by Annette Mori
Sydney started to get in the front driver’s side seat and then smacked her head. “Damn, I forgot to get his car keys. Shit, now I’m gonna have to rummage through his pockets.” She crawled in the back seat and started searching his pants.
Greg blinked a couple of times, but never lost that unfocused look.
“Voila.” She held the keys up in a triumphant gesture of victory. “Just follow me in the Jeep, and when I pull over, you need to find a place a safe distance away where we can hide and then quickly head in the opposite direction after Celeste flips the switch.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out another set of keys, then tossed them in my direction.
I’m not very athletic, so I promptly squealed and they dropped at my feet.
Sydney chuckled. “I forgot that softball was never your forte, but you did look awfully cute in a baseball cap.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. Sydney arched an eyebrow in response. I was beginning to like this more playful side of myself that had only recently made an appearance. I picked up the keys and gestured for Celeste to follow me. I was looking forward to driving Sydney’s Jeep. I’d never had the chance to drive a cool car.
Celeste climbed into the passenger seat and lifted her face to the sun in a sensual movement that had me shamelessly staring. I jumped into the driver’s seat with gusto.
Everything about these last few days was surreal to me. I had no idea what was around the corner for me and I loved it. I was on the precipice of a great expedition that blew to bits my entire, boring, ordered life.
Chapter Eight
The wind was whipping through my hair, alternately stinging and caressing my cheeks. I suppose I should have grabbed a baseball cap or tied back my hair, but I didn’t care because I felt alive. The sun kissed my face and brought a warmth to my skin, creating a soft glow of excitement. Sydney led us down a winding, remote road near Snoqualmie Pass. The full majestic beauty of the mountains kept blinking on and off through the shadows of the mammoth evergreen trees as the sun alternately filtered through.
I would have been satisfied to continue driving, but all too soon Sydney stopped at a bend in the road. She provided us with the perfect opportunity to pull into a side road that would adequately hide our vehicle until Greg was safely on his way. I turned down the old logging road and pulled the Jeep over behind a massive pine tree that completely blocked the view of our car from the main road.
Celeste and I quickly scrambled out and hiked our way closer to Greg’s car. We met Sydney in the densely wooded area.
“The car is about a hundred yards in that direction.” Sydney pointed west. “I pulled his sorry ass out and dumped him in the driver’s side. He should be ready to go after you do your mind thingy,” she added.
“I will need to move a few paces closer until I feel the energy connection,” Celeste explained.
Sydney and I followed Celeste as she walked closer to Greg. I was thankful when she stopped in an area with heavy vegetation. I didn’t think anyone would detect any of us in the spot she’d chosen. The only thing I worried about was the purple light that emanated from her body. If anyone was around, their curiosity might compel them to check out the odd glow in the woods. I hoped that, since Greg was in the midst of the thought manipulation, he wouldn’t register the strange purple light.
It only took Celeste about thirty seconds and then the light flickered out. She nodded to us and then slumped to the ground. This time I noticed her skin took on a sickly grayish hue. This was so not good.
I scrambled to her side and Sydney was right beside me as we lifted her together and moved her to an area where the sun peeked through the trees, creating a small patch of this essential lifeline.
Sydney placed her finger to her lips and we squatted beside Celeste until we saw Greg’s car ease on down the road. Wanting to be sure he was well away from our location, we waited in the sunshine with Celeste for another ten minutes. I think we were both too scared to say anything, and the silence weighed on me like a heavy blanket of doom.
Finally, Sydney glanced at her watch and nodded. We each took one of Celeste’s arms and draped them over our shoulders as we helped her to the Jeep.
Sydney was gentle when she lifted her and settled her comfortably in the back seat. We couldn’t keep asking her to deplete her energy because at some point she wasn’t going to be able to recover. The sacrifice she made for me was enormous and probably the beginning of the fragile state that she had not been quite able to fully recover from. I hoped that our camping trip would provide plenty of rest and relaxation that would give her the ability to fully recharge before permanent damage was done.
