They all screamed when they saw the lightning flash, but the thunder had them come to a sudden stop. They had been on that road for over an hour. Julia’s sisters were angry at her since she had organized the trip. Cathy, her elder sister, and Clara, the younger one, weren’t sold on the cabin that Julia had chosen for their weekend getaway, but they knew once Julia had an idea, she was like a dog with a bone.
“Maybe we should have gotten a physical map,” Cathy said sarcastically.
“Really helpful, Cathy,” Julia responded with an eye roll.
Although Julia tried to hide it, she felt guilty about how the trip was turning out. She wanted to help Cathy relax after a long, challenging year. Cathy was a single mother after an ugly divorce two years earlier, and she had poured herself into work and motherhood. She was always busy, and her sisters worried that she never rested. The trip was also to give the three sisters time to bond, and Julia, the fun one, had the brilliant idea of spending the weekend in a cabin with a perfect view of Mt. Kenya.
“Julia, just call the host. If it rains while we’re on this dirt road, we’ll get stuck,” Clara said.
“Google Maps says we’re almost there,” said Julia.
“That’s what you said an hour ago,” said Cathy.
Julia spotted a bodaboda rider and asked for directions. He gave them directions, and it turned out they were on the right track. They were welcomed by a bubbly young girl in her early twenties. She looked excited to see them, and she quickly showed them to the cabin a few metres away from the main house.
“Julia, I hate to state the obvious, but the images on the internet looked much better,” Cathy told her.
“What do we call this kind of catfishing?” Clara asked.
“Guys, where is your spirit of adventure? I’m sure the inside isn’t bad,” Julia tried to console them.
“This is not a very good sign,” said Cathy.
When they got inside the cabin, the interior matched the internet images, which gave them a bit of relief. In any case, with the rain promising to be a heavy downpour, they were glad to be indoors.
“Welcome, if you need anything, my brother and I are in the main house,” said the girl who had welcomed them.
“I think we’re going to have an interesting weekend,” said Julia.
“Interesting is the word,” said Cathy.
“Come on, Cathy. Let loose a bit. You don’t have to be in control of everything. Sometimes, let life surprise you,” Julia told Cathy.
They freshened up in readiness to have dinner at the main house. They quickly realized that they were the only guests when they went for dinner. As they had their dinner, the other host came in. He was well-built, in his late thirties and had a serious look. Although he was polite to them, he had that energy that made them feel like he wasn’t pleased to have guests.
“If he weren’t so grumpy, he’d be handsome,” Julia remarked.
“I see the negativity bug has caught you, too,” Clara joked.
They enjoyed the rest of their meal and went back to the cabin. Given their long journey, they were all tired and went to bed. As if right on cue, rain torrents hit their roof shortly after they were tucked in the blankets. It was the perfect ambience for deep sleep until it wasn’t.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! The roof is leaking!” Cathy yelled.
Julia matched to the main house to get the host. She was furious.
“What kind of scam are you running here? I could overlook the discrepancy with the exterior images of the property, but a leaking roof? This is not what we paid for,” Julia yelled at the male host.
“I told you we were not yet ready for guests,” the male host yelled at the girl who had welcomed the sisters.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Can we fix your rooms in the main house for the night as we sort out the leak tomorrow?” The girl asked.
“Do we have a choice? It’s not like we can get another place at this time of the night,” Julia responded.
The male host accompanied her to the cabin in a truck to get all their luggage to the main house.
The sisters complained as they packed their stuff out of the cabin. The male host hardly responded to them but helped carry everything and get them to the house.
The following morning, after breakfast, they had a chance to explore the house. There were many family pictures on the wall. Cathy and Clara were still angry at Julia for choosing that destination. Julia went to speak to the host after breakfast. The young girl wasn’t there, so she had to deal with the male host.
“I can’t find your sister; we’d like to check out and get a refund,” Julia told him.
“My apologies for everything. We just started running this, or rather, I just started. I didn’t think we were ready to have guests, but my younger sister posted those images, and you booked it. I understand if you want to leave, but can I interest you in fishing and having a meal before you go?” He asked.
“Oh, he talks?” Julia remarked.
“Besides being the decent thing to do, I hear a bad rating isn’t the best way to start this kind of business. I’m Oliver, by the way,” he said.
“So this is a bribe?” Julia joked.
“Depends, is it working?” Oliver asked.
“I really wanted a chilled weekend with my sisters. Do bush-like activities and enjoy the vibe here. They are pretty mad at me for choosing this place,” Julia told him.
“For what it’s worth, let’s try to salvage the rest of the trip,” Oliver told her.
