It’s Reeta, looking as beautiful as Naomi remembers. For once the reality is as good as the memory. Naomi smiles and closes her notes.
“May I sit a while? I do not mean to stop your work…”
“Oh, no—that’s fine. Please stay. I can work any time.”
“Excellent.”
The next hour or so in the dimly lit pub passes in a haze of flirtatious conversation and several pints of Lapin Kulta. Reeta’s eyes flash with flecks of gold as she tells Naomi about the native brew, originally made in the Lapland town of Tornio. Naomi is enchanted with both the sharp cold taste of the beer and the powerful energy that seems to emanate from her companion’s dark eyes. All thoughts of her project—and of Cat at home missing her—fly right out the proverbial window into the cool Finnish night air.
As Naomi is wondering whether she should head back to the center, Reeta reaches a hand over the wooden table and gently touches Naomi’s hand.
“How about a walk outside? To get a bit of fresh air.”
Naomi has a moment of apprehension—a sense of something earth-shaking about to happen, but she pushes this to the back of her mind.
The two women leave the pub and step out into the chilly, crisp evening. The sun is just above the horizon, which strikes Naomi as a bit early for nightfall in October.
“It’s almost dark, and it’s not quite six P.M. I guess I’m not used to the short days here.”
Reeta laughs, a throaty laugh that charms her companion.
“Where I grew up, there is much more darkness. Even a time with no sun at all in the winter.”
“I read about that. Did it ever seem, I don’t know, depressing?”
They’re walking now down the country road just past the pub parking lot. Reeta smiles.
“No, not really. When you grow up in a place, it’s normal for you. But I’m glad to be away now.” After a pause, she adds, “The culture is very different from the rest of Finland…”
Naomi thinks that Reeta might say more, as the thought sounds unfinished. She waits, but is met with silence. They walk along quietly, Naomi watching the fading sun. She usually loves the time of dusk, when light and dark seem to mingle like old friends. This evening, however, she has an eerie feeling that the dark isn’t safe—something like fear creeps over her. What am I afraid of? Not this lovely woman walking beside me, surely.
Reeta remains silent as they round a corner in the road. A young man, probably in his teens, passes on the other side of the road, walking a large dog on a leash. The dog turns its head toward Naomi and Reeta as if to greet them, wagging its bushy tail. The young man smiles amiably.
For some reason, the dog’s attention seems to set Reeta on edge. Naomi, sensitive to shifts in mood, feels something like anger coming from Reeta. No, not anger really—more like rivalry, or combativeness. Almost like she knows the dog. But that’s silly, isn’t it?
Naomi says aloud, “You okay?”
Reeta looks at her, seeming startled by Naomi’s presence at her side.
“I am sorry. Of course, no worries. Why do you ask?”
Naomi measures her words carefully, not wanting to sound weird. She likes this woman from Lapland, and would like to build a friendship. Maybe more…
“You just seemed…really aware of the dog. That’s all. I thought maybe you were afraid of dogs.”
Again, Reeta chuckles, shaking her head no. “I like them well enough. Dogs have a kinship with humans that most people don’t wholly understand.”
Naomi, for the second time in their short walk, feels that there’s more in Reeta’s mind than she says aloud. She’s intrigued and curious, but cautious. She has a sudden desire to get out of the growing darkness and back to the center.
“You want to head back? Truthfully, I need to return the car soon.”
“Of course, Naomi.”
As they turn to go in the other direction, Reeta’s hand momentarily brushes Naomi’s arm. In the chill air, heat seems to jump over to Naomi’s flesh. Again, she feels a sense of fear, although there’s no apparent cause.
As they get close to the parking lot of the English Pub, Naomi has a simultaneous impulse to get away from Reeta and to invite her to dinner. The friendlier impulse wins out.
“I was thinking, at the center we have a communal dinner on Sundays. We can each bring a guest once…maybe you’d like to come over? I mean, if you want to.”
Naomi realizes that she sounds uncertain, like a teenager shy of asking someone on a date. To her relief, Reeta doesn’t seem to notice.
