The masked stranger briskly walked off into a narrow pathway covered by thick bushes and long tree branches. Prisana followed suit and stared at his large muscular frame that shadowed the bear from earlier. He must work out an awful lot or eat like a ravenous beast for his body to become so ripped.
He towered tall and stretched his frame wide to match those body builders she once explored on television.
This man was a lot larger than Giovanni or any other man she ever laid eyes on. Giovanni was less built, more lean and harbored less of the burly caveman like hairs.
They crunched through a few more patches of trees before confronting a small wooden cabin overlooking a spacious patch of luscious green grass. The scene was very picturesque. It resembled a secret garden hidden within thick patches of woods. It was obscured and shut off from the rest of the world.
As they reached the porch landing, Prisana observed pots of orderly lined flowers near stone steps. Petunias, lilac, poppies, and black nightshades.
Did he grow these himself?
The masked stranger slipped off his green camouflage jacket dripping wet with water and tossed it over to the side. He proceeded to lift the underside of his white T-shirt.
"Wait!" Prisana shouted, eyeing his hands. "You're going to take off your clothes. Here?"
"Is that a problem? This is my porch we are standing on."
The man smirked as he noticed her obvious discomfort. His piercing gaze roamed over her wedding dress. Under the porch light, Prisana's misfortunes were shed to light. The low dipped bodice and ripped sleeves and tattered ruffles that fall as shriveled folds of moistened fabric.
To him, Prisana probably look like a wet disastrous mess.
To her, Prisana looked like a thousand sweet promises broken and forgotten.
"You look like you had a rough day," was all he could manage to compassionately offer on her obvious state of distress.
More than a rough day, she had a rough future to worry over. Prisana followed him inside, noting he kept his shirt on. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit curious on how he looked like raw and bare underneath his shirt but wouldn't dare voice it out loud.
The cabin was small—almost too small when comparing it to his large weight and build shrouding the room.
A small cozy fireplace. A bookshelf lined with color coded alphabetical ordered books. A kitchen and two rooms which she presumed were the bedroom and the bathroom. The cabin didn't harbor any pictures. Just walls lined in black and windows plastered with drab grey curtains. There was almost no feeling of warmth.
Only a detached house full of necessities to go on. It felt sad. Lonely almost. To think a large man such as himself lives out here alone by himself. What for? There were questions rolling out at the tip of her tongue but once morning came then this mysterious caveman wouldn't matter to her anymore.
"Here. Feel free to use my shower as you like. I'll be outside gathering wood for the fire."
He tossed her a towel and some of his clothing. Then, left her standing there in an unfamiliar cabin, vulnerable and alone. Prisana's whole life, her father would never allow her to step foot into a place like this.
It was all grand mansions and luxurious vacation houses off the coasts of Florida or Hawaii. Not deep into the woods of New Jersey with some caveman that looked as if he would devour her.
She walked into the bathroom and undressed, relief filling her lungs as the heavy folds of the dress fell down onto the ground.
A wedding dress was every woman's dreams.
Not Prisana's.
But her father's dreams, that he set out for her.
Now she didn't have to wear that burden anymore.