by Renee Hart
Lissa sat there for a little while trying to get her story in order. She wanted to give her mother a good impression about Alaska. It wouldn’t help to tell her she’d nearly been run over twice in the same day, once by a couple of moose and then again by a handsome, young man. Her mother really needed to hear some good news to build her confidence in Lissa’s decision to move so far away from Texas.
Hesitantly, she reached out to pick up Jessie’s phone. As she did, she realized she didn’t know how to make a call on a phone like this and she laid it down. I’ll call her later, she thought sadly.
Chapter Two
Lissa was absolutely delighted with the little apartment. Located over the garage, the windows looked out at trees in three directions, almost giving the impression of being in a tree house.
It was laid out with one large open room serving as the living room and kitchen, a small bedroom with a bathroom and a deck overlooking the backyard. The décor was a mix of homey and eclectic Alaskan kitsch with plenty of animal and mountain pictures.
“I love it,” Lissa confessed as she danced around the living room trying to see out of every window. “It’s like a dream. I’m almost scared to ask what the rent for a place like this runs here in Alaska.”
“Hmmm,” Jessie mumbled. “I’m not really sure what my parents will want. I’ve been living here for the last eight years and before that Ryan lived here. We’ve never rented this space to anyone outside the family. I’m sure we can come up with something that will work for you. Let’s go downstairs and talk to them.”
Nodding happily, Lissa followed her new friend hoping this could work out for her. She would be close to her new job and have far more privacy than an apartment complex. The added bonus of friendship with Jessie and her family, (including Ryan!), made the cost of renting seem unimportant.
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were as warm and friendly as their children. They welcomed Lissa as if she were an old friend. Jessie started to explain how Ryan had nearly run over Lissa down the street and her recent arrival in Alaska. Their excited conversation was interrupted by a nine year old bursting on the scene like a tornado as he jumped on his mother.
“And this, as you may have already guessed, is my son, Trey,” Jessie said proudly. “Trey, say hello to Lissa. She’s considering moving into our old place. What do you think about that?”
Trey turned to stare at Lissa for a moment. His eyes didn’t waver as he considered her in light of this news. She waited to see what he would have to say about it.
“Okay, Mom,” settled the matter for him and he turned his attention back to his mother.
“I got an ‘A’ on my reading test,” he proudly announced. “The story was about animals and I knew all the words!”
“That’s great,” Jessie exclaimed. “You’ll be happy to know that Lissa likes animals too. She’s going to work for Fish & Game.”
“Cool. What’s for supper?”
“How about we drive Lissa back to her place and pick up a sandwich or something,” Jessie asked.
No sooner were the words out of his mother’s mouth and Trey was at the door pulling on his jacket. The grown-ups laughed at his excitement. It was clear there was never a dull moment with this guy around, Lissa thought with a smile.
***
The next morning, Lissa was up very early as she tried to mentally prepare for her first day on a new job. She’d had other jobs, of course, but this was her first step as a college graduate. Being a game warden wasn’t the exact position she’d wanted, but it was a way of combining her love of animals with her education. Adding the adventure of trying out a new life in Alaska made this opportunity even more important to her. She could only hope the turn of luck that came with meeting Ryan yesterday would carry over to today.
By 8:30, she was standing outside the Fish & Game office with her bag in hand. Too nervous to eat more than an apple for breakfast, she hoped there’d be coffee inside, but the door was still locked. Checking the hours on the sign by the door, she wondered when the rest of the staff would arrive for the 9:00 opening time. She watched the passing traffic carefully.
At 9:15, Lissa began to get nervous. According to the instructions she’d received, she was supposed to report for work at 8:45. She was now half an hour late on her first day. Reaching into her bag for her phone, her heart sank as she remembered its fate yesterday. Not only did she not have a phone, she was also without the phone number for her boss. Attempting to be efficient, she’d had her friend program the number into her phone the day she’d received it in the mail.
