by E A Lake
“Yes, Violet and I are looking for a friend of ours — Daisy Vaughn. Do you know her?”
Her smile broadened; God it was beautiful. “I don’t know her, but I have a friend who might.”
My heart raced for a new reason. “And where can I find this friend?”
She snaked an arm through mine and turned me towards the lake. “About two weeks ago, a woman named Vivian Highplante was here. Viv and I go way back, even before all of this. Anyway, she was on her way to Ontonagon, but rough waters forced them into our harbor for a few days.
“Viv spoke of a woman she had met at a camp over by Marquette. She claimed this person was about the sweetest woman she’d ever met. Shoulder-length golden hair, no bigger than a 12-year-old. Does that sound like her?”
“Yes,” I replied, my insides fluttering at the description.
“Well, I remember her name. Mostly because Viv used it so creatively. She said this woman was a Daisy in a sea of weeds. Someone who stuck out and made everything around her better.”
That was her; that was my Daisy.
“And she’s in Marquette you say?”
The woman’s smile faded. “Viv said that when she got on a boat to go to Ontonagon, this Daisy person got on a boat going somewhere else. Said it was a loss for the whole camp, her leaving. But she never told me where.”
I grabbed both of the woman’s forearms to face her head on. “And I can find this friend of yours at the Ontonagon Fish Camp?”
She nodded. “Vivian Highplante. She works with the rosters for all the camps. Trying to keep track of people and all. You go to Ontonagon, you’ll find her there. And she can tell you where this friend of yours is.”
I hugged her, right there in the open. Finally, after more than a month of no news, something to go on.
“Thank you!” I shouted. “Thank you so much...” Crap, I didn’t even know this woman’s name.
“Rachel,” she replied, giving me her best schoolgirl grin.
“Rachel,” I beamed, “you are an angel sent from above.”
My happiness overtook me and I gave her a huge kiss, right on those beautiful, large lips of hers. When I pulled away, she looked somewhat surprised, slightly embarrassed, and yet strangely satisfied. I guess I still had it.
“Well, you and your wife should get going,” she said, licking whatever I left on her lips away. And she was still smiling, so it couldn’t have been all that bad.
I watched Rachel walk away, slightly roused as she peeked back and shot me a tiny wave. This was big news. I needed to track down Violet and tell her. She’d be as excited as me.
Before I even turned I noticed someone by my side. I looked down at the small, dirty shoes, the long hem of the ugly covering that hung past her knees, the tiny fingers of her left hand balling into a fist.
Maybe she hadn’t seen the exchange, the hug, the kiss.
One look at her face as she glared in Rachel’s direction spoke volumes.
She’d seen it all.
Day 1,169 - continued
We were an hour down the trail before I got within earshot of Violet. Witnessing what she’d seen back at North Canal, no matter how I tried to explain it, had upset her. While I expected never-ending wrath, instead, I was treated to something different — complete and utter silence.
I’ll admit that I enjoyed the peace and quiet at first. I was so used to being chewed out by the teen that the silent treatment didn’t really bother me. At least for the first hour or so.
Catching up to Violet, I offered her a smile. “Pretty exciting news, isn’t it?” Still silence, with a few nods. She kept her eyes fixed on the trail ahead, switching the 30-30 from hand to hand every few minutes.
“I’d have never thought to start searching over in Marquette, had you?” A shrug. “It just seemed too obvious to me. I always assumed the Weston’s were smarter than that. Didn’t you?” Another shrug.
I touched her arm and she stopped, still not looking my way. “Can we talk for a minute, Violet? About what you may or may not have seen back there?”
That got her attention. But instead of anger, I noticed disappointment. Instead of rage, I found hurt in her eyes.
“Let’s be honest, Robert.” I cringed at the use of my proper name. Maybe an eruption was near. “I’m not your wife. Even though we’ve continued the ruse throughout this trip, I know better. I’m just a girl to you. And a friend. But certainly not your girlfriend.”
She spoke with no emotion, none of the typical Violet flare I was so used to hearing.
“I have deeper feelings for you than you’ll ever have for me,” she continued, “I know that. I’ll get over it.”
Crossing her arms, she sighed. “I thought maybe after we shared an intimate moment, things had changed. But it’s obvious they haven’t. So let’s go find Daisy so you can get on with your life and I can get mine started anew.”
Carefully, I stepped closer. She still might strike out, I thought. And she packed one helluva wallop when upset. “You’re always my friend, no matter what, Violet.” She looked away. “And I’m sorry if it feels like I used you, in any way. I would never hurt you.”
Noticing her tight lips, I waited for her reply. After a few quiet moments, I decided I’d better say something more.
“So, we’re still friends, right?” She glanced back, her eyes seeming a little less pained. “And I always want to be your friend. I hope you’ll always want to be mine.”
Finally, she nodded. I opened my arms and we hugged. Though I expected a knee to the groin — and most likely deserved one — she only hugged. After patting my back, she pushed away.
“How many days back to Ontonagon, you suppose?” she asked. Her tone still wasn’t as spirited as I would have like, but I really think my words and hug meant a lot to her.
