Gabe reached out for one of Hal’s biceps and squeezed it with both hands. “You’ve got more power in those guns than I thought you had. Good job with the paddle.”
Trent spoke up. “I could beat him in a canoe race any day of the week.”
“Is this a competition?” Hal frowned.
“No, but I’m just saying. Like everything else. It’s the man behind the throne that wins all the races.”
Hal couldn’t stop himself from responding. He had to keep his mouth shut and not snap back at Trent in public, but a small group in a meadow in the wilderness was nothing like a press gaggle. Elle, Gabe, and Levi weren’t shoving cameras and microphones in his face.
“Polling and numbers aren’t everything. Sometimes it’s the measure of a man whose name is on the ballot that makes all the difference.”
Hal watched as Trent opened his mouth to say something. No words came out. It was like a short circuit occurred somewhere between Trent’s brain and his vocal cords.
Gabe playfully pushed against Hal’s shoulder. “Damn, man, I’d vote for you if you talked like that all the time. Measure of a man…sweet!”
Elle made egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and Gabe packed chips and fruit. Levi passed around bottles of water.
“Make sure you give these all back to me. We’re not leaving a speck of garbage here. We’re eating on sacred ground. Grandma will come back to haunt me if we defile her place with garbage.”
Between bites of her sandwich, Elle said, “Not only that. It’s a sacred site because it’s where you fell in love with Brandon.”
Levi blushed. “No, this is for my grandparents. Every time I come here, it doesn’t feel like they’re so far away. I still miss Grandma in particular.”
“I know. I’m only joking. The meadow is turning into one of my favorite places in all of the wilderness. I’m so happy that you let us share it with you.”
“And we used to think it was haunted,” said Gabe.
Hal coughed after taking the last bite of the first half of his sandwich. “Haunted? Is that the wendigo thing?”
“No, we used to think a killer lurked along these shores.” Gabe raised both hands and wiggled his fingers in the air. “He lay in wait for canoe paddlers who lost their way.”
Levi laughed. “People come up with ridiculous ideas when they don’t know the truth. I lived here for years, and I never saw one sign of a haunting.”
After they all packed away the remnants of lunch, Gabe insisted that he should show Hal the diving platform.
“Oh, that’s one of my favorites,” said Levi. “You go do that, and we’ll paddle around the shore of the lake. Trent could use a little extra time learning his strokes.”
Trent frowned and shrugged his shoulders, but he dutifully followed Elle and Levi back to their canoe.
As they climbed back into the other vessel, Hal asked, “We’re not actually going diving, are we? I didn’t bring trunks, and it’s a little on the cold side. Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of skinny dipping.”
Gabe looked Hal up and down. “You in the buff—not a bad thought.” He winked, and Hal felt his body tense. He appreciated the compliment, but he didn’t know whether he should acknowledge it out loud. “And no, we’re not going swimming. The water’s still way too cold. You’d get hypothermia, and I’m not ready to have another emergency call with you.”
“That’s a relief. My arms are still a little tired. Do you mind if I lay back and look up at the sky while you take it slowly across the lake?”
Hal heard a slight chuckle. “Okay, Mr. Wimpy, I’ll do that. You know this is two times in a row now. I’m not letting you off the hook when we head back for home. For now, relax and enjoy yourself. Do you understand the call of the woods yet?”
“I think that I’m starting to get it. I’m not quite there yet. That’s why I need to lay back and soak it all in.”
With Gabe’s backpack lighter after lunch, Hal found slightly more wiggle room at the bottom of the canoe. He folded up a sweatshirt Gabe brought along in case of a sudden weather change and placed it on the back seat of the boat. After sitting on the next seat forward, he lay back and rested his head on the mound of fabric.
“Maybe we should have brought a mattress for you,” teased Gabe.
“I’m good.” Hal shifted himself slightly to the side so that he didn’t have to look straight up at the sun. He stretched his long legs out, and his feet connected with Gabe’s ankles. When Gabe didn’t move or change position, Hal kept his feet in place. He liked the physical connection.
After what felt like only a minute or two, Hal suddenly opened his eyes. Riding with Gabe caused his fears of the water to dissipate. He was in such a relaxed and trusting mood that he realized the gentle rocking motion of the canoe made him drift off to sleep. The abrupt movement upon waking up caused the vessel to tip.
“Oh, shit!”
Gabe turned his head. “What are you doing back there? You don’t want to get out yet. The water’s probably forty feet deep here.”
Hal gripped the sides of the canoe. “What? I thought the whole lake probably wasn’t more than twenty feet. You didn’t tell me.”
“A lot of the lakes stretch more than a hundred feet down. That’s where the lake trout go in the winter when everything ices over. The deepest lake bottoms out at over 250 feet.”
“Damn!” Hal felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.
“I thought you said you could swim.”
“I can, but still. Deep water makes me think of the accident.”
“Well, we’re only about fifteen feet from shore, and sit up so you can see the rock. You’ll appreciate it more from out here in the water.”