Oliver convinced Julia to get her sisters ready for the fishing activity while he took care of the leaking roof. The sisters weren’t too thrilled about staying longer, but Julia could sell ice in winter. Once they were ready, they met Oliver at the cabin. He was fixing the roof with another man, and they found him giving the man instructions. He quickly went down the ladder when they arrived.
Oliver apologized to Cathy and Clara for the previous night and assured them that he had fixed the roof. He then led them to the trail leading to the fishing area. Once there, Oliver showed them how to fish, and they had fun. They caught three fish, which felt like a great achievement.
Oliver started a fire nearby where they cooked the fish. He was surprised at how friendly and curious the sisters were once they started enjoying their stay. He enjoyed answering questions about the place and the technical aspects of fishing. They finished their meal just in time because it started drizzling shortly after. Initially, they thought of running to the cabin, but the spirit of adventure took over. They enjoyed the walk in the rain.
Julia looked at Cathy, smiling and being goofy. She was overcome with emotion. It had been long since they had seen that side of Cathy. Once they got back, they found their luggage in the cabin. It had been fixed up, and there were even two flasks of hot chocolate and pastries to keep them warm.
Later, as they were having dinner, Julia and Oliver had a chance to talk.
“Is everything to your satisfaction?” Oliver asked.
“Yes, it is. Thank you for today,” Julia told him.
“No, thank you for accepting the olive branch. Seeing you all happy is the sign I needed,” Oliver told Julia.
“A believer in the universe sending signs?” Julia teased him.
“My younger sister, whom you met yesterday, wouldn’t believe those words came from my mouth,” Oliver told Julia.
“Where did she disappear to?” Julia asked.
Oliver explained to her how the idea of having a cabin on their parents’ property came to be and how he ended up running it. Julia learnt that Oliver was an engineer but had faced a difficult time after losing his job. His parents had built the cabin to generate income but had died before the project was complete. His sister was still in college, so he went home to look after the property and to regroup. Business and hospitality were not his thing, but his sister pushed him to get the cabin up and running.
“I guess it’s good that she technically ‘catfished’ us into coming here. The description online is amazing,” Julia told him.
“That’s my sister. She’s good at social media things,” said Oliver.
“She reminds me a lot about myself. I am the sister who pushes my siblings to do scary stuff,” Julia remarked.
“I need that kind of fire in my life,” Oliver said, winking at Julia.
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Cathy and Clara leaving. They talked all night, and by morning, Julia had used her marketing expertise to help Oliver come up with branding ideas for the property. She was impressed by Oliver’s knowledge of so many things that she could listen to him talk all day.
Cathy and Clara found them at the breakfast table. They gave her that cheeky look that signalled they were waiting to hear the ‘tea’. Since it was their last day, they had an activity that took half their day before leaving. Oliver was kind enough to invite them to the cabin again to make up for the mishap. He also wanted to be in Cathy and Clara’s good book since he was pursuing Julia.
“Pay up!” Cathy told Clara once they were in the car.
“What’s going on guys?” Julia asked.
“I correctly predicted you and ‘grumpy but handsome’ would hit it off,” Cathy said, relishing her victory.
Julia blushed. “I mean, have you seen that body? He’s smart, too,” she said.
“And he has a cabin for your bush ‘things’?” Clara teased her.
“Yes, Julia. What’s your fascination with the bush life? A beach would have been relaxing, too,” Cathy told her.
“The beach is predictable. We wouldn’t have had such an experience, and we have free accommodation for the next trip,” said Julia.
“She has a solid point there,” Clara told Cathy, then turned to Julia, “So what’s the plan with Oliver? Was it a weekend thing, or will you keep seeing him?”
“Definitely not a weekend thing. We agreed to give it a serious shot, and I have a good feeling about him,” Julia responded.
“Uuu Julia and Oliver, sitting on a tree…” Clara teased her.
“Grow up, Clara,” said Julia, and they all burst into laughter before taking a group selfie.
Julia posted the photo of the three of them on Instagram and captioned it, “See you on the next one @PendaniCabin.” They all agreed that they would go back on the next trip. The cabin had turned out to be a better experience than they had anticipated.
Julia and Oliver went on to have a fulfilling relationship. They complemented each other. Julia’s bubbly and courageous personality brought optimism back to Oliver’s life as he also provided a safe space for Julia to thrive.
There is something magical about these cabins. It gives the sisters a chance to find love.
The Cabin Chronicles Part 2: An Altercation Ignites A Beautiful Love Story
The Cabin Chronicles Part 3: Finding A Special Connection At The End Of The Grief Tunnel
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