Escape to Canamith

by Richard Friedman

  “Daddy, I have a home here with J.J. and Sophie in Sanderell. Although at the moment, neither of them is here, they’re with J.J.’s sister. That’s beside the point.”

  “As you wish. I’m not leaving here. There will be a place held for the three of you until we seal the door, and then I probably won’t see you or talk to you again. That pains me. There is nothing else to say.”

  “I suppose not.”

  “Then I think we’re done. Goodbye, Lila, I love you.”

  Click. The telephone line went dead.

  Rex was crestfallen when the call ended. He had played his best “father knows what’s best for you” card and it failed. He reflected on his life had Lila chosen to stay in the village. His dreams lasted a moment. This was not the time for self-indulgence. There was work to finish.

  CHAPTER 10

  Last spring, Rex knew he needed to prepare his replacement. A new Chief Elder would take over his responsibilities when the tunnel doors closed. He hiked with the boys to the banks of the Larousse River. The river was named in honor of former Chief Elder Garrison Larousse. The river provided an assortment of fresh fish and tranquil scenery less than half a mile from the village. Fifty feet across at its widest point, the water was unspoiled by pollution. The banks of the Larousse were a frequent spot for families to celebrate weddings and special occasions. The view from atop the mountains looking down at the river was picturesque. That vista provided a panoramic view of the mountains, the sky, and the clear water below. The two-hour climb to the top of the mountain was grueling.

  On that sunny day of last year, Rex had taken the boys up the mountain with a specific goal in mind. He didn’t tell them the purpose of their journey. He woke them early, excused them from their daily chores, and whisked them away. Rex told Elder Braham to handle any problems that arose and under no circumstances, short of catastrophe, to bother him. The trio trudged up the trail at a quick pace, pushing to reach the top of the mountain by early afternoon. A break at lunchtime offered Rex a chance to rest his weary legs. He debated the wisdom of stopping at all; his legs didn’t recover as quickly as they once did, and stopping for too long might cause them to cramp, and prevent him from finishing the ascent.

  “Dad, this is high enough for now. Let’s take a break,” said Buck.

  “No, thanks, let’s keep pushing,” grumbled Rex.

  “Oh, come on, Dad, you’re dying here. Give it a rest,” begged Mathis.

  “Okay, you win, a short rest. These bones aren’t what they were. Years ago, Ethan White and I used to climb the mountain for amusement. I think he broke his ankle one year, and we never did that again. I thought his father was going to kill him. You know, he thought that injury cost him chance at being selected Chief Elder. Way back when I beat him in an agility test, he blamed his mountain injury for his inability to navigate Creekstone Pass. That footrace didn’t cost him being selected Chief Elder. There were many reasons for that. He’s not a good person. You’ll see that for yourself someday. I didn’t come here to talk about ancient history. My relationship with Ethan has been strained ever since. I don’t think he ever got over the disappointment of not being selected Chief Elder. That business with his son and Lila didn’t help either. By the way, if anything ever happens to me, keep your eyes open. Ethan may be lurking in the weeds. Mathis, aren’t you friends with his youngest boy?”

  “He’s a good guy. He used to follow me like a puppy dog until he married the lady who works in the Oxygen department.”

  “It’s his sister that wants you, Mathis. That girl would do anything for you,” said Buck.

  “What’s this?” said Rex, surprised by this revelation.

  “Dad, the whole village knows it. Mathis is too dumb to see it. I mean the girl is beautiful, smart, and totally worships him,” jested Buck.

  “Hey, who are you calling dumb? I’m not the one who nearly drilled a hole in my hand the other day.”

  “You moved the piece of the wood.”

  “Boys, that’s enough,” said Rex. “I didn’t mean to start a quarrel. I’m not the kind of father to tell you whom to love. When your mother died, and your sister left, my heart hasn’t been open to find another to love. There was one woman in my life.

  “It’s time for this old man to get back up that big hill.”