Hal hauled himself upward, taking his time to try and stop the canoe from rocking again. He saw a massive stone outcrop along the shore. It was flat on top and stretched for more than 50 feet. At the end that reached into the lake was a small cliff, maybe five feet high. Gabe paddled into the shore, where the other end of the rock disappeared into the forest floor.
Hal thought of it as a natural helicopter landing platform when they drew close. “You dive from this?”
“When it’s warm. Yeah, we do. Brandon loves it. He said we should bolt a springboard into the rock, but that’s blasphemy. Levi would skin us alive if we defiled his lake like that.”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place as pristine as this. It just occurred to me. I’ve been to parks, but there are no power lines here, and I can’t see any buildings along the shore. That’s amazing.”
“I think it’s just this side of paradise. If heaven is like the Northwoods, I wouldn’t complain too much.”
“It’s all that for you? I’m not sure I’ve ever known someone so attached to where they live.”
Gabe continued his praise for his home. “And you might have the opportunity to represent it all in Washington, D.C. Doesn’t that send chills up your spine?”
11
Gabe
Gabe wished it were about six weeks later in the year when Hal followed him onto the smooth diving rock at Lone Cedar Lake. The stone was warm, but the air was still too chilly for them to take their shirts off and properly worship the sun. Swimming in the icy-cold lake water was out of the question.
As Hal walked to the edge of the rock and peered over the edge, Gabe lowered himself to horizontal. He pulled his hands up behind his head to serve as a pillow. The sun was hiding beneath a white puffy cloud, but the sky was still bright.
“Hey, Hal, come over here with me. It’s time to relax. You still look a little like a jumpy squirrel out there on the edge of the rock.”
Gabe twisted his head to the side and watched his new canoeing companion. He was athletic in build, but he moved awkwardly out in the wilderness. He’d need several more trips into the woods to gain some confidence. With experience under his belt, Hal would be a perfect canoe and camping partner.
“Wow, this does hold a lot of he
at. It’s a little like having a seat warmer built into the stone.”
“Maybe you should think about it the other way around. I bet the man or woman who invented seat warmers had a eureka moment while lying on a rock like this in the chilly spring.”
Hal gingerly lowered himself while still favoring his leg. Finally, he rolled over onto his back.
Gabe asked, “How’s that leg coming?”
“The doctor’s happy about it. I’ve got a lot of the flex back, and it only hurts if I’ve stood on it for a long time like when making a speech. Walking seems to help out a lot.”
“It’s hard to be out here and not think about when we met.”
Hal reached up and placed his hands under his head, mirroring Gabe. “You call that a meeting? Maybe it’s more like you discovered me.”
“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
Hal chuckled under his breath. “Something like that.”
“And you knew the poem. That still blows me away. It was a new experience for me. Nobody else ever did that on a rescue call.”
“Poem?”
As soon as Hal’s voice took on the questioning tone, Gabe wondered whether he should have kept quiet. He knew that many people who experienced a traumatic accident forgot most of the details. It was the brain’s way of protecting them from terrifying flashbacks.
Gabe tried to change the subject. “You followed all of my instructions. I wish all of the people who have accidents were as cooperative as you. It would make my job a lot easier.”
“Poem. You said something about a poem.”
It wasn’t possible to back out of it. Gabe brought up the poem, and he owed it to Hal to tell the whole story. It wouldn’t be fair to keep it quiet.
“I have this Emily Dickinson poem that I keep in my head. I know it might sound incredibly hokey, but I recite it out loud if people are in real trouble. Maybe you know it—‘Hope is the thing with feathers…’”
Hal suddenly sat up. “I love that poem.” He started to recite it.
When Hal got to the line, “And never stops,” Gabe finished with the final two words, “At all.”
“What does that have to do with my accident?”
Hal scooted close and looked down into Gabe’s face. With much of the bright sky blotted out, Gabe opened his eyes wider. “I recited the poem while we were waiting for the rescue guys from Ely. You finished it with those last two words. I knew you were still with me when you recited them. It was a clear sign your brain was functioning.”
“I did?” A few seconds passed between them. “I don’t remember that at all. I barely remember seeing you. So much of my memory of the crash is still fuzzy. I guess it’s a good thing. I remember more about the minutes before we crashed while I was still on the plane.”
Hal lay back against the rock again, but he was nearly touching Gabe.
Gabe chose not to dwell on the crash. “So how do you know Emily Dickinson’s poetry? We read some in high school, and then I took a class on poets in college. Her words stuck in my head.”
Hal said, “My favorite aunt gave me a book of Dickinson poems for my birthday when I was in sixth grade at boarding school. The other guys made fun of it when I brought it with me from home, but I used to read it all the time when I was alone.” He started to recite another poem.
“If I should die
And you should live
And time should gurgle on,
And morn should beam,
And noon should burn…”
“As it has usual done.” Gabe rolled onto his side and gazed into Hal’s face. Their eyes met and locked in place for several seconds. “Did you get teased and bullied in school? You said the guys made fun of the poetry.”
