As usual, Anton got carried away with food selection.  Stella was helpful with her choices after she replied to him.  Which was good, because if she hadn’t, an array of meat would’ve adorned his shopping cart.  Steaks and pork chops were, of course, still chosen along with her requests.  Thankfully, none of her suggestions included tofu or quinoa.  There was definitely a time and a place for them.  It was just that Anton neither had the time nor the place for either.  A variety of IPA six-packs and bottles of red and white wines were included with the food.<br/><br/>Since his Audi was parked in its designated garage space, he found a parking spot for the van on the street.  Of the four bags of groceries, Anton consolidated what needed to be refrigerated into two bags, hauling them upstairs.  Everything else was left in the van.  He’d prepped a cooler prior to heading to the supermarket, while also tossing a bunch of ice packs into the freezer.  Once the repacking was complete, he carried the brimming-to-the-gills cooler back to the van.<br/><br/>Before he and Stella could hit the road, the final piece of their getaway puzzle was the kitty version of Godzilla, also lovingly known as Tesla.  They agreed that Stella’s cat would bunk with Licorice in his apartment, instead of the other way around.  Therefore, extra bowls of his food were brought downstairs, along with additional water containers.  Not to mention his, uh, personal litter box.  Five days with no human scoopage would for surely prove problematic for them.  Well, mainly for Anton, since the two felines were staying in<i>his </i>apartment, not hers.  It was a stroke of genius (in his mind anyways), that he acquired a rather large tub of sorts, whose only purpose was to serve as a backup litter box.  Hell, a freaking full-grown tiger could poop in it!  Which, when comparisons were made, was about the size of Tesla.<br/><br/>Exactly where he’d left it, he found his open and not-quite-full backpack at the foot of his bed.  Since his upstairs neighbor selected the cabin by the lake, he wouldn’t need any warm clothing, maybe just a light- or medium-weight jacket for evening strolls around the lake, or if Stella felt like star gazing on the deck.  A glance at Evangeline’s picture and he froze.  Her smile never wavered, of course, though any reassurance from her that he might be hopeful for was never forthcoming either.<br/><br/>Sighing, he made the short walk to the night stand near her side of the bed, and sat while sliding the drawer open.  Would it be presumptuous of him to pack some extra-sheer<i>XYZ </i>condoms, not to mention the 2.5-ounce sized<i>Astroglide</i>?  The liquid lube was toward the back of the drawer, a sign of low to no usage.  The times he’d been with Magdalene, the saucy Latina seemed to have a talent for producing her own lubricant, almost at will.  His wife’s picture neither confirmed nor denied his predicament.  Into his backpack went the protection and the lube, though he was sure to put those in a hidden, zipped side pocket.<br/><br/>Straps through both arms, the backpack was heavier than he thought possible.  So much for not needing that much clothes, which consisted of mostly boxer-briefs, swim trunks, t-shirts, a few pairs of socks (just in case), and an extra tank top for sleeping.  His jeans and shoes would be worn throughout their stay there.  All that remained was to collect Tesla and bring him downstairs, and then help Stella with whatever packed bags she had.  At that thought, Anton reflected on his backpack, feeling it there on his shoulders and back.  Grinning, he doubted she would limit herself to a single bag.  Suitcase?  Nah, way too big.  He gave up guessing, though nothing would really surprise him.  Women’s clothes were far more complicated than men’s, or so he believed.  Items for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom were not needed, as all was provided for.  That saved a lot of extra packing.<br/><br/>Stairs taken two at a time, she opened her door after he rang her bell.  The door’s, not Stella’s.  She blocked the door with her body, and following a kiss, proclaimed she was ready.  Why the door blockage though? Anton wondered.  Was Tesla that desperate to bolt for freedom?  Anticipating an uncooperative Maine Coon, he brought along a brand new catnip toy.  So new, in fact, that not even Licorice had gotten a whiff of the triple-A grade ‘nip, which was packed into a five inch banana, made out of sturdy cloth.<br/><br/>If he wasn’t careful, once they were done with wiping out their own food, they’d rip into his bags of<i>Doritos </i>and<i>Lay’s </i>potato chips.  Probably not though, because if memory served, when Licorice got high, she’d just lay there on her side, albeit with her eyes open, but still laying on her side.  Come to think of it, how was that any different than an ordinary day in the life of a cat?  Only difference was either open or closed eyes.  Anton recalled Tesla was like that, too, the last time he was downstairs and getting buzzed with his on-again, off-again girlfriend.<br/><br/>Squeezing past her, he eyed the pair of carry-ons and grinned inwardly.  Not bad, he thought.  She actually restricted herself to just<i>two.</i>And then he spied Tesla<i>under </i>the sofa.  How was that even possible?!  If anything, he was<i>bigger </i>than the sofa.  Anton knew for a fact that cats possessed<i>Slinkys </i>instead of actual bones for their skeletal makeup, but this was ridiculous!  Was he part snake, too?<br/><br/>In anticipation of something like this happening, Anton fished the loaded banana out of his back pocket.  He squeezed it a few times, triggering a boost in its aroma, as if any was needed.  It didn’t take the Maine Coon long to react, batting at the catnipped banana with his right paw.  He followed the lure, extricating himself from under the sofa in order to do so.  With just his tail left to uncover, Anton snatched the massive bundle in his arms while also allowing Tesla to overindulge in ‘nip, cradling him like a baby.  The cat expertly held the banana between its two front paws, eyes already starting to glaze.  “I’ll be right back,” he said, stopping at the door to give Stella a return kiss.<br/><br/>Finally on the road a few minutes later, Anton was sure to point out to her places and sights of interest.  One of his favorites, as well as Evangeline's, was the field of sunflowers.  A sea of yellow and black amongst the green.  He refrained from turning into any dirt roads which led to views of the lake.  The cabin they were headed to offered spectacular views of the water with its surrounding forest. The small, charmful town they'd pass through was also mentioned. Its unique shops and Mom & Pop restaurants were known to draw visitors from near and far.  One could spend an entire day there.  A double- or triple-scoop ice cream cone blinked in his head.  Its location was bookmarked, to be visited at a TBD day and time.<br/><br/>They were about an hour away from their destination.  Chatting during the drive was light and easy.  In spite of this, Anton wondered if Stella was a bundle of nerves like him, if not more so.  To him, it was far worse than a first date.  Those were easy.  It was either<i>one and done </i>or<i>one and I’ll see you again.  </i>He liked to think they were well past that stage.<br/><br/>What he would all too soon have to deal with was<i>sleeping arrangements.  </i>There were, after all, five bedrooms within the two-story cabin. Anton would never presume that they would be sleeping in the same bed.  Together.  At the same time.  In the same bed.  Oop, said that already.  Damn, was he ever nervous.