Chapter 3

When things felt more manageable, Linus started walking, driven by thirst. The gravel path he followed was a familiar one and he knew around the next bend he’d find a water fountain, a bench, and the serenity of a pond, most likely frozen by the icy touch of winter. The cheerful song of a blue jay accompanied him as he strolled. While winter was easily his favorite season, he often found he missed the chirping of birds, most of which fled the area when the snow arrived.

Linus stopped at the fountain, savoring the cold liquid. Then he wandered over to the bench and fell on to it, ignoring the gold-plated inscription on the back. It simply served as another reminder of his unhappiness. What, he wondered, did Samson have against getting married? Some might argue it boiled down to fear of commitment, but they’d been together nearly seven years. They owned a house together.

Marriage, to Linus at least, seemed like the next logical move.