by Maya Riley
I lost track of time. I had no idea how much time had passed, or how long we were holed up in that room, on that bed, and in that same position. Then my stomach growled, the noise cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter.
“Well, damn,” I muttered. “What about dinner?”
“We’ll make sure you get some food, don’t worry about that,” he promised.
“We’ll see.” I lifted my head and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, which glistened with the few stray tears that I dared to let fall.
“I worked hard on that salad, and they probably ate it all,” I lamented.
He laughed, a nice and deep rumbling sound that soothed my aching heart. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he assured me. “I promise. We gave them a decoy salad.”
My head whipped up to meet his eyes. “A decoy salad? Is that really a thing?”
“It can be.” He nodded. “But I have a feeling none of this has anything to do with a salad.”
He was more observant than I gave him credit for.
“So, I guess the next order of business,” I continued slowly, “is what the fuck are they doing here?” I couldn’t even contain my anger. Luckily these guys knew about my fucked-up family situation. Actually, they were the only people in the world who I’d let into that part of my life. These climbers and Pete were the most important people in my life. I was suddenly even more grateful for that now. I didn’t even have to try to explain my reaction.
“So,” he began, “your mom apparently tried to contact you to say an early happy birthday.”
“Oh...” Yeah, whoops. Of course that would alert her. She’d wished me a happy birthday every year on the day. It was only Steve who refused to acknowledge me on the actual date. She probably remembered what I’d originally intended to do for this birthday and decided to check in a little early. “Yeah, I forgot to make sure I could still get ahold of her.” So it was my fault. I’d forgotten to throw her off my scent. I blamed all the pizza and orgasms. “It’s not even my birthday yet though.”
“Yeah, this year she apparently was going to try to talk to you every day leading up to it. Then when she couldn’t get ahold of you, she got worried, and she got ahold of your father. Then she remembered this trip,” he explained.
“So, what baffles me the most is that they actually communicated with each other. They talked, and met up to come here together...” I trailed off, my brain not wanting to wrap around this.
“Pretty much,” he confirmed. “They wanted to stop you. They threatened us, saying they’d make our lives living hell if we continued to let you do this.”
I laughed. “If you continued to let me do this?” I was about ready to double over from laughter, this was so funny. “Since when do I listen to other people?”
“Right? That’s what I said.” He looked about ready to start laughing as well. “You’re going to do this thing with or without our help. You’d climb this whole damn thing solo if you could. Which,” he held up a finger, “I would highly advise against. But yeah. Anyways, we told them to suck it, because we were going to support you no matter what.”
“Oh J.D., I’m really grateful, seriously, but I would advise caution. My mother has a unique way of trying to make your lives miserable if she really wanted to. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to right now,” I warned.
After some more convincing, we headed back downstairs. Mom and Steve were on the couch, separated by Gary who was sitting between them. My mother sat there with the air of calmness she carried with her everywhere she went. Steve, on the other hand, looked stern, uncomfortable as hell, and very pissed off. He looked like he wanted to throw a fist through the wall. Or to throw one of us through the wall, whichever was easiest. Or, hell, maybe even both.
“Hey,” I greeted as I stepped off the last step, with J.D. close to my side. He kept a hand on my back, encouraging me by letting me know he was there for me, and only for me.
I looked around at my guys and they all had the same blank, uncomfortable expression.
“So,” I started. I was beginning to feel like that was the only thing I was saying nowadays. Always asking for an explanation. “You,” I nodded in the direction of my mother, “first. You begin.”
She blew out a breath I didn’t realize she was holding. “Look, sweetie, I’m sorry for how we went about this.” Her gaze was locked on mine, as though she was trying to convey her sincerity. “We really do only want the best for you. And, most importantly, we want you to be safe. And alive,” she added. “I understand you’re going to do this climb whether or not we approve of it.”
Steve stiffened beside her, and his mouth began to open in disagreement.
“You know it’s true, Steve,” she addressed him.