On the verge of panic, she stood with her back to the door trying to figure out what to do when suddenly the door swung open from the inside and nearly sent her flying off the little porch. The woman inside was equally surprised as the door bounced off Lissa and slammed back in her face.
“I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t know anyone was out here,” the woman said peeking around the half-opened door again. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yes….I’m fine. I was waiting for someone to drive up. I didn’t know anyone was already inside.
“Oh, no. We use the employee’s entrance around back. This is the public entrance for people coming to get hunting and fishing licenses. Did you need to buy a hunting or fishing license?”
“No! No. I work here,” Lissa moaned. “Well, I mean this is my first day. I’m supposed to be working here, but I’m late already….”
“Oh, you’re Lisa. I’m Maddie. Welcome to Fish & Game!”
“Lissa. My name’s Lissa, with two s’s,” Lissa said a bit impatiently. “Where can I find Mr. Burns, please?”
“They’re in the conference room at the end of the hall doing the staff briefings. Hurry up and you won’t miss too much,” Maddie said as Lissa rushed down the hall.
Seeing a single closed door at the end of the hall, Lissa grabbed the handle and shoved it open. Much to her surprise, a loud grunt and splash came from the other side. She froze for a moment and feared the worst. Inching the door open slowly, she came face to face with a grim faced man with a large coffee stain spreading down the front of his crisply pressed uniform.
“Let me guess,” Lissa said with forced cheer, “you’re Mr. Burns, right?”
The man slowly nodded as his eyes narrowed and a light dawned on his face.
“And I suppose it’s not too much of a guess that you’re my new field agent, Lisa,” Mr. Burns said with a sour voice.
“Lissa, not Lisa. With two s’s,” Lissa corrected him quietly. “And I’m sorry I’m late. I was at the wrong door and I’m really sorry about your coffee, uh, uniform…”
Mr. Burns sighed as he looked at the empty cup in his hand and the wet stain moving down the front of his trousers. Turning back to his audience, he cleared his throat and looked at the clock on the wall.
“For our final order of business, I’d like to introduce Lissa…with two s’s. She’s come from Texas to join our team. Her first two weeks of training will be under the tutelage of our senior officer Mr. Shilling here.”
Several faces didn’t try to hide their looks of relief at this announcement. Lissa was still standing in the doorway attempting a smile. The shocked look in the room clearly belonged to Mr. Shilling as his mouth gaped open in surprise, bordering on horror. She wasn’t sure what the source of his concern was, but she was sure to find out post haste.
One face in the back of the room stood out with a grin that spread from ear to ear. The owner of that grin, a young man was certainly enjoying this moment. He almost looked as if he’d just found out he’d won the lottery or something, Lissa thought to herself, avoiding his gaze. Caught up in that grin, Lissa missed Mr. Burns’ next words and found him staring at her.
“I’m sorry,” she asked. “I think I missed something.”
“I asked you if you’d ordered your uniforms yet.”
“Yes…sir. I’ve just got to go to the shop and pick them up. They’re supposed to be ready today.”
“Good.
You and Mr. Shilling can swing by the shop on your way to the boat launch.”
“Boat launch,” Lissa swallowed hard. “Are we going out on a boat?”
“Well, it’s pretty hard to check fishing licenses driving a truck, now don’t you think?”
With those words, Mr. Burns turned and headed out the door, leaving Lissa standing there while the other agents gathered their paperwork and began to file out around her. A couple of them muttered something that was supposed to pass for ‘welcome’, but their faces were giving her a different message. She was clearly not really welcome and they weren’t trying too hard to hide it.
The guy with the big grin stopped in front of her and extended his hand. Much to her surprise, he shook her hand with enthusiasm and welcomed her loudly.
“Hello, and welcome! I’m Gary Bishop and I’m so glad that you’re here.”
