The air is cold and crisp on this May morning as Grace steps off a plane, onto the tarmac at Saskatoon's international airport. She deeply inhales the prairie air and continues on toward her gate.
As she waits at the baggage claim carousel for her two suitcases to come tumbling down, a voice shouts from across the concord.
"Grace! Honey!" the familiar woman's voice sounds.
"Mom!" Grace turns around and exclaims back as her mother rushes towards her with open arms.
It's the first time the two women have hugged since Grace flew back to Toronto on New Year's Day. Today, she is back in Saskatchewan after finishing her second year of university. She's home and ready to make some memories, have some drinks, listen to country music, and tan her way through the summer before heading back to Toronto to start her third year.
Grace and her mother gather her luggage and rush to her mother's SUV which is parked in a loading zone.
"Why is it that whenever you pick me up from the airport, you're always late and parked in a 'no parking zone' or a 'loading zone'? I barely get a chance to stuff my suitcases in before we're hauling ass out of here." Grace asks, half-irritated at her mother.
"Because sweetie, I'm only here to pick you up. There's no need for me to pay the hourly rate when I'm going in and out," her mother retorts, "And I definitely do not need to be there to see your plane land and wait for you to make your way to the arrivals area. I just don't like wasting time."
Grace's mother, Meryl puts the SUV in drive and heads for the exit. They weave their way through the city of Saskatoon and Grace watches from the passenger seat as the buildings become less and the prairie fields open up around them. The mother and daughter pair share a close bond unlike much of Grace's friends growing up. They can talk about almost everything and are like best friends. Sure, they had their moments when Grace was a teenager, but she's almost 20 and she calls her mom everyday if she has a minute.
Grace's second year of her fashion marketing degree was hectic but her drive and energy for this degree and the career she's chasing, just increased with every finished assignment and final exam. Grace loved the fashion industry and hoped to stay in Toronto after graduation to work for a fashion magazine in their marketing department. She was taking all the right classes and jumping at any opportunity to gain work experience for her resume. This, however, would be the first summer she would not be working as an unpaid intern living off ramen noodles and Special K cereal. Grace was looking forward to a much-needed break from the big city and a summer spent at her family's cabin at Abrams Lake.
It was a two-hour drive from Saskatoon to the lake and Grace and her mother were spending the drive catching up on all the things happening in both the women's lives. Grace always loved road trips with her mother. As a little girl, Grace and her mother would drive to Saskatoon for a Saturday of shopping and eating at their favourite restaurants. They would leave early in the morning and make it back home by the evening. She loved those trips and the way it strengthened her connection with her mother. Meryl was one of the greatest influences in Grace's decision to go into a fashion degree. Her mother had impeccable style and always encouraged Grace to look her best because 'when you look good, you feel good!'.
The vehicle slowed and they turned down the old decrepit road that lead to the lake. Grace read the sign as it passed and she smiled, excitedly.
Abrams Lake 21
Grace and her mother drive down the narrow dirt road and just before the road hits a dead end, they turn onto the grass in front of their little evergreen cabin. It has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a basement where Grace and her brother Lewis would watch old DVDs on rainy days, and a deck that overlooks a quaint little backyard. They do not have a lake view and the cabin is tucked away in the trees, but to the Marquis family, it is perfect. Grace's parents inherited it from her great-grandparents on her mother's side, when they passed away. It's a special place and as Grace thought back on the summers passed she smiled.
"Home sweet home Gracie girl." Her mother said as she put the car in park and begin opening her door.
Grace stepped out and stood there, looking at the cabin, listening to the silence and the faint sound of birds chirping. It was the Friday before the May Long weekend. The air still had a bit of a nip in it as the spring had been a cold one this year. Many of the lake's cabin owners would only be opening their cabins for the season this weekend as the May Long weekend is usually the first nice weekend of the summer. Grace's mother had actually been at the cabin for a week already, flushing out pipes and cleaning gutters. Her dad worked in town, 20 minutes away as a family doctor. He would be arriving at the cabin shortly and Grace couldn't wait to see him.
She unloaded her suitcases and took them in. As she walked in, she was greeted by their family dog, Daisy. Daisy is a 16-year-old Heinz 57 (a name Saskatchewanians used to describe dogs that are many different breeds in one). The medium dog couldn't jump up anymore and Grace crouched down to greet her old friend.
As she cleans her basement bedroom and begins unpacking, Grace's phone vibrates with the notification of a text message. The message is from Maddie Douglas, her best friend of 17 years. Grace unlocks her phone and reads the message.
Maddie: Hey girl! Are you here yet?? Need to see you ASAP!
Grace finishes unpacking, places her clothes in the old dresser, and heads up the stairs to the kitchen where her mom is stocking the fridge with groceries.
With a quick goodbye, Grace lets her know where she's going and heads out the door.
She pulls out her phone to reply to Maddie's text when suddenly a golf cart, packed with guys looking to be in their twenties, comes flying past and almost hits Grace. The tires screech on the dirt road as the golf cart comes to a sudden halt just before it could run into her. She recognizes the guy driving as Jace Dawson.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Grace yelled at Jace.
"Well, maybe if you were looking both ways before crossing the road, this wouldn't have happened, Grace." Jace replied sarcastically. Grace sticks her tongue out at Jace and continues walking.
Jace Dawson is one of her brother's friends from high school. Normally, her brother Lewis would be one of the guys riding around the lake on this golf cart packed with his friends but this he's working in Alberta in the oilfield. He used to be around all the time but when he finished high school he left. He just couldn't be in the town anymore and didn't want to be an active part of the family anymore. Lewis was always the kid who snuck out to parties and didn't knock anything until he tried it. At the end of grade 12, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life like many seventeen year olds normally do. So he moved to the province next door and started working the rigs. Grace would come home from Toronto to visit, hoping to see her brother but he was never home. He didn't even come home for holidays. She would get the odd text from him but that was it. His communication with his family was limited and he preferred it that way.
Grace peered into the dust and realized there was a guy on the back of the small vehicle staring back at her. He looked so familiar but she couldn't place him. When he noticed her watching, he immediately looked away.
