by Combs, Sasha
For a long while, Michael stood still with his eyes glued on William’s face. Over the years he’d heard tell of some pretty crafty stories but never would he have believed in his future he would be cast in one. Michael didn’t see the logic in leaving two defenseless women alone in a cabin to duke it out, especially since William had not said anything that would hint to a Secret Service detail being perched in a tree as lookouts. He didn’t care that the nearest cabin was less than a thirty minute hike away. A lot could happen in thirty minutes and he wasn’t willing to play chance with his daughter’s life. Morgan had already demonstrated her knowledge of the woods. With that kind of understanding of the area’s terrain, what’s to keep her from slipping away from the cabin while Pamela was otherwise occupied. Pam wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes on the girl every second of the day. At some point they each will succumb to their bodies physical urgencies. There will be trips to the outhouse or evenings when they will be apart due to their separate sleeping quarters. There were so many flaws in this plan, Michael couldn’t even begin to number them all.
Just as Michael had collected his next thought, the sound of the cabin’s door opening jolted the two men from their conversation. As Pamela approached them, by their body stance and stiff posture, it was clear their talk had not been in the spirit of friendship.
“I think you should talk to her before you go. She rushed up the ladder without saying one word to me.”
“That doesn’t sound promising.” Michael added.
“I’ll go talk to her. I’m sure once she realizes that she has few options, eventually she’ll come around. The key is to keep talking honey. Even if she does’t respond, she is listening and your words will sink in.”
William couldn’t help what he did next. He leaned in to press his moist lips on the side of Pamela’s face. At the moment of contact, he knew that he should have held back his desire. He heard Michael’s shuffling feet in the dirt, turning away to avoid witnessing the kiss. It wasn’t until he walked towards the house, Michael turned back to look at his daughter. Her eyes were locked on William as he made his way back to the cabin.
“There really has to be another way Pam. This idea is absurd. Do you honestly believe that Morgan is going to suddenly experience a breakthrough like the blind child in the ‘Miracle Worker’?”
Pamela willed her eyes from the cabin to face her father, she didn’t bother to wipe the tears that clearly wet her face. The salty substance trailed a wet path from her tear ducts, down her cheeks, teetering on the tip of her chin.
“It has to work daddy. I want William’s children to love each other. I don’t care if Morgan never looks at me again but I do want her to love this baby. I’ve got to get that message in her head.”
In all of his anger, Michael had repeatedly forgotten about the unborn child. Innocence was growing in Pamela’s womb. When his eyes rested on his daughter, he recalled how angelic she looked as a new born babe.
Michael closed the distance between them, he wrapped her snuggly in his arms.
“If anyone can make this work...that person would be you. I know you can do this pumpkin. I’m betting on you to succeed and you should know that we’re all here to support you. You are not alone in this.”
When Michael spoke, his words were as much for him as they were intended to sooth his daughter from crying. He knew that Pamela would need a miracle to help her crack through the impenetrable fortress that shielded Morgan’s heart. Whatever happened up on the mountain, Michael would never fault his daughter and he would never blame her for whatever outcome resulted from her time alone with Morgan.
William stepped into the cabin, then closed the door. The ladder was perched up against the lofts entrance, which was a good sign to report. If Morgan was dead set against cooperating by abandoning any ideas of civility, she would have moved the only route leading up to her quarters. Seeing the ladder was the first hint of an olive branch.
William climbed the steps, as he approached her sleeping area. When his head was at an angle where he could clearly see her; he spotted her body laying on top of the bed curved into a fetal position. William didn’t approach the bed but he knew that she wasn’t sleeping. He counted the rise and falls of her back, and her breathing wasn’t even. Then, he heard the sound of light whispering. It was then that he wondered if Morgan had heard him when he came up the ladder.
Morgan’s hand lay resting firmly on her ear, and from where he was standing, William could not see that she was attempting to block out the noise that crowed her world. Her life had been invaded by all these people without her permission. No one had asked for her opinion and now she was being commanded by her father to remain at the cabin against her will. Morgan couldn’t understand why her father was punishing her in this way. Their lives had been so perfect. Whenever she felt the weight of her life, pressing in on her, Morgan would cover her ears, then she would whisper her questions to her dead mother.
“Mommy, why is daddy allowing Pamela to destroy our lives? You and daddy use to say so many nice things about her. Mommy, I don’t think she was nice after all. I think that she was pretending to be nice. Her acting was so good, she persuaded daddy to marry her. How could Uncle Michael and Aunt Shawn have such a horrible daughter? I’m sorry for letting my guard down and trusting her. Maybe if I had not been nice to her after your funeral, daddy wouldn’t have liked her either.”
Morgan kept a steady stream of words coming from her mouth, as the tears fell from her eyes. She spoke words describing her life as she saw it and the picture that she painted was extremely bleak.
Hearing Morgan’s description of Pamela caused William’s face to grimace because she couldn’t have been further from the truth. It was clear that Morgan had not heard anything that he’d said when he told his family about his marriage, and she’d completely forgotten about all the things that Pamela did to help them after Bianca’s death.