“Almost 50 miles, the lady in orange told me.” I saw her grin. There was the Violet I knew. “So that’s what, three or four days, right?”
Turning down the trail, she signaled for me to follow. “Well, we’d better get moving then,” she called back, her tone happier than moments before.
I felt a smile creep over my lips as I trotted after her. We were going to be just fine, me and Violet. Just fine.
We camped somewhere in the true middle of nowhere the first night. Somehow we’d wandered off the main trail and ended up lost, I figured. Violet claimed we only had to put our backs to the sun in the morning and we’d find the main trail. Maybe we weren’t all that lost then.
A small fire warmed us as we ate our meager meal. Violet sat on one side with me on the other. Only occasionally did she look my way. But she usually smiled when she did, so we were okay.
“You tired?” I asked, noticing her yawn. Of course, she was tired. It was just lame me making casual conversation so she’d feel better, so she knew I still cared about her.
She nodded. “Can we still sleep under the same blanket?” she asked in an innocent tone.
“Of course, we still need each other’s body heat to keep us warm. We only have the one blanket, and I don’t feel like freezing to death.”
She seemed happier as we snuggled beside the fire, her in front and me spooning her from behind. Casually, she played with my left hand.
“What did you like about that woman, back there in North Canal?” Violet asked. I felt her intertwine our fingers. “Was it her smile, or her pretty face, or that darling hair of hers?”
It sounded like a trap, the words at least. But the tone seemed so sincere. “There was nothing special about her, Violet. I just got carried away when she had so much good news. I’m really sorry.”
Taking my hand with her under the covers, she held it close to her throat. “I know; I’m not upset. I know what happened.” Our fingers jointly stroked the tendons in her neck. “But you have to admit, she had one noticeable quality. I mean, even you have to admit that you were taken in by them.”
Tense, but not bad yet. “Violet, Daisy hardly had a chest. Shelly was an A c
up. I don’t think I really noticed them that much.” It was a trap, it had to be. She wanted me to go on about Rachel’s body. But the honest truth was that I wasn’t attracted to Rachel. Period.
“And I’m nearly as flat as a board,” she whispered. “Yet you still made love to me.”
Okay, she was plotting something. Any second a knife would flash and my entire left hand would be gone. I’m sure she felt me tense. Instead, she kissed my fingers and moved them further down her chest. Resting in a place where I was damned if I did and double-damned if I didn’t.
“Let’s go to sleep,” she requested, “okay?”
I refused to answer, more concerned about what was going on beneath the covers than in her head.
“Good night, Robert.” I flinched, it was coming. Something was coming. “I still love you, even if you don’t love me.”
I laid awake, wide-eyed until I heard her tiny snores. Only then did I dare close my eyes, praying for morning to arrive with great haste.
Day 1,170
I awoke feeling oddly refreshed. I must have slept hard, though the cool air beyond our blanket nipped at my face.
Opening my eyes, I spotted the first concern of the day. Next to me was Violet, already awake and staring at me. And she didn’t look happy.
“Morning,” I murmured sleepily, stretching my arms outside the blanket. “You sleep well?”
Nodding at my question, I noticed her eyes narrow.
“You okay?” I asked, some of the previous day’s concern creeping back into my soul.
She nodded again, not answering aloud.
“Ready to get moving?” Sooner or later she had to answer a question, right?
“Sure,” she answered. “If you are.”
Okay, something was up. But I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to pick up any of the discussions from the previous day.
We were quite a ways into the day before we took our first real break. Each time, I’d asked Violet of she wanted to stop, she just shrugged.
“Only if you want to,” she’d answer. When I mentioned I could keep going, she nodded and answered she could as well.
So we walked and walked and walked. If I had to guess, I’d say we made a good 12 miles before we took a longer break for a meal.
“Good progress so far today,” I said to Violet, loosening the laces on my dusty boots. “We keep this up, we’ll be back in Ontonagon in another day and a half, two at the most.”
Sitting on a downed tree, chomping on a dried carrot, she shrugged. “I suppose,” she replied, barely above a whisper.
Though I knew better, I was going to have to ask what the problem was sooner or later. It was just the issue of choosing the right time with her.
“Are you okay?” I asked in a soft tone.
“Yeah,” she replied glumly, rising from her spot. “Just some stuff I’ve been thinking about. Woman stuff. You wouldn’t understand.”
Don’t ask, Bob, it’s a trap! shot through my mind. Her eyes met mine; man, she looked low.
“Try me,” I answered. “You never know what I might come up with.”
She signaled me ahead. “We can talk while we walk, okay?”
Following her lead, I trotted down the trail after her. Sure, why not? I thought. Well, probably because it was the largest setup ever. Not that I saw it coming.
Day 1,170 - continued
“So what’s on your mind?” I asked after another few moments of silence.
Violet glanced up at me and took my hand. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad. Perhaps she was worried about what happened to her and Hope when we finally found Daisy. Or maybe she had a question about Johnny Wilson. I thought I’d seen the pair chatting after Violet nailed Jimmy.
“I was wondering,” she began in a cheerier tone, “and please feel free to be completely honest with me…”
Something about her hands caught my attention. Her left hand held my right. Her right hand stroked the top of my held hand. But she should have been carrying something in one of the two.