  “Dad, you sure you want to keep going?” asked Mathis.

  “Help me with the bag and let’s go,” replied Rex.

  Buck grabbed his father’s pack and put it over his own pack, making his twice as heavy. “No arguments, dad, I’ve got it.” Rex was not used to hearing his son talk that way, but he didn’t protest.

  The climb ended a half-hour later. The temperature dropped as the three men scaled higher into the sky. A brisk westerly breeze cooled their skin. The view at the top of the mountain was as breathtaking as Rex had remembered.

  “Nice view,” marveled Rex. He didn’t wait for a reply. His own observations gave him the satisfaction that couldn’t be matched by his son’s admission that this was a special place indeed.

  “Dad, this is great. It’s been too long since we spent this much time alone with you. We used to come here often,” said Buck.

  Rex’s broad smile revealed a handsome set of teeth, unblemished by his years.

  “Buck, you think I have an angle, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “This time I don’t. I wanted to be with you. I’m not sure how many times we can come back here and I wanted at least one more trip here with the two of you. There’s much to do and I fear we won’t be able to get back here for a while. Is it wrong to bring you here?”

  “Dad, it’s great. I’m wondering why the sudden change of heart?” said a perplexed Mathis, who was not buying the “dad wants to spend time with us” line.

  “You boys know the pressures of my position. We’ve discussed it for years.”

  “Dad, you talked to us, not with us. You know, without mom, it would’ve been okay if you had been more—”

  “More what?” Rex exploded with anger. His reaction was out of character. His demeanor changed from calm to furious in an instant. He pressed on. “Did you crave more love? The older women in the village took you under their wings and helped you. Your aunts have you for dinner on Sundays while the Elders held meetings. I brought you a token gift from my trips to Sanderell. Do you realize how ungrateful you sound?”

  “Dad, please calm down. Don’t take this personally. You don’t get it. You’re still talking about you, and your sisters, and your Elder meetings, and your trips. All we’re saying is your life revolved around your obligations to Canamith and I guess that’s fine. I respect what you and others have done for us and what we’ll do for future generations. I’m talking about two boys and one dad. That’s all.” Mathis’s eyes were red, but he refused to let his father see him cry. He turned away. He sighed, faced his dad, and said, “Dad, I love you. I love Canamith. I’ll live here my entire life and I’ll die here. Can we please enjoy today?”

  There was an awkward silence for a moment as the three men sat quietly watching the incredible vistas before them.

  Rex broke the ice with his opinion on the previous conversation. “Perhaps you will be blessed to have children and have the pleasure of those children being as rude to you as you have been to me. Remember this moment. Keep walking.”

  Mathis nearly challenged his father. Buck reached out and covered Mathis’s mouth before a sound could be heard.

  “Save it,” said Buck. “Remember what you said? Let’s enjoy the day.”

  Rex broke the tension later when he identified several different types of birds at considerable distance, with the naked eye.

  “The body may be shot boys,” he said, “but I can see as clearly as ever.”

  Mathis whispered to Buck, softly enough that Rex could not hear, “His tongue is pretty sharp too.”

  On the return trip to Canamith, Rex led them along a path that the boys had never seen. The beginning of the pa
th was grown over by shrubbery. A small tree with oversized leaves grew on one side of the path and a vast field of wildflowers was on the other side.

  “See that, boys?” Rex pointed to the path. “Your great-grandfather helped build this path many years ago. Hardly anyone else even knows it’s here. This was the trail that led previous generations to the original work site of the water containers. When I’ve had a particularly rough day, or need a break from the pressure of the village and the tunnels, I rest my head right here, on this big rock, and watched the sunset. If this were the last sunset I ever saw, and if I watched it from here, it would be fine with me. The mountain water runs a fraction to the left of this part of the mountain that juts out from the big section of trees. Years ago, I recall it was during the early development of the containers, a new path, the one you’ve seen down the mountain closer to the city, has replaced this more dangerous path. The new way was their Plan B. I wanted you to understand the history of where you live.” He grabbed the boys by their shoulders and repeated his lifelong lesson to them, “Like I always say—”

  And before he could finish his sentence, both boys joined in the banter.