She couldn’t help but notice the smirk on Mr. Shilling’s face as he watched Gary’s performance. It made her feel like this was some kind of act, and she quickly withdrew her hand from his grasp.
“You have a nice day, eh?” he said, then leaning in a bit closer, he added, “Maybe old Shilling will let you drive the boat.”
Lissa leaned away from him and took a step backwards. Gary just laughed and headed out the door without a backward glance. She and Mr. Shilling were left facing each other in the empty room.
“The less you talk, the better we’ll get along,” Mr. Shilling said gruffly rising to his feet. “We’re already late. Let’s get going.”
Lissa silently followed his lead as he headed for the back door. Her first day hadn’t gotten off to a very good start and she struggled not to let discouragement wash over her. Looking on the bright side, at least she hadn’t been fired for being late or for dousing the boss in his own coffee. With that thought, her spirits lifted a bit and she hurried after her new partner.
***
Mr. Shilling stopped outside the tailor shop and put the truck in park. He hadn’t said a word to her since they’d left the conference room. Lissa hopped out of the truck and hurried inside to get her two shiny new uniforms. The woman inside took her ticket and went into the back room. She reappeared carrying them on hangers.
Lissa took one look at the shirts and groaned.
“These uniforms are the wrong color.”
“No, they’re the right color,” the woman protested. “For Fish & Game, right?”
“Yes,” Lissa said, “but the guy outside is wearing a beige uniform with short sleeves. These are dark brown with long sleeves.”
“These are winter uniforms. They come in dark brown with long sleeves.”
“But I don’t need winter uniforms. It’s summer. I need summer uniforms!”
“Then you should have ordered summer uniforms,” the woman sniffed turning away from the counter.
“Wait! I need two summer uniforms,” Lissa said.
“You can order them on-line,” the woman said as she headed for the back room.
“How long will that take,” Lissa shouted after her.
“Two weeks,” came the reply from a distance.
It was obvious the conversation was over. Lissa stood there with her new uniforms and pondered her next step. She was supposed to be in uniform while she was on the job. The employee manual was very firm on that point. Wearing the wrong color uniform was probably less important than not wearing any uniform at all, she figured. Quickly, she went into the rest room and changed her clothes. It was not going to make matters better if she kept Mr. Shilling waiting any longer than necessary, she thought as she struggled with the tight button holes on her new shirt.
Hurrying back out to the truck, she ignored the surprised look her partner cast in her direction. She was still trying to button her sleeves before she noticed her shirt wasn’t buttoned correctly.
Struggling to undo her mistakes, she’d barely settled into her seat when Mr. Shilling slammed the truck into gear and pulled into traffic. Woefully, she watched out the window as they passed Java Nutz. There was no way she dared to ask if they could stop and grab some coffee along the way. It was going to be a very long day.
***
Lissa had under-estimated the length of her first day by several hours of frustration and embarrassment. Mr. Shilling assigned her the task of measuring fish to make sure they were the legal size. The biggest problem came when she wasn’t able to identify all of the different species. At first, she’d resorted to asking the holder of the fish, but that approach openly revealed her ignorance. She tried looking at the pictures in her little handbook, but this was taking her too long.
By lunchtime, she’d seen enough trout and groupers, and a few others, to know without asking, but she still had to look up the specific size limits for each. Mr. Shilling made no effort to instruct or direct her as he went about the task of checking licenses and gear. She wondered if this was going to be his training method for the entire two weeks. If so, she probably wasn’t going to learn much from him.
During their lunch break, Lissa pulled out her small lunch sack and proceeded to nibble on some carrot sticks. Her partner noshed on a large sandwich and a thermos of hot coffee nearby. She tried to ignore the scent of the brew wafting in her direction. The only thing worse was the stink of fish that permeated the front of her new uniform.
As she sat in the sun, the sweat ran down the middle of her back and pooled at the top of her trousers. Her winter uniform was much too heavy for the heat of the day. The warmth made her drowsy so she leaned back and closed her eyes. A sudden thump on the bench startled her awake as Mr. Shilling gave her a rude wake-up call. Checking her watch, she jumped up to follow him back down to the dock.
