The Lost Wolf

Naomi Returns To Seattle

When i woke up, it was already 5:30 PM according to the time on my phone. I sat up on the bed, sighed and yawned almost at the same time. I got down from the bed, rubbed my sleepy eyes with the back of my right palm and made my way to the sitting room to greet Aunty Debbie. When i got to the sitting room, she wasn’t there, so I instinctively decided to try the kitchen. As i approached the kitchen door, i could perceive the aroma of cooking. The kitchen door was already open so i strolled in to see Aunty Debbie already cooking. She turned and looked back as she heard the sounds of footsteps behind her. “Good evening Aunty,” i greeted. “Naomi, my dear, good evening,” she replied and drew me into a hug.

“Aunty, why didn’t you wake me up to do the dishes and cook the food? I am surprised to see you doing them. You shouldn’t be doing them yourself while i’m still around,” i protested. She gave me another of those her disarming smiles. “Don’t worry, my dear. I didn’t want to disturb your sleep. I wanted you to have enough rest given the fact that you are leaving today. Besides, i don’t want to become complacent after you must have left. You have been the person doing virtually everything in the last three days since you came. I just felt it’s right time i get used again to my daily activity even when you are not around.” Her words were soothing as usual and i loosened up. All the tension disappeared. “Ok, Aunty, i understand, but is there any thing i can do? What about the plates? Have they been washed yet?” Aunty Debbie motioned to the sink and shook her head. “No. They have not being washed. I’m using extra silverware and a few extra plates. So you can go ahead and wash the pots and plates.” I moved over to the sink and filled it with hot water. Then i started with the pots which i had already soaked in the extra sink. I washed them meticulously, taking special care to wash off all the stains. I scraped all the leftover pieces of food which had stuck to the pots but had now loosened up through soaking. After washing every area of the pots including the outer bottoms and satisfying myself that it was clean enough, i commenced the rinsing. I rinsed them first with hot water, and then i drained the sink and then applied the cold water. As soon as i was done with the pots, i moved to the plates and cups and put them through the same process. I then used a clean, dry towel to dry them.

The food on the fire was Hotdog. Though i didn’t indicate to her earlier that i wanted it for dinner, she had known my preferences when it came to food. She knew that i loved Hotdogs for dinner and she had decided to satisfy my craving. She wanted to give me a surprise. Which was okay. It was a favorite dinner delicacy for me even at my base in Seattle. So i would be delighted to be having it again for dinner here in Tacoma.

Soon enough, the food became ready to be served. At this stage, i took over the remainder of the work as Aunty Debbie went to take her seat at the dining table. I served the food into two trays and took them to the dining area one by one. A delighted Aunty Debbie was all smiles and nodded her head as I gently placed the second tray on the table A lot must have been going through her mind. I’m pretty sure once we settled down for dinner; she would have a lot to talk to me about. She is only bidding her time. And i have already braced myself up for the moments. As soon as i dropped the second tray, i went back to the kitchen to fetch the drinks. I opened the refrigerator and brought out two bottles of drinks, one soda and one orange juice. I moved briskly across the kitchen back to the dining area where my aunty was already waiting. As soon as i poured the drinks into the glass cups i had already placed on the table, we started to eat.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, exchanging glances and paying so much attention to the food until Aunty Debbie spoke up.

“Naomi, i want you to remember and act upon the words of your alpha as soon as you arrive back in Seattle.”

“He spoke many words. Which ones specifically are you referring to?”

“The most important one, of course. Where he said you should expedite action in getting your boss to transfer you to Tacoma, so you could live in the pack compound.”

I nodded my head and smiled. Yep, my Aunty was right. Among all the things Alpha jones said, it was the most important. Since he said it, i have actually not forgotten it not even for a moment. More than anyone else, i knew the importance of a wolf living within a pack community. Since providence had made it possible for us to locate the Pack after many years of searching, that was the next thing left for me to do. And i am fully conscious of the urgency with which it should be executed.

I blinked. “Yeah, Aunty, i know how very important it is for me to live among the pack and i would spare no effort to make sure it happens very quickly. And i want to assure you that as soon as i arrive back in Seattle, i will start the necessary process to get a transfer I know for sure that my boss will be favorably disposed to the idea since we have an office here.” Aunty Debbie nodded and smiled. “Good, my dear. Your coming back to Tacoma will even cure me of the extreme loneliness i used to experience since you left here for Seattle. Though you will be living in the Pack community, you could always drop in here as many times as you wish to say hello. It will certainly be better than you living in a place like Seattle, which though is not too far, but which i consider to be quite distant.” I look at my Auntie's face as she made that last statement and i could not fail to notice the sparkle in her eyes as she became assured that i would very soon be returning to Tacoma.

As we continued eating, Aunty Debbie raised the issue of Richard again.

“As we have earlier discussed on the issue of Richard, i expect you not to vacillate, ok? Just do as I say and on time. I know how hard it is to say something like that, but you must say it.”

I nodded my head in agreement. “Yep, Aunty, i have already assured you that I would do so as soon as i get back home. I want you to take me by my words.”

“Ok, my dear, since you have assured me, I want to believe you. On the issue of your Martial Arts training, have you enrolled?”

“No Auntie, i am yet to register at the gym, but i would do so as soon as i arrive Seattle..” My Aunty nodded, smiled and gave me a thumb up. I shifted my gaze a little and saw that Aunty Debbie’s cup was already empty. She has finished the soda in her glass. I quickly dropped my fork momentarily and helped her to refill the cup. "Thanks, my dear,” she said, to which I replied, “Don’t worry, Auntie. I sipped my own fruit juice slowly but tenderly until my glass cup also become empty. Then i lifted up the bottle and poured the remaining contents into my glass cup. Soon, we finished our dinner. Aunty Debbie sighed, stood up from her chair and moved across to the Sofa to take a rest while I cleared our mess.

