The Rivening

PART 2 - SECOND CHANCES - Three-Way Split

Connie waited several weeks before returning to her trance spot at the hidden pond in the ravine. She stood with her arms hanging limply. Nothing. No tremor, no vibration. The passage was closed. Not that she expected anything else.

Now, a few months since the Dahrians left, the For Sale sign was going up on the front lawn of their house. Before Pria left, she signed the house over to Connie. In turn, Connie told Jean and Peter that the eccentric neighbors had left town and given their house over to the three of them. She came up with a convoluted explanation that Jean and Peter found hardly believable. However, neither of them was in any position to confirm the validity of her story so they accepted the strange windfall.

For Jean, the extra money meant she could make her dream come true of giving her house to Angie, to sell or live in, and Jean would have funds for a long-term care place near Angie's family. Connie was delighted when Angie and Nicole decided not to sell, but live in Jean's house and become her new neighbors. Late summer, they moved in.

As she now did many evenings, Connie walked across the street to Peter's. She gave three taps on the front door and let herself in.

"Hey, hermit. I'm here."

Connie walked through the downstairs of what had once been the convenience store portion of the building. A small area in back was partitioned off for storage and laundry. The old shelving units from the convenience store lined the walls of the downstairs area and were filled with books. Fiction and non-fiction on every topic imaginable enclosed the elaborate computer set-up and exercise equipment.

Peter led a rich on-line life, chatting on many topics or playing games with people around the world. He never showed his face.

Peter called down, "Come on up. Though you realize the probability of your success remains remote."

"As always."

They had the same exchange nearly every time Connie came. Peter had begun teaching her the game of Go. Though he handicapped his play, it was only recently that she managed to win on a rare occasion.

The upstairs was spartan and serene. His bedroom and bathroom were at the back and the rest was a large, light-filled space for living, dining, and cooking. The bay window protruded out over the front of the building. In the back, off the hallway beside the bedroom, a glass door led onto a small, enclosed balcony. Because the building stood on a corner, this allowed for four large windows along the side facing the busy street and trailhead to the ravine. The nearby houses were all one-story, so there were no sightlines into Peter's second floor.

The Go game sat on a traditional game table with cushion seating that Peter had specially ordered from China.

He no longer masked his face with Connie. It took many weeks of gentle urging before he allowed her to see his face.

With his mask on, she could see the scarring on his forehead and around the sides and down his neck. The skin around one of his eyes drooped and the tip of one ear was gone. Even with a mask, the damage to his face was evident and Connie understood his reluctance to go out in public.

Removing the mask, revealed a misshapen nose and thick, deep, ridged scarring running down his right cheek. At first sight, it was a harrowing visage, but Connie hardly noticed it anymore.

She prodded Peter, "How are you feeling about tomorrow?"

"Game first," he gestured to the Go board. "Then we'll talk."

The game went quickly. They both made clumsy mistakes. Peter won.

He laughed. "That was embarrassing, but at least you didn't beat me." He got up and walked to the kitchen before speaking again. "What if I end up looking worse?"

"Not possible to look worse." Connie knew Peter was looking for banter not sympathy.

"I don't think that's a nice thing to say. How did I ever allow you to worm your way into my life?"

"You needed someone who you could consistently beat in Go. And there are not many available who play poorly enough."

Peter turned and smiled, "Tea?"

Connie nodded.

"Peter, it'll be fine. You like the doctor. He's had good results. He said the main thing you need is patience with the process, and you've got that in spades. And I'll be with you every step of the way."

"I know. I've thought about this for so long. It never would have happened without you moving things along, moving me along..."

"But? I hear a 'but' hanging in the air."

Peter spoke slowly, "But. I'm scared. I'm scared I'm pinning too many hopes on the outcome." He mumbled so quietly Connie barely heard him say, "Maybe I don't deserve anything better."

Early the next morning, Connie called a taxi and rode with Peter to the hospital. It would be the first of several surgeries to work on reconstructing his face.