“Yeah,” he agreed, his voice low and barely audible.
“So, I’ve made a decision.” The entire room was stark quiet. So quiet, you’d be able to hear a pebble fall in the Grand Canyon. The room took a collective breath, waiting for my mother to continue. “I’ll do this with you. I’ll climb the Carbolitas.” The room was dead silent.
The daggers in Steve’s eyes as he glared at my mom were sharp enough to take down a forest of pine trees in one sweep. “What do you mean, you’ll do it with her?” he growled, his tone firm and demanding.
“Steve.” She turned to him. “You had to have known this was coming. If you ever really knew her at all during any part of her life, you’d know that there was no way she’d back down from this. We could drag her off this mountain, and she’d turn around and climb right back up again.”
He opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off.
“You know it’s true. You can’t argue. Which is why I brought my climbing gear. I didn’t come here to take her back. I came here to do this with her.”
She paused, and we all stood there in stunned silence as her words sunk in.
“Then why’d you call me here to drag her back?” he questioned.
“I didn’t,” she replied. “I called you to come with me to climb with us. This is something we need to do together. As a family.” She looked at me. “For Clif.”
I looked at her, trying to understand how she got to this point. It was then I took note of the new lines on her face that hadn’t been there the last time I saw her. Where my hair was light brown, hers was always darker, but was now kissed with gray in a few flyaway wisps. I got my eyes from her, and it was really the most recognizable part of her for me.
“I knew you wouldn’t stop climbing, Cam,” she continued, and I was surprised at her use of my nickname again. I hadn’t heard that name cross her lips since Clif died, and they both decided to stop being a family. “Look, I know that I’ve spent years trying to get you to stop climbing. I knew you’d left your job at a good company and started working at Rayel’s, but I didn’t let on that I did,” she informed me. “But you’re right, Cam, we shouldn’t have stopped climbing in spite of what happened to Clif. We should’ve kept climbing in memory of him.” Her hazel eyes glistened with sincerity. This was a huge deal and if she meant it, then I’d give her the chance.
I nodded and looked over at Steve, waiting for his opinion next. He looked part furious and part in agreement. This was the only chance I was going to give them regarding this. Either they were in, or they were out for good. “Well?” I asked him. “Are you in too, or what?”
“I wasn’t expecting this,” he mumbled. “It’s been so long and I don’t have any gear.”
“I have a harness for you, and an extra pack you can use. I brought you here with the intention that you’d join us as well,” Mom told him, and I grinned at her.
Steve sighed. “Alright. I’m in.”
A steady clapping filled the room as we all expressed our approval. I beamed at him, glad that he was going to do this, but not yet ready to run up and hug the man who’d abandoned his family at the worst possible time in their lives.
“So…” I clasped my hands toge
ther in front of my chest. “Who’s ready for some dinner?”
The front door slammed opened as Jenna strode in. “Alright bitches, I’m here! And I brought company.” That girl really knew how to make an entrance.
She stopped mid-step when she saw my parents sitting on the couch, and Dave ran into her from behind. “What...” She’d met my mom once by accident, we’d bumped into her one night went we went to the grocery store for food and drinks for one of our girls’ nights. But she’d never met Steve, she’d only seen pictures of him, but he still looked exactly the same as he did ten years ago, aside from some extra wrinkles and wisps of graying hair.
“Jenna, my mom and Steve have decided to join us,” I blurted out, figuring I’d give her more backstory later.
“Fuuuck...” She was about as eloquent with words as I was. “So, how about that weather?” she commented, continuing her train of derailment.
“Smooth. Alright, dinner time. Let’s go, everyone into the kitchen. It’s a good thing we have extra.” I muttered, as more people slowly filed into the ever-shrinking kitchen. Gary had stuck the pizzas in the oven to keep them warm, and the smell of melted cheese and tomato sauce hung in the air.
The smell invaded my senses and I had tunnel vision for the trays of perfect, cheesy deliciousness. Grabbing a plate, I piled it with slices before the boys could massacre it all, then turned around to search out the salad.
