Eyes on the Unseen Prize

by S.J. Thomason

  ***

  The luscious scent of grilled burgers wafted through the mountain air that afternoon, beckoning skiers to stop by for lunch. Bob, Nick, and Piper answered that call as they stopped at its purveyor, which was a woodsy sort of restaurant midway down the mountain at the bottom of a ski run. Skiers of all ages were present at picnic tables on the outside deck as they enjoyed their little slice of paradise among friends and family. They further basked in the powerful rays of the afternoon sun, which had cast enough warmth for many to shed their ski jackets. A band nearby played Tom Petty’s “American Girl” to the happy and boisterous crowd.

  “Smells yummy,” Piper said to Nick and Bob as they took off their skis and snowboard and dropped them into slots on the ski and board racks.

  “Definitely,” Nick said.

  They walked in their clunky ski boots past the patrons on the deck and into the restaurant, soon finding their way to the cafeteria line.

  “I’m going to get a couple of burgers,” Nick announced.

  “I’m going to get a broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl,” Piper said.

  “Think I’ll have a liquid lunch,” Bob added.

  Piper rolled her eyes, though no one saw. She was careful to hide any negative opinions of Bob from Nick.

  Chase and Cherie were sitting at a table by a window, so the threesome walked over to join them. Piper looked forward to getting to know Chase, her good friend’s fiancé.

  “Great seeing you guys. What time did you get out today?” Piper asked.

  “Around 10. We skied the back of the mountain and cut a lot of powder. Perfect conditions man,” Chase said with a grin. He winked at Cherie, who smiled back at him. They looked sort of similar with their square jaws and dimples.

  Piper and Nick put napkins on their laps and started to eat while Bob drank his beer.

  “That’s cool. We’ll have to hit the mountain after lunch. We skied the front side of the mountain. Ruthie’s Run, Jolly Monkey, and Whippersnapper. Perfect day, man. Just epic.” Nick paused for about a minute before saying, “So lucky to be alive.”

  Piper nodded her head. So true.

  She turned her attention to Bob, who was picking something from his teeth. Hopefully someone else will ski with him after lunch. Flypaper, please come. Please.

  Bobnoxious was nice enough, but he was cramping their style. He chugged down his beer, leaving a silly looking foam mustache above his upper lip. Charming.

  “Hey, I’ve got a story for you,” Bob said as he used his sleeve to wipe the beer foam from his upper lip. His attention was mainly focused on Nick and Chase.

  “Of course you do, Bob. You always have a story,” Chase said. “That’s why we like you. Good for entertainment.”

  “So I got kicked out of the bar last night. What was its name? The Rowdy Rookie?”

  “Rowdy Rooster,” Nick responded.

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s it. I was hanging out with Flypaper, you know, Juan. He was attracting the ladies like flies, as always, and I was waiting to inflate the deflated ego of one of his rejects. That’s when I spotted her. Betty. Sweet Betty. She was a red-headed spitfire of a beauty and she was half in the bag, just the way I like my ladies. So I decided to sing her a song. That’s when all hell broke loose. I guess the bar owners didn’t appreciate it when I jumped onto the stage and grabbed the singer’s microphone.”

  “That was only part of it, Bob,” Piper said, “It was what you sang when you grabbed the microphone: Jimmy Buffett’s “Why Don’t We Get Drunk.”

  “Was that it? I was thinking I was singing church songs.”

  “Church songs? You don’t go to church, do you Bob?” Piper asked. She could see Chase out of the corner of her eye shaking his head.

  “Nope. I’m on vacation from church. I went all the time when I was in that Lutheran grade school so I’ve earned time off for good behavior. I even remember some of the hymns. I’ll sing one for you. “Holy, holy, holy.” Then he stopped and laughed. “Can’t remember the next line.”

  “You should come to our church sometime, the Fellowship Church. It’s a little feel good for your soul,” Nick said.