William walked towards the bed. He stood on the side, allowing her to see him. When he came into view, Morgan shot up to a sitting position, mopping her tears from her face with her hands.
“Sweetie...”
Morgan pulled away when she noticed his hand reaching out to touch her. She placed her body outside of his reach. William frowned, annoyed by her gameplay. He had hoped for another outcome but with her not cooperating, he was left with no other choice. She had pushed him squarely into a corner, with no exit route.
“Morgan, I came to say goodbye. Pamela will be here and I think you need to take this time to talk to her.”
“I don’t have anything to say to her and this crazy idea is stupid.”
“Morgan, you wouldn’t have to stay here if only you would act your age.”
“You didn’t, so why should I.”
Steam rose from deep within him. He wondered where was the little girl that had once told her daddy that she loved him. He wanted to fight back by saying something equally describing her behavior but he refrained from following her lead. Tit for tat wasn’t the answer.
“If I thought that I could explain my situation to you, I would, but you have proven by your irresponsible behavior that you are unwilling to listen like a young adult. Since you won’t act your age, then I am forced to quarantine you like a child being placed in a playpen. I don’t care if you won’t say one word to Pamela...but you will listen and you will stay here until your behavior changes.”
“Oh well...” she said, as she jumped from her bed, then walked towards the ladder.
“I guess you had better call Miguel and tell him to bring us more food and other supplies. Oh...and by the way, you’ll need to telephone my headmistress because if my freedom is contingent upon my behavior changing towards Pamela Dawson, then I won’t be returning to school.”
As Morgan climbed down the ladder, William waited until she was on the last step. He followed her, and while he climbed down, he said...
“Laugh it up young lady because on this point...I’m deadly serious.”
“Do you have anything worthwhile saying before I leave?”
Morgan’s gaze held Pamela’s and the two females mentally sent messages through their brief exchange. In their glare there was the marking of territories. Pamela wasn’t leaving and she was daring Morgan to put up a fuss in front of her. Morgan was pissy mad but she wasn’t willing to let Pamela see emotion brought on by her. Morgan had already decided, the best way to deal with Pamela was to refuse to play her game.
When the war of the dueling eyes had no clear winner, Morgan saw no need to continue the staring contest. Her eyes had began to burn from her refusal to blink.
She shifted her weight on her heels, turning fully to look at William, her eyes fluttered like a drama queen.
“Daddy...you are doing what you think is best for me. I get that. But in the future...before you start making choices that will affect my life, please do me the courtesy of notifying me before hand. It sucks that you left me out of the decision making process...and now you’re trying to backpedal by forcing me to accept the mess that you’ve created.”
Morgan stepped off the porch. She watched as her movements caused everyone to take a few steps in her direction. They were all on edge, thinking that she would sprint and runoff into the woods.
“Man...they’re so daft.” She said underneath her breath as she walked to the outhouse.
If this was their reaction to her going to urinate, she could only imagine how nervous Pamela would be alone, with no one but her to look after Morgan. The idea of causing undo panic and distress to Pamela, thrilled Morgan. She could give as easily as she gets. Pamela had ruined her life and now the time had come for Morgan to repay her in kind. This idea of her father’s was beginning to sound better with each passing minute.
When the door to the outhouse closed, William turned away from that direction, and joined Michael and Pamela where they now stood. Frederick had finished his phone conversation and he’d stepped inside of the cabin.
Michael spoke first.
“Is she all right?”
“As good as can be expected.” William said. He looked at Pamela, and after listening to Morgan, he was beginning to think that perhaps they should sleep near the cabin in tents. Unfortunately, the tents weren’t stored in these cabins. It never seemed logical to keep them here. Beckards Point is the farthest border on the property and the cabins always seemed to be the most logical place to sleep, when camping in this area. The other cabins where at midway points between a border point or another cabin. Venturing out beyond the cabins while having the choice of using tents; this is what real hunting is all about. The range is yours for the taking, but if the weather went south, the cabins were always within easy traveling distance and it provided better shelter than the tents. But the same couldn’t be said about Beckards Point. The terrain wasn’t as friendly as the others areas.
William had been daydreaming about improbable scenarios. He even wondered why Morgan had chosen to hike to the farthest border point.
“William...are you having second thoughts?” Pamela said, and she’d had to force herself to ask him this. In so many ways, she didn’t care what his answer would be. She’d already made up her mind and after the way Morgan stared her down while standing on the porch; Pamela knew that she’d made her first headway with the girl. Morgan had not just ignored her...she chose to challenge her. The next step more than likely would be confrontation. Pamela cringed at the idea of this but she accepted what she’d agreed to do.
William exhaled loudly, then he watched as Michael’s eyes looked back in the direction of the outhouse. Morgan had emerged, and she was crossing the ground with long determined strides. She kept her eyes on the direction she was traveling, opting not to waste her glares on the others currently watching. In spite of all her posturing, Morgan’s bold assertive behavior did the opposite of what she aimed for. She’d been hoping to rope her father into a spirited farewell but instead her moxie had caused William’s desperation to soar. He had to restore his life and his family. Turning back to look at his wife...O, how he loved to think of her in those terms. William knew what had to be done.