After spooning the greens onto the last empty spot on my plate, I grabbed a bottle of water from the counter and headed outside. There were two of the small, rectangular tables and not nearly enough chairs to sit everyone, but it would do.
I picked out my table and chair and sat down, ready to dig in, only to realize I forgot to grab a fork. I sighed. Damn tunnel vision. I didn’t want to get up and lose my spot, so I began to debate my options, when a fork magically appeared on my plate.
I looked up to see Carson’s smiling face. “You left the kitchen before I even got a chance to set the utensils on the counter. Figured you could probably use one,” he said, his pearly whites glimmering in the sunlight.
“Thank you,” I replied as I took the fork.
He shrugged and sat down in the chair next to me. “So, this trip should be exciting,” he ventured. “I mean, it’s already been exciting, but... just, wow. How are you handling all of this?”
I dug my fork into the salad and shoved the massive bite into my mouth, relishing the taste of dill on my tongue. I answered with a shrug and he waited while I chewed and swallowed. So, I guess he expected an answer after all.
“I’m alright,” I finally said between bites. “I mean, I’ve been absolutely thrilled. I’m on this amazing adventure with the best people in my life. Then I finally get you guys, really get you,” he winked at that, “and, well, you get me, whatever, however you want to look at that, and it’s even better. It’s amazing. Then my fucking parents show up and decide to climb this mountain with us? That was certainly unexpected.” I spilled out my truth along with bits of lettuce.
A third plate landed on the table, shaking the metal top with the vibrations, and Jenna plopped down into another empty chair. “Holy fucking shit balls,” she commented. “The fuck, Cam? I leave for ten minutes and come back to find that Hell has frozen over?” Her sky blue eyes were wide, demanding some answers.
“First off, you were gone for way longer than ten minutes,” I corrected her. “And next, yes. Hell has frozen over. Believe me, I’m still trying to process it myself.” I bit into a slice of pizza, the only thing on my plate that could calm my nerves at the moment.
“It’ll be weird having them climb with me, that’s for sure, but honestly? I’m kind of looking forward to it, as weird as that sounds. Plus, you missed the fun screaming match that I had with Steve earlier too.” I added and her eyes widened.
“No,” she gasped.
“Yes.”
She gaped. “Guess I gotta stick to you like glue. I miss all the fun stuff!” she exclaimed.
“Speaking of fun stuff…” I lowered my voice and waggled my eyebrows. “How’s it going with you and Dave?” I asked, being the ever-persistent and nosy friend that I was. I wanted to escape from my own drama and revel in someone else’s excitement for a bit.
She looked around and, seeing that we were still the only ones outside, she answered me. “He kissed me.” She gave a low, excited squeal. Her smile widened, much more than any other post-kiss smile of hers from any other time she’d told me about a guy. I smiled back. I was happy for her. So happy for her, she deserved all the happiness.
“So, how’s it going with you and your harem?” she inquired next, changing the topic of conversation back to me. “Have you slept with any of them yet?” she asked, being the ever so nosy best friend that I knew and loved.
Carson choked on his food at that point and turned his head, coughing.
I giggled. “Way to make my harem uncomfortable, Jenna!” I laughed. “You okay, Cars?”
Jenna shrugged. “It was an innocent question,” she defended herself.
“Like hell it was,” I retorted.
“Don’t do that while I’m eating!” Carson chided once he’d finished his coughing fit, and I sent a wink over to Jenna, who gasped.
At that moment, the door opened and Dave strolled out. Spotting us, he walked over to join us. Jenna moved over one chair to sit next to me, and Dave set his plate on the table. Grabbing the last chair, he sat between Jenna and Carson.
“Wow is it hot in there,” he noted. “In the kitchen. And I don’t mean from the food.”