  “Maybe I’ll do that,” Bob said before burping. “But right now, I’m ready for another beer. Anyone want one? I’m buying.”

  “Sure, I’ll take one,” Chase said. “Church talk makes me thirsty and crazy. Let’s talk about something interesting instead. Bob, I’ll bet you were hilarious on that stage. I’m bummed we left early.”

  “You know it Chase. Anyone else want a beer?” Bob stood up.

  “I’ll take one,” Cherie said, “Thanks Bob!”

  “I’m good for now,” Nick said.

  Piper smiled at Nick, proud of his resistance. She knew he liked to drink, but he didn’t drink much around her, which she appreciated. Hopefully the week in Colorado would feature a sober Nick. For that matter, hopefully their lives would feature a sober Nick. Being a teetotaler, Piper didn’t need to worry about her own sobriety.

  Her focus shifted to Chase’s comment about church talk making him crazy. She needed more information about that and about anything else that made Chase tick. Her duty was to make sure Cherie was making a good choice.

  “We’re so happy for you guys,” Piper said to Cherie and Chase. “Can’t wait for the wedding this weekend.”

  “It’s going to be beautiful, right on the top floor of the Kensington Lodge with a panoramic view of the mountains,” Cherie said.

  “Yeah, her parents set us up,” Chase added as he winked again at Cherie. “Cherie comes with perks, you know. We’re heading down to Atlantis in the Bahamas after this for our honeymoon. Casinos, fishing, boating, beaches, lazy rivers. Paradise. I’ll tell you what. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

  In the background, Piper could hear Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime” playing. Words about a rich daddy and a poor daddy resonated. She looked over at Chase and narrowed her eyes, wondering whether his love for Cherie was genuine.

  “I’ll tell you what Chase,” Nick said. “I feel like we’re in heaven right here in the mountains.”

  “Oh, me too,” Piper added.

  “Yeah. It’s nice here too,” Chase said. “Be right back.” He stood up and headed towards the men’s room, yet stopped short of its entrance when he caught his reflection in a mirror along the way. Piper watched him as he smiled at himself while running his hands through his thick, wavy blonde hair.

  Hmm. Narcissist?

  “You must be so happy, Cherie. You’ll be the first of the bunch to marry, just as you always predicted.”

  “I’m very happy.”

  Piper looked at Nick and felt a little sad, wondering whether she and Nick would be the next ones to marry. It had been three years already. Three years!

  “You guys make a good looking couple,” Cherie said.

  “Thanks! You and Chase look great together too,” Piper responded, “like Swedish supermodels.”

  “Wow! Thanks for the compliment.” She paused for a minute and added, “Oh. On the church thing. My parents are always evangelizing and talking about church, which sort of turns Chase off. We’re not into church. I consider myself spiritual, not religious. And Chase doesn’t believe in God, or anything like that. I guess I’d sort of like it if he did. Maybe he would be a little nicer to people. That’s one of the things I’m hoping to change about him.”

  “I hope so too,” Piper responded, feeling a sense of concern. The words “mean atheist” flashed across her mind.

  Bob approached with three mugs of beer in his hands and placed them down on the tables. “Cheers,” he said as he sat down and drew a long swig from one of the frosty mugs.

  “Cheers,” Cherie responded as she took a sip of her beer.

  Piper watched Chase come out of the men’s room. He was talking on his mobile phone in an animated way as he paced back and forth in front of the bathroom entrances. She wondered about the identity of the person on the other end
of the line.

  Could it be another woman? Hmm. He never had a hard time attracting women. She envisioned his yearbook pictures with the prom and homecoming queens. Big smiles and big hair. He had big hair back then too.

  Piper spotted several dark shadows above Chase’s head, which appeared to be hovering over him as he paced back and forth while talking on his phone. Within a few minutes, he headed down a hallway and out of everyone’s sight. The dark shadowy forms disappeared with him. She tucked that memory into a crevice of her mind.