“I would like that. Thank you.” And she pulls a card out of her pocket, as if she had been ready to give Naomi her contact info all along. “Please email with details. I look forward to seeing the inside of the center and talking with your fellow artists.”
“Well, good. Fabulous.”
By this time, they’re in front of the pub door. Naomi holds out a hand for Reeta to shake. She again feels the heat of that hand in the cool night air. Silently, she turns to head to her car.
On the drive back, Naomi recalls the passing dog on the road. She can’t shake the feeling that there’s something beneath Reeta’s cool exterior—something mysterious, even odd. Still, she wants to see her again.
Only as she opens the door to her room does she remember that she hasn’t called Cat for three days.
Chapter 4: Connection
“Hey, sweetie. What’s up in Beckley?”
“Naomi! Hi, babe. So glad to hear from you.”
Noami can hear the relief in Cat’s voice.
“Everything okay there? How are the kitties?”
Cat laughs. “Fine. Crazy as always. They miss you…so do I, babe.”
Naomi instantly feels a pang of guilt, remembering that she had basically invited Reeta on a date. Well, not really. She’s just joining the entire group for dinner.
“Miss you, too. The film is coming along, though. I’m feeling like this trip was a good idea.”
Silence on the other end. Naomi waits.
“Okay. That’s great. I’ll be glad for it to be over, though, if I’m honest.”
Naomi’s turn to be silent. Then, “I know, Cat. I’ll make it up to you. When I get back, we’ll go to the mountains for a vacation. Just us, together. Right?”
Again, Naomi hears the sound of relief in Cat’s voice. They had been through a few rough arguments over this residency in Finland. Naomi really did feel that she owed Cat a break. Maybe Asheville, or Maggie Valley. It would be getting into the Christmas shopping season by the time she got back to Beckley. Maggie Valley would be a cool trip. Cat always loved it there.
“Okay—that would be so awesome, babe. Gives me something to look forward to. We need a time together, you know?”
“I do know, sweetie. Don’t worry. You know I love you.”
“Love you, too. I guess I should let you get back to work. Anyway, I’m meeting Charlie for dinner soon. I need to go.”
“Yeah, okay. Have fun—tell him I said hi.”
“I will. Bye, Naomi. Call again soon, yeah?”
“Of course.” And then the connection is gone.
* * * *
On Sunday, Reeta arrives promptly at 4:30 P.M., as they agreed. Naomi is waiting anxiously in the front entryway to make sure her guest doesn’t feel awkward coming into the center.
Reeta smiles warmly, offering a hand to Naomi. A cool hand, not warm like the other night. Naomi has a flash of memory around the dog incident. She’s curious, but not so much so that she wants to bring it up while Reeta is visiting. Naomi is conscious of the fact that this is her home turf—at least while she’s here in Finland.
“Welcome to Arteles. I’m…so glad you came. Come on, I’ll show you the main area.”
Reeta smiles again, a smile that charms her nervous hostess. She follows Naomi into the large common room of the center.
“Can I get you a drink?” Naomi offers in her best hostess voice.
“That would be lovely.”
“Great. All I have is wine…white or red?”
“Red, please. And…I know this is not done, but a small bit of ice?” Reeta looks slightly embarrassed.
“Of course. The wine police won’t find out, I promise. I like mine cold, too.”
Reeta smiles. “My family never drank wine, and when I moved south the first time, I tried basically everything I’d never had. I seem to like the taste better when it’s cold.”
“Be right back,” answers Naomi. What a weird coincidence. Cat generally gave her grief about ice in her red wine.
By the time Naomi gets back from the kitchen with two glasses of Chianti, Marcel has come out to the common room and is chatting with Reeta like they’re old friends.
“I’m meeting your guest, Naomi. A most charming guest, if I might say so.”
Naomi hands one glass to Reeta and takes a sip of her own wine, somehow relieved to not be alone with Reeta. The three are comfortably seated in the area affectionately called “the pit,” where the residents gather for informal meetings and collaboration.