I stopped abruptly and faced Violet. “Where’s your gun?”
She stared back at me with a confused look. “What?”
I pointed with my free hand. “The 30-30; it should be in your hands. Where is it?”
She glanced the direction we had just come from, and then back at me. “I don’t know. I must have left it somewhere.”
It wasn’t her answer that bothered me, rather her casual tone. Like it wasn’t a big deal to her that one of the two weapons we depended on was missing.
“What exactly do you mean when you say left it somewhere?” I asked harshly. “Where do you think you left it? We need to go find it.”
I felt nails scrape my fingers as she tore her hand away; her narrowed eyes bore into mine. “I accidentally left it behind,” she seethed as if she were pissed at me for asking her about it. “I forgot it when we left camp this morning. It was leaning against a tree.”
She pulled away, placing her hands on her hips. “You could have noticed and grabbed it for me, you know. I’m not the only one at fault here, Robert. You could show me the same attention that you show all the other women in your life.”
She stared at me and for the moment, I was glad she didn’t have a gun. Mostly because it looked like she wanted to harm me for some reason.
Trying to catalog thoughts, I felt my head shake. That seemed to upset her more. “You said you wanted a gun for this trip, Violet. You insisted. And now it’s my fault that you left it behind? You’re crazy, do you know that?”
I expected her to explode and perhaps even charge me. Instead, her lips parted into a small, dried smirk. “Maybe you’ll have to protect me for the rest of the trip,” she cooed. “Now that I’m completely defenseless…” she drew closer, “…you’ll have to think about me before all others.”
What the hell did that mean?! I wondered. I’d been protecting her for the entire trip, and she knew it. At least, she should have known it.
“Why would you say something like that?” I asked, trying to recall anything I’d done to the contrary.
Violet smiled and took my hand. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve always thought of my safety this whole time. I’m just being goofy, maybe nervous because I thought you’d be angry with me for forgetting my gun. Let’s just keep moving, unless you want to go back for it.”
Something in her voice caught my attention. The way she changed her mood; angry with me one moment and sweet as could be the next.
The truth was, I didn’t want to hike all the way back to retrieve the weapon. We’d lose too much time. Since I still had my 45, we were safe enough. So I nodded and we continued towards Ontonagon.
We stopped for the day deep in a forest of maple trees. Even though the sun had just set, yellow, orange and red leaves lit our camping spot with brilliant light. The glow of the small fire added to the serene setting as I watched Violet spread out our blankets after our evening meal.
Taking a spot next to her, I pulled the blanket up to my neck to keep out the cool nighttime air. I peeked at my bunkmate before closing my eyes.
“What was it that you wanted to ask me earlier in the day?” I noticed her eyes focusing on our multi-colored canvas. “Something where you said I could be honest with you.”
She shook her head and smiled. Turning to face me, her right hand stroked my bearded face.
“Nothing,” she said quietly. “Nothing important. I think I was being silly, but I hardly remember it anymore.”
I closed my eyes. “Night, Violet.”
I felt her soft strokes continue. “Thanks for not being upset with me over the gun issue, Bob.” I heard her rustle and felt a tender kiss on my cheek. “Good night.”
All was well on the trail, and with that, I fell asleep, hard.
Day 1,171
A strange smell woke me early the next morning. Sitting up on my elbows, I searched for the source.
It was pungent, whatever it was. But I was really just gettin
g a whiff of something. It came and went, then came back again. There had to have been a dead animal nearby. The stirring morning wind must have been giving me a taste of something rancid.
I shook my partner by her shoulder. “Come on, Violet,” I croaked. “Time to get up.”
She stirred for a moment and then bolted into a sitting position. “What the hell is that smell?” Two fingers clamped her nostrils closed. “That is no way to wake up.”
I grabbed our packs and helped her to her feet. “Yeah, let’s move south a ways before we have any breakfast.”
She nodded her agreement and we took off into another cool, cloudy fall morning.
I figured we were several hours away from the smell when we paused for a much-needed snack. Taking a long pull from my canteen, I watched as Violet paced back and forth. That meant something was on her mind, and most likely not something good.
“What’s up?” I asked, chewing on a piece of some sort of dried meat provided by the folks at North Canal. It was white meat, so that meant either chicken or pork in my mind.
Violet stewed as she marched, rambling on about some issue, even if only to herself.
“Violet!” I shouted to get her attention. “What’s up?”
Her lips twisted in a tight pattern as she moved closer. “That smell, from this morning…” I nodded to indicate I knew what she was talking about. “It was familiar.”
Shrugging away her anxiety, I took another swig of water. “It was a dead animal smell. I bet if we had wandered 30 feet towards the lake, we would’ve found the source.”
She studied me with a doubtful look. “Are you sure?”
I sighed before I could answer. As usual, she frowned at my actions. “It was a dead something. I’ve smelled plenty of gut piles in my days back in No Where. And they always smelled like that.”
She tapped a single finger against her chin. “And you’re sure?”
My God, what had her so spooked? “Yes, I’m sure. Unless you have a different idea.”