  “You must have a Plan B.” They chuckled a bit and kept walking.

  “Go ahead and laugh if you must. I’ve heard stories that the original entrance to the tunnels was started here many hundreds of years ago. In fact, not far from this exact spot, right over by the collection of large rocks stacked next to the edge of the mountain. A small seismic shift caused the Elders to abandon that site and build the one we know today. It was never finished; I heard they came close. It was deemed too dangerous. The new entrance and the bulk of the tunnels are built much lower down on the mountain.”

  “That’s great, Dad,” said Buck. “Come on, Mathis, race you down the hill!”

  The boys fled quickly on foot, much to the chagrin of their father, who continued to yell at the boys to slow down until they were out of earshot.

  CHAPTER 11

  Rex met his future wife years ago at one of the traditional Sunday dances that the village scheduled to get the young men and women together. The young adults worked hard and when it was time to unwind, the fun began. They danced, they sang, and sometimes romance filled the air. Sara had kept a watchful eye on Rex. He never paid much attention to her. Sara was not the type to throw herself at a man. If Rex Templeton was as smart as Sara thought he was, he would come to see what other men in the village grasped immediately. Sara Goodmote was the prize of the village.

  When Rex figured out what he was missing, he swooped in and two months later the two were married in a beautiful ceremony in front of the Larousse River. One year after that the happy couple welcomed their first child: a girl they named Lila.

  Sara doted on Lila, as new mothers do, and the two of them spent hours huddled over books and on nature walks in the gardens.

  Sara would ask her child, “Will you ever stop asking so many questions?

  Lila’s response was direct and to the point. “When I am smarter than you, mommy, I will be the smartest one in the village.”

  “I’m sure you will sweetheart,” said her proud mother.

  Sara and Rex had a baby boy six years later, which they named Buck, in honor of Rex’s grandfather, and then two years later, Mathis was born.

  Rex and Sara were overjoyed with their trio of kids. Sara pushed Rex to complete his next task as leader of the village. He was the hopeless romantic. Rex enjoyed surprising Sara with a bouquet of fresh flowers from the fields surrounding Canamith. He scoffed at his friends who chuckled about his standing in the marriage, taunting him that Sara was the real leader of the village. In fairness to Rex, he was as clever as she was and together they made a terrific pair that benefited the entire village.

  Sara Templeton never ventured from Canamith and Rex had begged her to come on his next business trip. He knew there were risks when any of the villagers left the safe confines of home and went to Sanderell, but wanted Sara to meet his friend and Army veteran Donald Taft.

  Taft’s highest level of schooling was the year he spent at Sanderell Community College. He knew all the world leaders by name, and could tell you their political strengths and weaknesses. If you asked him about a particular war, Taft could describe particulars of the key skirmishes, where the troops were positioned, what weapons were used, what weapons should have been used, what the outcome was, and how that outcome affected that region of the world. Taft couldn’t describe the pasteurization process, but he was no military thug either. He was an above-average public speaker and had the type of personality that allowed him to mix with civilians too.

  Rex met Taft several years earlier as he searched for a reputable company to do business with. Taft’s family owned a distributorship that sold many types of products in the region. Canamith’s plan of action necessitated supplies from various industries for the village. The people of Canamith were known for making beautiful wool rugs and a system of bartering was arranged. Every three or four months, Rex hauled several carts of wool rugs down the mountain in exchange for items previously agreed to.

  Rex never imagined that this would be Sara’s only trip to the city.