The afternoon was even busier than the morning as boats came in with even more fish. One man was calling out to everyone around him about the whopper he’d hauled in from the farthest end of the lake. Everyone gathered around to take a look at what he claimed was a new record fish. There was quite a crowd gathered by the time he reached the dock.
Mr. Shilling was standing at the end of the dock with his arms folded. He cast a stern look at Lissa, and she hurried over to greet the proud fisherman. Ignoring her, the man tied up to the dock and reached into his ice chest to pull out his prize. A few exclamations went up from the men around her and they pressed in for a closer look.
Lissa was desperately trying to remember the kind of fish and the size requirement. She was so distracted that she accidentally stepped off the pier into the man’s boat. The sudden shift in weight caused him to lose his balance. Flinging his prize fish high into the air, the man flailed his arms wildly for several seconds before doing a back flip right out of his boat.
The crowd roared with laughter as he popped up like a bobber and started looking around frantically for his catch. The fish had taken advantage of its sudden freedom and headed off to deeper waters. Turning his attention to the source of his loss, the man growled in frustration as he stared a hole in Lissa’s head.
Quickly scurrying out of the boat and back onto the dock, Lissa tried to put some distance between herself and the angry man. She thought it might be best to apologize, but the words that came to mind didn’t fit the magnitude of what she’d done. Looking around for her partner, she caught him with a smirk on his face. He made a quick about-face to hide his amusement. By now she knew she was on her own.
“I’m very sorry, sir,” she ventured in a conciliatory tone. “It’s my first day and I’ve never seen a fish that big before….”
The look in his eyes let her know her apology wasn’t going to change anything. The crowd that had gathered to see a prize fish was now interested in seeing how this was going to end. No one had moved away and a few of them were muttering their own ideas about her faux pas.
Lissa was starting to feel a bit frightened and she struggled not to show it. She was nervous about what the man might do at that moment, and in her imagination it wasn't going to be pretty.
Much to her surprise, the ma
n suddenly burst out laughing. He reached into his cooler and pulled out a beer. Popping the tab, he saluted her with the can and leaned back to take a big swallow. Turning to address the crowd, he made a few comments about the kind of people Fish & Game were hiring now days, much to their delight.
After the tension eased, the people drifted back to their own business leaving Lissa to breathe a big sigh of relief. She was very thankful the man had chosen not to take his misfortune seriously. No one would ever be able to beat his unique story about the fish that got away.
I'm lucky I didn't get beat up by an angry fisherman on my very first day, she mused. There's a lot to learn about this job, she thought, trying to channel confidence. If Mr. Shilling isn’t going to help me, I'll have to learn to help myself.
Chapter Three
Lissa’s next few days were busy as she struggled with learning her new job and the task of moving into her new apartment. Her relationship with Mr. Shilling wasn’t improving in any discernible way, but she refused to let his attitude affect her. Depending on their post for the day, he would assign her some menial task without any instructions and then watch her fumble along from a safe distance.
In the evenings, Lissa would swing by Java Nutz in search of a friendly face and a warm cup of coffee. While she was always happy to find Jessie in charge, she couldn’t help but secretly hope to find Ryan putting in his time. He appeared to put in most of his hours in the early part of the day, however, and she kept missing him.
He did prove true to his word by leaving a couple of flip phones with Jessie for her. She was welcome to choose whichever one fit her needs the best. He’d even enlisted Trey’s help to get the phone set up and working for her. She was assured that this task was so simple a nine year old could handle it.
Getting a new phone was a huge relief both for her and her mother. The poor woman was worried sick when Lissa stopped answering her phone. She’d left more than fifty messages on voicemail by the time Lissa's phone was working. She was certain her mother would have been on a plane if another day had gone by without contact between them.
