She worked through the addlement of John's sudden departure..

-Cleaning up the scrambled egg.

-Wiping the counter tops methodically.

-Dropping the 'saved from the oven' cookies in the jar.

Issy slowly washed her hands and leaned forward, tummy against the sink, stretching to see.

He sat on the jetty, the cats lounging beside him. The two dogs lapped a drink at the lake then returning to his side and she smiled just a touch knowing exactly what they would do next...

Drop big drips of slobber all over him.

Clutching the brick phone and grabbing her satchel Issy dropped the device in the bag and went to pull on her hiking boots. She wasn't running she just needed to clear her head as John seemed to be doing that himself, down on the jetty. Whistling once, Max bound quickly up the hill after his mistress and remained at her heel as she wound through the birch trees toward the trail. The trail that led to her own private and peaceful summit.

The sun was warm on her back and she cursed the forgotten bottle of water as she found a little sanctuary close up against the base of a large ancient oak tree. Issy leaned back and enjoyed the shade of it's dense canopy. Eyes closed she remembered how the lake felt, how he felt, how their lips touched. It was for the best, wasn't it though. The stopping, the bolt away from her. He was John Lennon and the only shared thing between them was Ivy really, a melding of family.

Ivy drew them together and like it or not they would interact from here on in, forever.

She closed her eyes, sighed and recalled her lovely moments with Paul and Linda. How Paul still loved John like a brother.

Paul had opened his personal photo album to her and Issy had gasped, delighted, seeing the inside details of the boy's lives. Such happiness in the beginning that led to quarrels in the end. Reporters had started calling it a tired marriage and so did Paul. He insisted that he and the lads, as he referred to them whenever he spoke about them, were buddies, mates, brothers but he hadn't touched base with any of them, nor them with him, in more than a year.

Maybe they should, maybe if these so called brothers could re-capture their love, their brotherhood, they could mend any part that was broken between them and maybe anything broken inside themselves too. Maybe Paul could help John by just visiting, talking...

Issy pushed herself to step from the shade and continued the climb upwards.

She reached the summit. High on the apex of the mountain. Trees of green fled in all directions.

As far as she could see was a canopy of living breathing life. Birds sung and the wind pushed her hair about.

It was, as always, glorious.

Glancing at her watch she waited, mulling over the time difference, thinking about calling friends... Julian hadn't thought to do so, dare she?

Taking the call near lunch, at first Linda McCartney was confused but after Issy apologised for disturbing her day and explained her reason for calling, Linda grew more excited with every moment that passed.

Near the end of the expensive call Paul called out his love and Issy grinned like a Cheshire cat. Linda promised to organise what she could and Issy pressed END with a grin and little jiggle of uncontained excitement.

****

Max walked ahead, steady in his gait, throwing random doggy loving glances back at his mistress then moving furher on down the gravelly track.

Then he bolted.

Not down the track but straight over the side of the hill. The track twisted back on itself around 100 metres below. Max wasn't barking, growling or snarling so she didn't whistle, she just plodded on, feet placed carefully so not to slip on the crumbly hillside.

John baulked and almost fell over when all fifty plus kilograms of Max launched full pelt out of the undergrowth on his right; but once the dog was recognised John popped down on his haunches and ran his hand over the beast of a canine. Ben stood up ahead of them, looking perturbed that his charge had now laid hands on his rival. Ben swung his head forward and moved along- mother was close. Glancing at the old dog, John stood and tapped his leg for Max to follow.

He had freaked out when he walked back inside the house. Max had bolted and he didn't know why. Bounding upstairs and flicking a glance through each room, even ramming open the locked door downstairs, he rounded off his futile search after checking the Jeep, the laundry, out at the clothes line, the shed, and both bathrooms twice.

Ben had, the entire search, stood stoic on the front porch, gazing steadily into the woods.... Finally John cottoned on and joined the old boy, both engrossed in looking out into the backyard, eyeing the birch trees. John frowned after a while of not doing anything then found a random pair of wellington boots, rammed his feet in them, then waved his arm forth, for Ben to lead the way.

Snaking through the trees the city boy watched his step. Ben edged ever closer to the hillside where it rose on a higher angle and John noticed for the first time the grass was flattened down from repeated footsteps and then, as he made the rise, the grass thinned moreso, edging away to reveal a rough uneven path of loose stone.

Issy rounded the massive boulder and there they were- Ben, John a few steps behind, and the traitor, Max, close by Johns heel. John's mouth opened but Issy held a hand up.

"Don't. Don't say a word, it's perfectly  fine. I'm.... It's fine" Issy forced a smile, she had realised their ardour was a mistake and she thanked John for closing the door so suddenly.

"Isabelle. I'm really sorry. I just ..... remembered... I just.." His glassy eyes lifted to hers and he tortured her heart with the sadness radiating from within "I killed her Iss. I don't want it to happen again. I don't want to hurt anyone else"

Rushing forward she flung her arms around him so tight. To make him feel her heartbeat, that now was woken and beat a drum for him too.

He stood still in her embrace as she kissed his cheek then he dropped his head to her shoulder. Issy hugged tighter and finally, after minutes passed with him standing stock still, he let his hand lay on the small of her back, then his other, pressing softly, firmly, so she could feel him responding, however small in return.

They embraced there on the hillside a long time, just taking each other's emotions on board. John felt childish, like a needy infant, but she just kept on holding him tight and steady and whispering 'it's ok.'

After the quiet moments of embrace she pulled from him in a half turn, toward the rise again. "Come" Issy wiggled her fingers for him to take her hand and she lead him back up the hillside again, back the way she had just, munites prior, appeared from.

Through the beautiful trees, dense and quiet, they moved higher. Birds sang as they traversed the pebbly slope and she pointed out a moose stumbling sleepily along on the other ridge across from them, then a jackrabbit made a mad dash across the path causing a flurry of excitement as Max gave chase. Issy had to whistle long and loud to recapture his attention and draw him back to their side. John gaping while she did so; So different was she.

Pressing around the last boulder she threw her hands out in invitation and spun around slowly for John to see what she saw. 

John stepped slowly toward the edge, awed.

He drank in the dramatically beautiful view. 

There wasn't much that shut him up.

Food would, never talk with the mouth full.

Shaving, hard to talk with a razor against your neck.

A nipple and other lovely lady bits made him concentrate on the flesh and hum in happy lustfulness...

But other than that, he would talk nonsense, sing or grumble, to his hearts content.

This, however, closed his gob as he drank in a painter's canvas of colour and shape, wild beauty and grandeur.

Hand fisted on her chin she sat on her rock watching him.

Tense to relaxed, guarded to drunk on the scene.

This beautiful spot was her go to place whenever she needed to escape the house or life in general and many a time she had drift off in a daydream while clouds stacked and built to a storm on the horizon. Eventually she would wake from her dreaming and  stumble home refreshed yet chilly from a downpour; Suitably drenched, but ultimately happy.

Today though, she shared her heavenly secret of a place...with John.