Soon Kari joins them, followed by Lianna and Sandy. Kreistvieg completes the gathering just as Naomi finishes her wine and heads back to the kitchen. Most of the meal has been prepared earlier in the day, but Naomi checks on the pot roast still in the oven. She has a sudden thought that maybe Reeta is vegetarian, or vegan. Shit! What if she can’t eat anything but the salad and the rolls?
Back in the common room, she finds Reeta telling a story about feast gatherings back in her hometown.
Kreistvieg seems intrigued by Reeta’s mention of Lapland. “You are Sami, Reeta? How long have you been in the South?”
“I do miss the regular availability of reindeer meat, I must admit. Although, that’s about all I miss from Rovaniemi…”
Naomi notices that Reeta looks a bit uncomfortable, as if she has said more than she intended. Well, at least there’s no worry about the roast. This woman seems more and more mysterious every time Naomi is around her.
Kreistvieg goes to the kitchen shortly after this, taking Kari and Sandy with her, to finish dinner preparation. Soon everyone is seated around the large wooden table, ready for the weekly dinner.
To Naomi’s great relief, no one mentions Lapland again, and the conversation centers around the various work of the October group of residents. Reeta stays quiet, seeming deeply interested in the projects in progress.
At one point, Naomi becomes aware of the woman’s leg touching her own under the table. There’s no way to know whether this is purposeful or accidental. Naomi’s face flushes, but she tries her best to keep her own leg still. None of the group seems to notice anything at all, engrossed as they are in the art-related conversation.
As they finish up the main meal, the conversation turns to relationships, much to Naomi’s discomfort. She hasn’t mentioned Cat to Reeta, and she realizes with a pang of guilt that she hopes no one reveals her own non-single status.
Sandy, openly gay and always eager to talk about his partner at home in Boston, says, “Oh, I know. It took me years to tell my grandmother. I knew she would mourn the loss of imaginary future great grandchildren. Especially since I’m one of the last in the immediate Lockwood line. But she was unexpectedly supportive, once I trusted her enough to tell her.”
Naomi realizes with a start that she still doesn’t know whether Reeta is even a lesbian. Maybe she never was really flirting, but simply flattering this strange American woman in the pub. And maybe she thinks I’m straight, too.
Naomi wants to communicate to Reeta that she is, in fact, gay—but she doesn’t want to mention Cat’s name.
She plunges in before she can chicken out, “Yeah, I had the same thing, Sandy. I thought my brothers would freak right out, but they were cool. It was me who was nervous about the ‘big reveal’.”
Naomi feels Reeta’s hand brush hers under the table, and the leg next to hers seems to press closer. Naomi feels a rush of heat emanating from her dinner guest. The conversation continues along the same vein until the dessert arrives: a Finnish style blueberry pie that Kreistvieg calls Mustikkapiirakka.
Everyone tries to pronounce it as Kreistvieg does, but Kari is the only one who even comes close. By the time slices have been cut and distributed round the table, the entire company is laughing.
Naomi breathes a sigh of relief that something has distracted from the “coming out” line of conversation. But I still don’t have any idea about Reeta. She said she was flirting, but maybe she’s one of those women who play at flirting with other women…
After the pie is consumed and praised, and the table cleared, the others insist that Naomi be released from clean-up duty because she’s the one with a guest. Naomi feels a bit of pressure at the prospect of time alone with Reeta. But she also realizes that it would seem odd not to offer to show Reeta around the center. Including her own room.
By the time they come to Naomi’s private space, she’s almost forgotten to be nervous. As before, Reeta is comfortable to talk to, and also intriguing.
“Well, here’s my small bit of the center. I’m blessed to have a private room—it’s much more conducive to work.”
Reeta steps inside and looks around. Naomi had cleaned thoroughly earlier in the day, knowing she might be admitting her guest to her sanctum.
Reeta seems drawn to a picture on the wall, a snowy scene of a pack of wolves in the forest. She stands in front of it in silence.
“That was here when I got here. It’s not really something I would have chosen, but…”
“No, it’s lovely. So realistic.”