I took our dirty plates and spoons into the kitchen sink. But rather than drop them in the kitchen sink as i usually did, I decided to have them washed. At least, it would take away the stress of my Aunty having to wash them tomorrow morning. If there is one last thing i could for her before i come this way again, it should be this. I quickly filled the kitchen sink with hot water and began to wash the plates, spoons and cups. I was scrubbing, rinsing and towel drying very quickly but efficiently. As i was busy doing the work, I heard footsteps behind me as Aunty Debbie walked in. She must have been wandering what was keeping me in the kitchen when I should be preparing for my journey. "OH, Naomi, my dear, you are still washing the plates? When you should be taking your shower and preparing for your journey? You should have left them for me to wash them tomorrow morning.” I shook my head. “No, I have to do it, Aunty. I rather not have you go through so much stress when you’re preparing breakfast tomorrow morning.’ She placed her right hand at the back of my neck and patted me gently. I blushed at the touch of her hand on my neck. Seeing that i had almost finished, she let me continue the work.

“But Naomi, don’t bother to do any of my household chores after this. As soon as you’re done, head straight into the bathroom to take your shower and start to get prepared for your journey.” Soon, i was done with the plates and i immediately went into my room to undress. After yanking off my clothes, i tied a towel around my waist and quickly moved into the bathroom. I adjusted the shower temperature to warm, got under the spray and turned it on. The water gushed down my body as i gave myself a good wash, starting of course, from my head. I washed all parts of my body, applying soap very mildly After a few minutes, i had finished and headed back into my room to dress up. I used the towel to dry my body thoroughly, making sure that every single drop of water remaining was mopped off, and then i searched a drawer in my dresser to look for my Mascara and a few other lotions and creams i intended applying on my body. I applied the creams and lotions to the respective parts of my body where i wanted them.

Next thing i did was to pack the few unpacked clothes and other items i had not added to my luggage. I made light work of that as my luggage was almost completely set within a few minutes. After making my luggage ready, i brought a black pant and red blouse from my closet and slid into them. Then i took my black pair of women covered shoes, cleaned them thoroughly and put them on to complete my dressing. The time was approaching 7 PM as i stood in front of my full length mirror to check if everything was okay with my dressing. I saw that a few strands of hair on my head didn’t fall very well into the right places. So, i took a brush and brushed my hair backwards, ensuring it remained pulled properly into a bun.

As i turned back to go inform Aunty Debbie that i was ready to move, i saw her coming into my room. She was already dressed in a red long skirt and a milk colored skirt. “Naomi, you should be ready by now,” she said as she looked me over from my head right to the sole of my feet and back again, obviously admiring my dressing. “Yes, Aunty, i’m ready now,” i replied. She motioned to the bigger bag on the floor as she took the smaller one and led the way out of my room. I took the bigger bag and followed behind her as we made our way out of the house towards the parking garage where her car was parked. She opened the doors with the remote control she was holding in her hand and we both slid in. After what looked like a moment of contemplation, Aunty Debbie adjusted the rear view mirror, wiped her face with a handkerchief which she brought out from her handbag, and started the car engine. She immediately put it into gear and we zoomed into the highway on our way to the bus terminal.

After about 10 minutes moving on the highway, we arrived at the Tacoma Dome Station, the starting point for buses going from Tacoma to Seattle. I had already pre-booked, so everything went smoothly. We packed my bags into the bus and i settled comfortably in my allocated seat. I sighed deeply as i rested my back on the soft and very comfortable seat. I turned my head left and right a couple of times to have a better look at the interior of the bus. It was simply awesome.

Soon, every passenger had taken their seats and Aunty Debbie said her farewell and drove back home. Suddenly my wolf became restless and agitated. Continuing for the next couple of minutes, i could feel her excitement as she tried to communicate something to me. Moments later, the message from my wolf became crystal clear. THE WOMAN SITTING NEXT TO YOU IS ALSO A WOLF. A MEMBER OF THE SHINY IVORY PACK. As soon as i understand the information, turned my face to look at her. Instinctively, she also turned her face to look at me and our eyes met. She smiled at me and i returned her smile. As the journey progressed we discussed several issues especially life as a Werewolf in general and our Pack in particular. Through those chats and even through mind-linking whenever we fell silent, i was able to discover a lot of things about her and she got to discover a lot about me in return.

Margery Phillips, that’s her name was a bit on thr plump side, and not very tall, somewhere like 5ft 6 inches. She has blonde, neatly trimmed hair flowing back to reach her neck. Her green eyes, pointed nose and lush, well rounded lips all sat well on her round shaped head. A woman in her early forties, she had lost her husband a few years ago.

I had fallen asleep briefly as the bus glided along the well lit highway. Suddenly, my phone rang and the noise brought me back to reality. I looked at the caller ID and it turned out to be Richard. I picked his call and we spoke briefly before he cut the line. He had asked to pick me up at the terminal but I had politely declined the offer. I would rather take a taxi home. The process of disengagement from Richard had started in earnest. Even before i arrived back in Seattle. Richard would have been wondering what came over me. I had never declined this kind of offer from him before. Well, he would have to take it as it comes. Because as far as i’m concerned, we are over. And I would let him know as soon as we meet.

At last, we arrived at the Seattle Bus terminal. All the passengers disembarked as I and Margery said our farewells. Then i took a a taxi home.