They were traveling together to New England for the fall foliage, taking a well earned vacation on both their parts, she showing him how she traveled when she took a road trip, he enjoying the scenery and her company. They’d been friends for a long time, were comfortable with each other, and traveled well together, even though he preferred to fly and she preferred the car. They were due to arrive in Vermont that evening at the lodge where they had reservations for two rooms. She assured him that he would love it, being in the heart of the Green Mountains at the height of foliage season was her favorite thing in the world, she loved everything about it; from the crisp morning air to the cool evenings, the smell of wood smoke from fireplaces burning fragrant pine logs, the gleam of the stars shining so brightly in the frosty autumn night, fresh apple cider, hot fresh donuts, fields of pumpkins just about ready for the Halloween fun later in the month. Yes, fall in Vermont was her place and time to enjoy to the fullest, she felt most alive then, and as they got closer to the lodge, she had a feeling that something was going to happen that would change her life.

They arrived at the lodge just after full dark, which comes early in the mountains of Vermont, and parked the car to go in and register. Everything seemed fine until the clerk announced that yes he had both their names, but the reservation was for one room, not two. They looked at each other and then at the clerk and she asked doubtfully if there was a second room available. The clerk laughed and told them there probably wasn’t another room anywhere on the mountain. Again they exchanged glances, and nodded their acceptance of the room to the clerk, both wondering how this was going to work out. They got checked in and pulled the car around to the back parking lot and took their bags in and to their room. The room itself was charming, done log style in soft golden pine with a fieldstone fireplace, a pair of comfortable chairs and a single huge bed covered by an equally large patchwork quilt.

As the door closed behind them, they set their bags down and went to the chairs, where they sat to talk about the situation. They agreed that they could manage, though privately both were thinking about bedtime, sleeping arrangements, and the single bed in the room. She was wondering what she would do, since she slept nude at home and didn’t even own a pair of pajamas, and all she had brought was a warm robe. He was thinking about the discomfort of sleeping in his underwear, since he also customarily slept nude.