I groaned. “What happened now? Is there a screaming match?” I looked over at the cabin wall. “I don’t hear anything. Will we have to dig a grave tomorrow? Please don’t tell me I need to dig a grave. I was hoping to do something a little less deadly, like climb a mountain, or jump off a cliff.” He gave me a strange look and I continued, “If it’s for one of my parents then, well, yeah, they deserve it, but I was really wanting to do something a little more fun.”
His dirty blond hair framed his green eyes as they narrowed at me, trying to decide how much I was joking.
“I don’t mean anything horrible by it, just... you don’t know my family’s story. It’s a long story. I promise I’m not insane. Or a mass murderer. Well, I may be insane. Who knows? I did descend from that.” I pointed my fork in the direction of the front door.
Silence. I looked around at the table. “Okay, guys, I promise I’m not jumping off the loony cliff. I mean,” I laughed at my own joke because of where we currently were, “wow, I’m more funny than I give myself credit for.” They all gave a shaky smile. Whether it was out of humor or from pity, at least they smiled.
The door opened again and Stan and Carrie walked out. They looked around, spotted the second table, and set their plates down on top before dragging the table over to be next to ours, and then lowered themselves into the chairs.
“That was intense in there,” Carrie commented before picking up her pizza. “And I don’t even know what’s going on. And for some reason, I’m not sure I want to.” Pizza sauce dripped onto her paper plate as she bit into it.
Next came Gary and Pete, who took the last two remaining chairs at that table.
Then my mom and Steve came out, looked around, saw me avoiding their gazes, and took a spot on the porch steps in the middle.
The last two were J.D. and Ryan. They came out and sat down on the edge of the porch in front of the table I was sitting at. Ryan leaned back against the side of my legs and set his plate in his lap, and began to slowly enjoy his meal.
Thanks to the dinner setback and the crazy debacle that caused us to eat later than expected, the sun was already beginning to dip behind the horizon, the orange rays dying down and giving way to the night, by the time we’d finished our food.
Dave stood up and took our plates from Jenna, Carson, Ryan, J.D., and me before heading into the house. Steve took the plates from the others and followed him inside. It was a li
ttle while later when they reemerged, each carrying a small bag.
They set the bags down in the middle of the porch. “Alright, we’ve got some non-alcoholic wine, sodas, and tea, both sweet and unsweetened. Everybody take your pick,” Dave offered, listing off the items.
“I’ll take the non-alcoholic wine,” I said. It was the closest I would allow myself to get to real wine right now. Besides, if it was anything like the amazing strawberry one Pete had surprised me with earlier, I was sure to down it in no time. In a much less fun way, of course.
To my displeasure, it was Steve who immediately went to hand me the drink. His eyes bored into mine and my skin crawled. Not with the sign that something was seriously wrong with him, just with the memory of him over the last several years that my mind would have a hard time forgetting.
They said that forgiveness is the key to freedom. My problem was that my mind wanted to keep the mental bars strong.
“Thanks,” I murmured, and he nodded and turned back to the bag. Once everyone had their after-meal beverage, we all sat in silence. The silence was nice. It was awkward, but it was nice.
“What are your plans for climbing?” My mother broke the silence.
“Well, we were going to head up the next leg of it tomorrow, with having today as a rest day,” I answered. “But now, I’m thinking we give it an extra day. Get you two up on some super easy routes. Then possibly continue up the day after that, without either of you leading of course. I know you’ve been big, badass rock climbers most of your lives, but it’s been years since you’ve touched rock and we can’t be too careful.”
She nodded.
“Now, what about the sleeping arrangements, I suppose we could play musical rooms and work something out,” I suggested as the thought occurred to me.
“I brought a couple sleeping bags, so we’ll be good on the floor. I have a small tent too,” she replied.
“We’ll get something figured out. There’s space here for a couple extra people,” Ryan said. He stood up and reached a hand toward me. I placed my hand in his, and he led me over to the side of the porch. He hopped off, turned around, reached his arms up and placed his hands on my hips, and lifted me up and over before setting me on the ground. He then took my hand and led me away and into the night.