We walked in silence up the hill to the park. Once we’d reached it I continued walking up the path through the park and over the bridge at the end, turning directly to the right afterward, so we were walking along a chain-link fence.We reached a pine tree and I ducked through the branches, seeing her pause a moment before following. Under the tree, there was a part of the fence that had rusted away and was bent leaving a conveniently human-sized hole. She paused.
Her: Isn’t this private property?
Me: Well… yeah, but no one comes down here.Trust me, I’ve been coming here for years.
She looked at me thoughtfully as I walked through,her following close behind.
Me:Watch your step.
I subconsciously held her hand as we reached steep rocky hill. At the bottom I pushed aside the branches of a tree and led her into paradise.
Ok, so I exaggerate. It was just a long flat rock extending into the creek. But the trees and other foliage sheltered it, and it was probably the prettiest place I’d ever seen in our town.