Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult

by Erica Rodgers

  With all the excitement, some of the tightest of fists had opened to spur a flood of donations. Everyone attending was so inspired that they all gave something. Even the DJ slipped a twenty-dollar bill sheepishly into the donation bin. Alexis and Bailey had been blown away by the selfless giving. Karen had called that morning to tell them that they had raised enough to build an animal hospital and hire on-site veterinarian help.

  Now as they stood outside in the bright sunshine, Alexis took a deep breath. A unique fragrance drifted in on the cold air. It was the smell of snow—something that Alexis had never noticed before—and it made her smile.

  “Look! There’s Angelo!” Bailey was standing on the top of a picnic table to get a good look at the race course. Alexis jumped up beside her and squinted into the sun. It was a beautiful day, and the snow was as bright as a mirror reflecting the sun.

  “Where?” asked Alexis.

  “Up at the start!” said Bailey. “He’s wearing his green jacket and a bright yellow helmet.”

  “I see him! Go, Angelo!” Alexis shouted.

  Within minutes, the horn sounded, and Angelo took off down the mountain. His guide stayed well ahead of him, and the way Angelo skied made it look like he’d been born to fly over the snow. He weaved in and out of the red and blue flags, shaving so close to them he made the crowd gasp.

  “You would never know he was blind if you didn’t know him,” said Alexis. She was amazed. When she had first met Angelo, she remembered feeling sorry for him and a bit protective. This week had taught her a lot of things though, and one of them was that people and things that seem helpless almost never are. In fact, without Angelo they might not have solved this case … and she might have been eaten by a cranky bear. It had been him, after all, who pulled her back onto the snowmobile when she fell off.

  Within minutes, the race was over. Angelo had beaten his opponent by a wide margin, and Alexis and Bailey ran to meet him.

  “Angelo! That was amazing!” said the girls together.

  “You totally toasted that guy!” said Bailey.

  “Did I? I thought it felt like I was alone up front,” Angelo said, but Alexis could tell by his smile that he knew exactly how badly he had beaten his opponent. “That was the semifinals. This afternoon I’ll race for first place!”

  “That’s awesome, Angelo!” said Alexis. “I wish we could stay to see it, but you’ll have to e-mail me. We have to leave after lunch. Bailey flies out from Sacramento tomorrow morning, so we have to get home tonight.”

  “I’ll miss you,” said Angelo, “but I’ll send you pictures. My mom’s watching.”

  Angelo pointed over to the stands, and Alexis and Bailey saw a beautiful woman waving at them. She looked just like Angelo, only prettier.

  “I wanted to thank you two,” said Angelo. “I wouldn’t have been able to race without you. I had a blast yesterday practicing, too. You really made this vacation great. It started off awful … but most of that was probably my bad attitude.”

  “Don’t mention it,” said Alexis. “You taught me a lot, too. I’ll never assume that a ‘disability’ makes someone need me. I think I needed you more than you needed me anyway!”

  “I did save your life, I guess,” laughed Angelo.

  “Hey,” Angelo said, looking serious. “Remember the day we met?”

  “When I hit you in the head?” said Bailey.

  “No, the next day, just over there on that bench.” The girls nodded. “Well, you asked me what I liked to ‘observe,’ and I was really rude. I never answered you.”

  Alexis and Bailey looked puzzled.

  “You see,” continued Angelo, “I observe with all of my other senses. That day I was paying particular attention to the smell of snow.”

  “The smell of snow?” asked Bailey.

  “Yep!” said Angelo. “Try it sometime, and think of me.”

  Bailey and Alexis each gave Angelo a hug and waved good-bye to his mother. Within an hour they had eaten and were back in the car with Alexis’s family driving Highway 89 back down toward the Valley and Sacramento.

  In the back of the car, Bailey and Alexis had the laptop open and earphones on. They were editing tape for their documentary, and they were surprised to see how much it looked like a suspense movie. They had tons of information about the animals on the reserve, but they had also documented the reserve’s struggle against Bruce. Bailey had taped a lot during the party, and she had caught Bruce’s confession, too.

  The final two minutes of film were a huge surprise.

  “Did you tape this?” Alexis asked Bailey.

  “No,” she answered. “I thought you had.”

  The girls sat in silence and watched. It was a close-up of Misty Marks, famous actress, speaking directly into the camera.

  “The goal of the Tahoe Animal Reserve is simple,” she was saying. “Watch over those who cannot watch over themselves. This applies to our animals, but it applies to our everyday interactions as well. Everywhere we go, there are people who need. Look around you. Notice the needs and fill them when you can. The smallest good can fill the largest gap.”

  Misty smiled broadly into the camera.

  “Thank you, Camp Club Girls, for filling our gap. We are forever grateful.”

  Alexis couldn’t see the screen anymore. The tears in her eyes were getting in the way. She wiped at them with the back of her hand and turned to Bailey who was smiling through her own tears.

  As Alexis watched the Jeffrey pines race by outside the window, she said a silent prayer: Thank You so much, God. Thanks for helping us. Thanks for helping these people. Please help me to always see the little gaps that I can help fill in people’s lives—even when they look too small to be important.

  Alexis looked back at the screen. She had never been so excited about a project in her life. She knew this documentary would be a winner—whether it made it on the Discovery Channel or not.