†
It was late afternoon when we finally returned to the cabin. Sydney carried Celeste back to the hammock. She’d started to regain some of her color on the ride back. Thank God for the open air experience of the Jeep with the soft top removed.
I followed Sydney to a large shed in the back yard. When she opened the door, I was privy to her hidden chaos. Sydney must be one of those people who kept their house neat and clean, but allowed their garage or storage area to overflow with every imaginable item. I smiled to myself. Thank God, I had another closet pack rat I could commiserate with.
“Wow, I never would have expected this. What happened? Did Home Depot throw up in your shed?”
“Hardy, har, har, such a comedian. I could use your help, not your cryptic remarks on my organizational skills.”
“Okay what would you like me to do?” I asked.
“Just grab as much of the camping equipment as you can and toss it in a heap. I’ll go through it and decide what we should take. It’s mostly located on that wall, although there might be a few items interspersed throughout.”
I’d never been camping before, but I did recognize certain items, like the tent, sleeping bags, and Coleman stove. I decided to start with the usual suspects.
Sydney was a whirlwind of activity as she started to toss various items into the center of the shed, including water proof bags that weren’t obviously camping gear.
I couldn’t help myself as I nosed around and opened a few of those bags, curious about their contents.
“Ooh, looky here. These are so cute. I didn’t realize there were special containers for bathroom items. Does that mean I’ll be able to take a shower every day? This container is marked cream rinse. You take cream rinse while you’re out camping and you tease me about glamping? I mean, who takes cream rinse on a camping trip, Princess Sydney.” I doubled over laughing.
Sydney grabbed the container. “Gimme that.” She tossed the hair product into the bag. “If you’re not gonna help, just march back out and I’ll take care of it.”
“Sorry, I was only kidding.”
It wasn’t normal for Sydney to get testy. She was one of the most easygoing people I knew. “Hey, are you okay? You seem a little tense.”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just I have a bad feeling. Hollie gets off work in a few hours and I want us to be far away from here.”
I spied a huge cooler in the corner and dragged it into the middle. I was sure it would hold our salmon and a bunch of other items. I was excited to cook over a fire. I’d opened one of the other bags and had seen a bunch of those freeze dried camping meals, and they were definitely unappealing to me.
The mound in the middle of the floor was epic and I wondered how in the world we were going to fit everything into her Jeep. Sydney looked like she was surveying the pile and I imagined she had that same thought.
She slapped her hands together. “Okay, I think that’s everything. Oh wait…” She turned around and grabbed three fold up camping chairs, the fancy ones with cup holders. I’d seen the same ones in Costco. “Now if I could only rip out the kitchen sink, we’d be set.” She winked at me.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Now we drag this all out to the Jeep and let the master packer find a place for everything.”
I must have had a skeptical look on my face.<
br />
“Oh ye of little faith,” she added.
“Hey, why don’t you move the Jeep closer so we don’t have to lug the gear so far?” I asked.
“Good call. See that’s why I need you in my life—to state the obvious.”
While Sydney went to move the Jeep closer, I grabbed the tent and a sleeping bag and starting hauling it out to just outside the shed. I grinned as I glanced over at Celeste and saw Gizmo back in her favorite resting place, nestled on top of Celeste’s chest. That stopped me dead in my tracks. Shit, what were we going to do with Gizmo. I couldn’t leave her here to fend for herself. We were going to have to take her with us. Gizmo was a great cat and I thought she’d be just fine hanging around the campsite with us. She wouldn’t even need a litter box because we would be in the great outdoors. I told myself that she would be just fine, but would Sydney be okay with taking her? Her food couldn’t take up that much room and I’d be happy to hold her while we traveled to wherever we were going.
Sydney whipped the Jeep into an open grassy area next to the shed and climbed out. She immediately began retrieving the heavy items from the shed and started packing the gear.
