“Yeah, back at you. It’s wild that you can believe he’s riding storms but if I ask if he’s Thor you dismiss it as loony.”
“Thor isn’t real.”
“Tell that to the Vikings.” She raised her glass.
“Let’s get back to the matter at hand.”
“Sure, you’re telling me that Torin’s story is that he travels around on that can-sized object. That somehow he keeps appearing here by mistake. From where,Scotland?This doesn’t sound right.”
I corrected, “The question isn’t from where, the question is fromwhen. I told you, he’s a time traveler.”
“He’s a ‘time traveler’.” She used her fingers for air quotes. “You just say, ‘He’s a time traveler,’ like it’s a reasonable thing.”
“Yep, he’s from… like the 1500s, I can’t remember.”
Her eyes drew to the window, as she sipped from her glass, looking down at the back-shack, nodding her head.
Then she put the glass down. “I’ve thought this through and I have one thing to say: Hogwash.”
I shrugged. “I agree, give me one other morereasonableexplanation for how a weird ferocious storm, a historical-seeming man wearing a kilt, a small hand-held object, and a sword-fight all happen to appear in my yard. I’m listening. I want to know what you think.”
She joked, “Do you think he sleeps in the nude? Let’s go down there and tell him I’m confused and ask him to explain the whole story to me.”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
“So this man, you say is from the 1500s, is in your back-shack. How long is he planning to live back there?”
“Just while he rests and, I don’t know, figures out how to get back to his home.”
“His home in the,” she counted, “sixteenth century?”
“Ayup.”
“Well, this is wild. Kinda glad I came over, this is much more exciting than sucking face with Mr Passable. A time traveler? I just still don’t think that’s something that happens.”
“It’s happening.”
“So what is Cooper going to say, you think?”
“You’ve known him since high school, you tell me.”
“Yeah, I think he’s going to be pissed, I think he’s going to think you’ve let down your guard?—”
“I’m armed.”
“And that you’ve invited some hottie?—”
“You keep saying that, he’s hot, yeah, but I’m not really into that many muscles. I like my men more lanky, I guess.”
“Please don’t say that to Cooper, not while you’re telling him you let a kilted stranger with a big long sword into the back-love-shack while he’s away.”
“Yeah, I guess that would not be good, but I do think Cooper is plenty hot enough.”
Her eyes went to the window again and she said, “Oh, look, he’s outside.”
He had walked out onto the stoop and leaned against the wood rail. He had his fingers tucked in his belt, a sword at his hip, wide shoulders, and a broad chest. He was illuminated from behind by the light streaming from the back-shack. He looked as if he were guarding over the yard.
He was very very handsome.
