I live along the Bruce Trail. The route passes along the road in front of my house and in the summer and fall, I often see people hiking along it.
While planting tulip bulbs, I spotted a man and woman along the trail. I assumed a young couple. The man was lagging behind, dragging his feet. The woman strode twenty feet in front of him, her boots spitting up the gravel on the road. It has started to rain about thirty minutes previous and she was soaked, her hat blown from her head. He had his hood up, his chin down. They had argued, I guessed, and I began to wonder about their argument – what was it about?
Had the hike been the woman’s idea or the man’s? Had one of them told the other that it was a bad day for a hike, the forecast calling for steady rain although it was still warm for autumn? Or perhaps the rain was a catalyst for a deeper disagreement.
I imagined what this might be.