  They met Taft at their pre-arranged lunch spot. The two men greeted each other with firm handshakes and smiles as they stood in front of a little restaurant named Chambers Café. It was the kind of place where you could find an entree on the menu that pleased even discriminate tastes. The men agreed to bring their wives on the next trip. Taft didn’t think that the two ladies would have much in common. Rex insisted that they meet anyway. Taft surprised Rex when he arrived at the restaurant with his wife and daughter.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Colonel Taft,” said Sara. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

  Pointing to the other adult woman, Sara said, “You must be the lovely Elizabeth. Rex told me how beautiful you were from the picture he’s seen. You’re even prettier in person.”

  “Why, thank you. One minor correction,” said Elizabeth, “it’s General Taft now.”

  “Almost, dear,” interjected the blushing Taft. “I should know if the appointment comes through within two weeks.”

  “That’s exciting news for you. I’ll consider it a done deal and call you General,” said Rex. He stuck out his right hand and gave the general another hearty shake.

  “Thanks, Rex. I guess if you stay in the military long enough, anybody can get a promotion.”

  “Does it come with a big fat raise?” asked Rex.

  “I’m afraid the government doesn’t care too much if your wife has a penchant for the latest in fashion or jewels or luxurious handbags. Funny, I can lead thousands of troops into battle and nobody questions my choices, at least not to my face. The minute I mention reducing our credit card debt, Elizabeth ignores me. She does make up for it in other ways.”

  Taft didn’t explain what those “other ways” were. Rex understood them to mean sex, especially when Elizabeth smacked her husband on the hand and Allesandra turned her head away from the four adults and mumbled, “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into coming with you.”

  Rex hoped that the talk would drift back to the promotion instead of the lowbrow humor Taft found amusing.

  “I bet you earned those medals,” said Sara, noticing the array of medals pinned to the crisp uniform of the soon-to-be general.

  “That’s kind of you, Sara. That’s enough talk about me. I wanted you to meet our daughter, Allesandra. We didn’t want to leave her alone. She’s never met anyone from Canamith before, and she—”

  “No need to explain. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady. As for meeting people from Canamith, I don’t know what you’ve heard. I promise I won’t eat you!” Sara rubbed her stomach and laughed.

  Allesandra was old enough to know when someone was joking. This time she was unsure.

  Her mother bailed her out before it became uncomfortable. “Darling child, she’s kidding.”

  “Mom,”
exhaled the daughter, “I’m not seven years old anymore. I hate when you call me that.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Sara. “That’s a little village humor for you. I should be more careful with people I eat—I mean, meet!”

  Laughs were abundant, as Sara had broken the tension of the moment. Even Allesandra cracked a smile. Her body language showed her disdain for the company. Four adults and one kid meant that the teenager was due for a long afternoon.

  “Let’s find seats,” suggested Taft. He removed his hat, leaving an indentation in his closely clipped brown hair.

  Rex examined Taft and then raised his head slightly to a pinch above his shoulder and gestured with his fingers that it would be prudent for his friend to place the hat back on the head. Taft picked up on the clue and nestled his hat back on his head.

  Sara missed Rex’s hand motions and hadn’t spotted the ring around Taft’s hair. She stared at the gift-wrapped package that Elizabeth was holding under her left arm. They found a table that sat six, and Elizabeth placed the package on the empty chair. Each table in the restaurant was covered in a series of satellite pictures taken from airplanes flying over Sanderell. Individual stores were too small to distinguish. The beach was pristine and small white caps hit the shore in a haphazard pattern. The water turned azure as the image headed off the coast.

  “Rex, do you have a pen I can borrow?”

  “Yeah, hold on a second.” Rex reached in to his left chest pocket, took out a pen and handed it to his wife.

  “That’ll do. Thanks.”

  Sara wrote down the number “fifteen-seventeen” on the napkin lying on the table.

  “Fine.” said Taft. “I’ll bite… what’s with the ‘fifteen-seventeen’?”

  “I’ll bet you lunch that the picture on this table was taken between fifteen and seventeen years ago.”

  “I don’t get it,” said Rex. “Sara, the general is probably not a betting man and since when did you become interested in gambling?”

  “It’s an innocent little wager,” declared Sara with a devilish smile.