This seems to Naomi a rather odd comment, but she says nothing. She steps up next to Reeta, trying to see it through her eyes. The wolves are magnificent, really, in a primitive sort of way.
Suddenly, she feels Reeta’s warm hand grasp her own. When she turns to look at the other woman, she has an impulse to lean in to her. Maybe even to kiss her.
And then she doesn’t have to act at all, because Reeta leans in and kisses Naomi on the lips—a soft kiss, but with a touch of electricity that seems to burn Naomi’s mouth.
She’s always been a bit afraid of fire.
Chapter 5: An Invitation
After that night, every conversation Naomi has with Cat seems tainted by the memory of Reeta’s lips on her own. She tries valiantly to put the experience behind her, but the memory just won’t fade.
Then she gets the first email.
Hello, Winter Fox. I cannot forget the connection we had so briefly in your room at Arteles. I would very much like to see you again, if you want this also.
As soon as Naomi sees this message, she knows she’s in trouble. Her reaction should be to immediately write Reeta back and tell her about Cat, and let her know that the single kiss was a mistake. The problem is—it doesn’t feel like a mistake. It feels like the most genuine connection Naomi has had for quite a while.
So, against her better judgment, Naomi writes back to Reeta.
Dear Reeta,
I, too, have been thinking about that evening with you. I hope we can meet again soon.
And then the anxious waiting begins.
* * * *
Six days after the communal dinner, on a Saturday, Naomi is absorbed in her work, editing the latest bit of film for her project. It takes her a while to notice that someone is knocking on her door.
Opening the door just a crack, Naomi sees Marcel through the opening. She then opens the door wider.
“Naomi. You are busy?”
“Well, yeah—working on film editing. What’s up?”
“You have a visitor, love. The enchanting woman from last weekend.” Naomi can tell from Marcel’s expression he thought Reeta was a “love interest.” She tries to keep her expression neutral.
“Oh, okay. Thanks. Please tell her I’ll be right there.”
The next few minutes after Marcel disappears finds Naomi frantically checking her image in the tiny wall mirror, brushing her teeth, and tryi
ng to calm her face into a normal expression. Soon she emerges from her room and heads to the front entryway. Reeta is looking out the front window, and turns with a smile when Naomi comes close enough to be heard.
“Hey.”
“Hello—or, Hey. How are you, Naomi?”
Totally freaked out by your presence. But what she says is, “Fine. Just working. It’s nice to see you here.”
Reeta looks as if she doesn’t quite believe this statement. “I hope I’m not intruding. I want to give you an invitation—in return for your hospitality last Sunday.”
Naomi waits, trying to control her reaction.
“I am staying in Tampere for a few weeks. It’s really quite beautiful there, very green. I am hoping you will want to come to dinner at my place…”
Thoughts of being in a private space with Reeta flood Naomi’s mind. She knows she should make some excuse to avoid this level of temptation. But what comes out of her mouth is, “Sure…I mean, yes. I would like that.”
Reeta smiles and takes a step toward Naomi.
“I’m so pleased. There is a bus from Hameenkyro at four P.M.—I checked on this before I came here. Will this work for you?”
Again, Naomi’s thoughts race. It would be totally dark and quite late by the time she got back. Recklessly, she puts this issue out of her mind. It will work out.
“Oh, I am forgetting to tell you what day. Is Wednesday working for your schedule?”
“Wednesday—sure—that’s fine. I’ll be there, on the bus.” Once again, Naomi realizes that this woman makes her act like a teenager with a crush.
At this statement, Reeta steps closer and takes Naomi’s hand.
“I look forward to seeing you. I will make a fish stew from my homeland. On Wednesday, for you, Winter Fox.”
Naomi can’t help herself from grinning at the nickname.
“Yes—on Wednesday. Email directions from the bus stop?”
Reeta nods silently in agreement, squeezes Naomi’s hand, and then she’s gone.
* * * *
In the time between the invitation and the appointed dinner date, a million thoughts race through Naomi’s mind. She even has trouble focusing on work—something that rarely happens.
Naomi and Reeta Page 2