters together – with or without the cats – because I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ever going to be ready for another relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n Ana solemnly lifted her paper cup with the now lukewarm tea in it. \u201cHere\u2019s to us,\u201d she said. \u201cTwo spinsters in the making.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n They had lunch in European style pizza restaurant overlooking the water. It was next to a small yacht club, where the Sausiltians – or honorary weekend Sausilitians – keep their marine craft tied to a long wooden jetty when they weren\u2019t using them. Over here, the warm sunshine reigned supreme. The\u00a0 food was delectable – the pizza crust wafer thin, the toppings fresh and flavoursome and both Ana and Willow felt a sense of peace fall over them as they sat, listening to the waves lap gently against the jetty, slowly eating their food.<\/p>\n Ana was about to take another bite of pizza when she looked up and paused. \u201cWillow, isn\u2019t that Fred?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOver there.\u201d<\/p>\n Ana pointed out towards the end of the jetty, where a man was walking slowly back towards the shore. He had a jumper tied over his shoulders and he carried what looked like a picnic basket.<\/p>\n Willow squinted. \u201cYeah,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Walking next to him was a woman, her short auburn hair gently caressed by the wind. She carried a pair of shoes in her hand, treading carefully over the wooden slats of the jetty with her bare feet. She threw her head back and laughed at something Fred said.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s the lady with him?\u201d Ana said. \u201cHis sister or something?\u201d<\/p>\n They watched as Fred put the picnic basket down and wrapped his arms around the woman, embracing her in a long, passionate kiss. He whispered something in her ear, to which she smiled, staring deeply into his eyes for a moment, before pulling him back towards her, and kissing him again.<\/p>\n \u201cI really hope that isn\u2019t his sister,\u201d Ana said. \u201cThat would be too gross.\u201d She paused and took a bite of her pizza. \u201cI didn\u2019t know he had a girlfriend. You never told us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know he did,\u201d Willow said. She was as surprised as Ana. Fred had never mentioned any woman, except his ex-wife. But she was still in his ex-house in New York bunkered up with his ex-best friend.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have sworn<\/em> that he had the hots for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Willow rolled her eyes. \u201cWell hopefully now you can see that\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe he\u2019s a polygamist,\u201d Ana said mischievously, \u201cand he\u2019s grooming you to be his next wife?\u201d<\/p>\n Willow groaned. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s likely.\u201d<\/p>\n As Fred and his companion walked along the jetty, closer to where the girls where sitting, Willow raised her hand to wave at them.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my god,\u201d she said, almost under her breath, a frown creasing her face. She dropped her hand.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know her!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe lady that Fred\u2019s with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve met her?\u201d Ana said. \u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s the lady from the bank,\u201d Willow said slowly. \u201cThe one who wouldn\u2019t give us the loan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeriously?\u201d Ana peered at the woman. \u201cAre you positive?\u201d<\/p>\n Willow nodded her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell is Fred doing kissing her then?\u201d Ana said furiously.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Willow said, shaking her head in bewilderment. \u201cI have absolutely no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ravenous will be taking a break for a few weeks. We\u2019ll see you soon with Season 8. Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ana was sitting in the living room staring absently at the page in front of her. She\u2019d read the same paragraph four times and sighed, frustrated, closing the book and tossing it onto the sofa. \u201cYou OK?\u201d Willow was perched at the table doing some kind of spreadsheet for her business. \u201cYeah,\u201d Ana said. \u201cJust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[224],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1078"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1078"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1081,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1078\/revisions\/1081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}