“We had better get going. Michael...could you go and see if Frederick needs any help. Before we left the house, Miguel packed his backpack and I’m not sure if he knows how to roll up his sleeping bag to make room for everything to fit inside.”
“Yeah... I can do that.” Michael didn’t gripe but he was just as clueless as Frederick was when it came to the backpacks. Before they left Barn Wood Hudson, Miguel had packed his hiking gear along with Frederick’s. In spite of that, Michael accepted William’s reason for wanting to get rid of him and he left without saying an objecting word. When Michael was outside of hearing range, William pulled Pamela closer, causing her breast to graze across his shirt. She felt a surge of longing in the center of her legs. Her sensitive nipples begged for his attention. The moment he saw the expression on her face, he became aware of what had just happened. He smiled, because knowing that he’d sent shivers coursing throughout her body, urging her to desire more from him; this thought fed his lustful imagination. All the same, he suppressed these thoughts. Sending the longings back from the place they emerged from.
“Pammy...you have the phone that I gave you?”
Pamela had tucked the phone in her jeans pocket, just like he’d instructed her to do. She nodded, then waited for him to continue, mentally checking off from his safety list.
“Never be without it honey. I’ll come back in two days time to check on your progress.”
“But...doesn’t it make more sense for me to call you with updates?”
He smiled, she’d forgotten what he told her about the phones.
“The phones are for emergencies only. In the cabin, I left a solar charger...but the phones work best if the battery isn’t drained to a dead cell.”
“Frederick must not know that. He’s been talking on his phone since we arrived.”
“Frederick has a different phone. I haven’t had the chance to ask him about that but I suspect if he can get a signal out here; his phone must be like the ones we use...only more powerful. I think it’s the kind that you can use while in deserted places, with poor satellite coverage and no energy source. Phones like that have an unbelievable battery life, and they are solar powered. Not to mention a few other bells and whistles. I’ll have to remember to ask him about his phone. I might want to stock the house with those phones when we come back for our next vacation.”
Any talk about the future made Pamela wonder if she would be a part of that future. She had her doubts but her fears had nothing to do with William; her concerns dealt with an obstinate girl, whose name she didn’t even want to think about now. Pamela wanted to fill her brain with happy thoughts but William reminded her of their purpose. This pulled her back to reality.
“Are we clear on the phones?” he asked again, just to be certain that there were no misunderstandings.
“Yes, I’ll only use the phone for emergencies and every day, I’ll remember to plug the phone into the solar charger for one hour, to prevent the battery from completely dying.”
“Good...” he managed to smile, so as not to worry her.
“I’ll return in two days to check on you. If you haven’t made any headway with my daughter, I don’t want you fretting over lagging progress. We need to remember...you are pregnant and I don’t want you needlessly worrying over a matter that will resolve itself in time.”
She nodded while adding an important point. “Pregnancy isn’t a disease...it’s a condition. I’ll be all right William. Don’t worry about me. In two days, we’ll be here waiting for your return.”
Wil
liam heard noise in the rear of him. He didn’t bother turning to see who was there because he already knew. Pamela was still standing close to his chest. He wondered if her breast still thrilled due to their nearness.
Pamela surprised him, by lifting up on tiptoes, pressing her lips firmly on his mouth. His hand splay wide at the base of her back, pressing her body in closer to him. He felt wetness from her eyes falling on his face. When he opened his eyes to peer at her; Pamela’s sclera had turned a pinkish red, making her iris appear brighter than he’d ever seen them.
She pushed her hand against his chest, forcing him to release his hold.
“You had better get going, before I won’t let you go.”
Pain shot through him and he asked himself again about the wisdom in what they were doing.
“Lets go William...” Frederick was sounding more like a game warden, instead of a white collar political genius.
“Yes, you had better go.” She said again but William couldn’t bring himself to speak. He was leaving behind the two most important people in his life and he didn’t want to leave them.
Lifting his foot, he began to put his body into motion. With each step that took him farther away from her, William told himself, this separation would get easier the closer he got to the next cabin. Even while he lied horribly to himself, William kept walking in a straight path, telling himself not to look back.
The strain appeared to be felt hardest by William, that is, until Pamela saw the frustrated look her father attempted to hide. Michael stopped for a very long moment to look at her. He raised his hand to wave, and she returned his gesture by waving back at him. Pamela lifted her hand to her lips, then she threw her father a mock kiss. He smiled, then pretended to catch it. He placed his closed fist, firmly on his heart. In the distance, Frederick’s voice could be heard, calling out to Michael. He looked over his shoulder and realized he could no longer see them. He raised his hand to wave one final time to his daughter, then he turned and jogged at a quick pace. Pamela stood in the clearing watching him until the forest seemingly swallowed him up. Her heart raced, tripped by anticipation. She turned to look at the cabin where Morgan was inside.
