by Rich Curtin
Rivera turned right onto Herman’s two track. They pulled up in front of the dwelling and were greeted by Herman and the dogs. Herman was wearing a fur-lined denim jacket, a wool cap, and jeans. He was carrying a heavy wool blanket rolled up and tied with rope.
“Well, hello, Deputy Rivera. Welcome back. I heard you arrested Mr. Dryden for those murders.”
“Yes. That’s all over with now. There’s nothing for you to be concerned about anymore.” Rivera decided not to go into the details. Herman had probably learned them from Felix or some other truck driver by now. He introduced Gloria to Herman.
Herman bowed his head. “Pleased to meet you, Ma’am.” He turned to Rivera. “I want to thank you, Deputy. I feel safe out here again. But if you’ve come to visit, I’m afraid I can only talk for a minute. I was just leaving to visit Abby. She’s expecting me and I don’t want to be late.”
Gloria smiled. “Is Abby your girlfriend?”
“She’s the love of my life. She lives over on Tin Cup Mesa in a hut like mine. I walk to her place every day around dusk. We talk for hours and look at the stars.”
“How come you walk? Why don’t take your pickup?” asked Gloria.
“Got to get my daily exercise. And Abby doesn’t like trucks. They frighten her.”
Rivera felt a lump in his throat. Herman had escaped to the backcountry to heal his wounds. He’d found a way to cope with Abby’s death—a death for which he blamed himself—by imagining she was still alive. He was keeping her in his life even though she was gone forever.
“Well, have a nice evening, Herman. I’m going to take Gloria down to see the spring.”
“Best water in the county,” he said. He waved, turned, and started walking up the two-track toward the road, the three dogs following along behind him.
Rivera and Gloria continued down the trail to the spring.
“That’s so romantic,” said Gloria. “Two hermits in love, living off the grid. And he visits her every night.”
“Yes,” said Rivera, deciding not to tell her the story of what had happened long ago. Why spoil the evening? Maybe someday he would tell her. Maybe.
Gloria sampled the spring water, commented on its excellent taste, and surveyed the site where the Nez brothers had watered their flock. “I can just picture all those Churros grazing on that hillside and coming down here for a drink. Terrible shame about Mr. Nez.”
They lingered awhile, then returned to Rivera’s pickup and drove back to the airstrip. In the fading light of dusk, the edges of the airstrip were barely discernible. Rivera took Gloria by the hand and brought her over to Woody’s grave.
He pointed to the array of flat rocks. “This is where Woody is buried. I should say Sam Dryden, since that’s his real name, but after hearing his story from the people who were on that trip to the Summer of Love, I guess I’ll always think of him as Woody and picture him wearing a Woody Woodpecker T-shirt.
Gloria put her arms around Rivera and snuggled up to him. “It’s starting to get cold.”
“Want to leave?”
“No. I like it here. Look at the moonlight on those hills.”
The moon was higher over the eastern horizon now, and the color of the landscape was changing from tan to silver. Gloria felt warm pressed against his body.
He whispered in her ear. “I love you, Gloria.” He could feel her cheeks expand into a smile.
“I love you too, Manny.”
Rivera gently pushed her away, reached into his pocket, extracted the small velvet-covered box, and lowered himself onto one knee. He could feel his heart pounding. He opened the box and held it up so Gloria could see the ring.
“Gloria, will you marry me?”
Gloria eyes became moist. “Oh, yes, Manny. Yes, yes, yes. I’ll marry you.”
He stood up, removed the ring from the box, and placed it on her finger.
She stared at the ring. “Oh, Manny, it’s so beautiful.”
They kissed and he held her close for a long time. He felt as though his life was somehow just beginning. When he opened his eyes, he could see in the bright moonlight an image he would never forget. In the distance, a man was walking on the road toward Tin Cup Mesa, three dogs following along behind him. Herman was on his way to visit his beloved Abby, clinging to the one thing in life that mattered most to him. In that moment, it occurred to Rivera how fragile life was, how everything could change in an instant.
But right now he felt like the luckiest man in the world.
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