“Um, Sydney…” I started to ask.
“Yeah.” She turned her head to look at me as she was shoving the softer bags into corners.
“Can we please take Gizmo? She’s very obedient, almost like a dog. I promise she won’t roam.”
“Sure, why not? I like the little furball,” she replied.
We both headed back into the shed to grab some more stuff. The song, Bitch, by Meredith Brooks, blasted out of Sydney’s back pocket. She pulled her phone from her pocket, glanced down, and placed a finger over her lips as she pushed one button and then another.
I wondered how pissed Hollie would be if she knew that Sydney was putting the call on speaker.
“Hi Hollie.”
“Hey, baby. I’m assuming that by now Greg came and got that freakazoid and took her back to the looney bin so that we can get on with our lives. I know we can get past that little misunderstanding we had. Babe, you have to know that I did it for your own good. You’re just too warm hearted. She could have hurt you, and don’t get me started on that slut, Mabel, who put you in that vulnerable position.” Hollie’s voice oozed from the tiny iPhone speaker.
“Stop it right there. Don’t you ever talk that way about Mabel again. I mean it. I also meant it when I told you we’re done. You have to know this has been a long time coming. I just can’t do it anymore.”
“Aw, hon, you know they never mean anything and I always come home to you. Besides, I didn’t even sleep with him. I only love you. I’ve always only loved you. You know that. Syd, I’ll do anything you want. We can fix this. I’ll even go to a couples counselor if that’s what you want.”
“Hollie, I wanted to do that five years ago when we may have had a chance to work this out.”
“Look, I promise we can even talk about getting married, or kids, if that’s what it takes. I know you still love me. I can’t believe you bought us a romantic vacation getaway and didn’t tell me. That was such a sweet thing to do, but I’m mad at you for not telling me. I had to find it out from Greg. Let’s just talk this out like we always do.” Hollie was pleading.
I didn’t really understand why Sydney put Hollie on speaker phone or why she wanted me to hear everything. I was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation, but maybe she needed my silent support. Whatever her reason for wanting me to hear all this, I decided I would stay and give her whatever she needed to stay the course. I nodded at her and heard an audible sigh.
“I didn’t buy the cabin for us. I bought it for me. I needed a place to go to when I finally got the guts to end it with you. I don’t want to hurt you, Hollie, but can’t you see that we aren’t going to work? You don’t really want me. You just want something to rub in your old man’s face.”
“That’s not true. Maybe at first I wanted to rub it in his face, but no one makes me feel like you do. You can’t really blame me for stepping out. You leave me by myself for days in a row, especially when you pick up all those extra shifts. Lately, even when you’re here, it’s like I’m invisible. You have to take some responsibility here.”
I couldn’t stop myself and blurted out, “You gotta be effing kidding me. You’re blaming Sydney for your infidelity?”
“What the fuck, Sydney? You have me on speaker phone and you’re letting that bitch listen to our private conversation? What the fuck is she doing there anyway?”
“I warned you not to talk about Mabel like that. I’ve put up with enough of your shit over the years, but I’m done letting you trash Mabs. This conversation is over.” Sydney was speaking through gritted teeth.
“Wait, please wait. I won’t say anything more about Mabel. I promise. Babe, I love you. Can you just please tell Mabel to go home? I’m coming out there. Don’t go anywhere because I’ll be there by five-thirty with some takeout and a bottle of wine. I swear I’ll do anything you want. Just give me a chance to change, and I promise I’ll never cheat on you again. I’m really ready to commit now. Please, you can’t want to throw away ten years just like that. I know we can make it work, please.”
I could tell she was crying now and I almost felt sorry for her. Hollie’s crying affected Sydney, but she took one look at me and I could almost feel the resolve build in her.
“I’m sorry, Hollie, it’s too late. I won’t be here when you come tonight, so don’t bother. Goodbye.” Sydney pressed the button, flipped the switch to silence mode, and placed the phone against her forehead. An errant tear rolled down her cheek.
I took a few tentative steps in her direction and then I felt compelled to pull her into my arms to comfort her. I really didn’t intend to kiss her, but she was like a magnet and I closed the gap. It wasn’t like our earlier kiss that had a respectable amount of passion attached to it. It was more like a commingling of two body parts. I just wanted to convey my support and love. I knew I shouldn’t have done that to her because she had to be confused, but it just seemed right and I refused to feel guilty about it.
She smiled at me and lifted one eyebrow.
“Nope, if you’re thinking I’m sorry I just did that, you would be wrong. I’m not about to apologize.” After those words flew out of my mouth, I regretted them, because even though I wasn’t sorry, I was still confused about what I was going to do about Celeste. We’d started something. I didn’t know what that something was and she lived literally millions of miles away. It put a new perspective on long distance relationships.
Sydney interrupted my thoughts. “Good, because I wasn’t asking for an apology and I’m not the least bit sorry you did that. I hate to break the mood, but our timetable just accelerated. We better be out of here in less than thirty minutes and be well on our way to our destination, or both of us are going to really be sorry when Hurricane Hollie arrives.”
“I’ll go get the salmon from the fridge and collect whatever else I might need to cook with. You don’t mind if I scrounge around your kitchen, do you? We’ll be able to get ice on the way, won’t we?”
“Sure. I’ll meet you at the Jeep in ten.”
†
I was glad the cooler was super-sized because I ended up grabbing not only the salmon, but a bunch of other items she had in her freezer, including some steaks, apple chicken sausages, turkey hot dogs, and ground bison. The plastic bag I threw the items into was overflowing by the time I was done. I also raided her spice rack pulling out some dried thyme and old bay seasoning. I’d already seen the mini salt and pepper shakers in one of the camping bags, so I was sure I could make do with some minimal spices to add to the basic seasoning. Finally, I grabbed several bulbs of garlic because almost everything I ate had a liberal amount of garlic added to the recipe. I’d never had to worry much about garlic breath before. I made a mental note to pick up some chewing gum.
When I got to the Jeep, everything was already loaded up. Boy, was she fast.
We would be far away from the cabin when Hurricane Hollie arrived since it was a quarter to five now. I lifted the cooler, which was the last item placed in the back and tossed all the perishables inside.
“Can I just grab our bags from the guest bedroom and toss them inside? I don’t think I want to wear the same clothes for two weeks.”
“Sure. I left some room on top of the cooler and in the back seat. It should all fit. I’ll pack my bag and grab Gizmo’s food, and then we can rouse Celeste and be on our way.” Sydney was already heading back into the cabin as she replied.
We were like a well-oiled machine and, within ten minutes, we were ready to pack Celeste and Gizmo into the Jeep with the rest of our supplies and gear. I’d noticed that Celeste never went anywhere without her backpack, so I was sure to include that in the pile. I resisted the urge to snoop.
Sydney was scrutinizing me and I started to get self-conscious when she frowned.
“What?”
I looked down at the spot she seemed to be focusing on and noticed the rather large hole and red spot in my shirt. I’d neglected to remove the evidence when I’d brushed my teeth while Sydney was making the sandwiches.
“Um, you might want to change your shirt before we leave because we will want to make a stop to get some additional supplies and I don’t think you want to explain that.” She pointed at the place where Greg shot me.
“Oh yeah, right. My bag is already packed. Do you think I can borrow a T-shirt?” I asked.
“Sure, follow me.”
I followed her back into the cabin and into her bedroom. She pawed through her drawers, pulled out a Seahawks shirt, and tossed it to me.
“Thanks.”
“It’s a little small for me, so it should fit you. I only wear it when I’m working out—by myself,” she added. “The guys are such pigs and shamelessly ogled me when I wore it at the firehouse.”