“Quite a bit. I was a little chubby, and I was horrible at sports. My parents looked down on sports as ‘stupid games.’ They complained when my uncle took me to Yankee Stadium. I was uncoordinated. My brain always wanted my feet to go to one place, but they decided to go somewhere else.”
“That’s horrible.” Gabe placed a hand on Hal’s belly in support. It was a reflexive action, but as soon as he realized he’d executed the intimate touch, he wondered whether he should pull it back. Hal didn’t move, and Gabe continued to smile.
“I’m still bad at sports, but I’m not chubby anymore. The gym takes care of that.”
Gabe rubbed lightly, and he felt the resistance from the firm muscles. “I bet I could teach you how to kick a soccer ball around, and about once a month when the weather’s warm, Brandon rides with me into Ely to find a tennis court.”
“My uncle tried to teach me tennis, and I threw a temper tantrum when I couldn’t get my serves over the net. That was the end of that. Did I mention that they accused me of having a bad attitude?”
Gabe grinned and rolled onto his back once more. “I guess I was lucky when I was growing up. My parents did a good job. At least I think so. I had an older sister who liked to pick on me, her little brother. She lives in Denver now. When I was a kid, I always wished she’d go away. Now, I miss her.”
Hal didn’t respond. Gabe turned his head and saw Hal looking up at the sky. He continued his monologue.
“Dad taught me how to swim, and he encouraged me to join a kids’ soccer team. I played in high school, but I wasn’t good enough to make the college team. You can do almost any sport up here in the woods in high school and be good enough to make the team.”
Gabe thought he heard the sound of light snoring. He raised up on his side and squinted at Hal. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was wide open.
After hearing another snore, Gabe scooted close and gave Hal a very light slap on the cheek. “Hey, buddy.”
Hal’s eyes flung open, and he blinked several times in quick succession. “W…what’s wrong?”
“You were sleeping. Then you started to snore. Don’t you get enough sleep at home? You dozed off in the canoe, too.”
With a sweet smile on his face, Hal looked up at Gabe. “It’s so relaxing, and the campaign is intense. I guess my whole body and mind are unwinding. That makes me sleepy. I was tense when we first got in the canoe, but I think I like it now.”
“You won’t enjoy it if you sleep through it.”
“C’mon, give me a…” Hal’s voice faded out while he continued to stare into Gabe’s eyes.
Gabe thought he could see his reflection in Hal’s dark pupils. Without thinking hard enough about the possible repercussions, Gabe leaned in close and let his lips brush Hal’s.
Anyone would count it as a kiss. It lasted at least three seconds, but there was no tongue contact. When Gabe realized what he’d done, he placed one hand behind his back on the rock to make sure he could pull himself away quickly.
Hal didn’t say anything. He merely blinked and then slowly rose to a sitting position. For a moment, Gabe thought Hal looked like a model from a camping outfitter’s catalog. He sat with one leg bent and wore a confident smile on his face.
Gabe didn’t know what to say or what to do to follow the kiss. Hal didn’t try and wipe it off. Gabe’s barely repressed feral energy started to well up inside. He struggled with impulses to climb on top of Hal and start unbuttoning his shirt. Fortunately, the more thoughtful part of Gabe’s brain interfered.
He’s the straight guy—remember?
“Should we be heading back?” asked Hal. The words rolled out in the most matter-of-fact way possible. He didn’t sound shocked, fearful, or even surprised.
“Yep, probably so.” Gabe turned to his other side and sighed with relief as he peered out over the water. Looking in the opposite direction, he didn’t have to see the man he’d started to lust for—the impossible man. The canoe carrying Levi, Elle, and Trent was on the opposite side of the lake near the landing where the entire group would start the first portage on the way home.
“Is that them on the other side of the lake?”
“I hope so. Otherwise, we’ve got strangers to contend with, and our other canoe disappeared.”
Gabe blinked, and a self-satisfied smile spread across his face. The primary point of bringing Hal out into the wilderness was to see how much fun it could be. He hoped that Hal would connect the dots. He’d realize what a treasure they had in the woods, and he’d understand the importance of saving the forest. Perhaps Hal would think twice about the wisdom of letting mining chemicals leach through the groundwater. He might even decide to fight against efforts to defile the pristine woods.
“I was happy that you accepted my invite. That showed some courage after your past experiences.”
Hal climbed back into the canoe and waited for Gabe to follow and push off. “I think the fear’s dissipating. You’re like my good luck charm or my safety net. I’m not sure I could have come out here without you.”
The comment nearly melted Gabe’s heart. It was like a wrecking ball started smashing the walls he’d erected around his heart so long ago after the breakup with Brandon.
“I don’t think anybody’s ever said something like that about me. Good luck charm? Safety net? You’re going to make me blush.”
“It’s true. I should have you with me on election night.”
Gabe held up his right hand. “Oh, no, you don’t. Now, that’s a step too far. I avoid politics like the plague. It only makes people angry with each other.”
“But, you were at my rallies.”
“Working at one and then because I wanted to see you. Please don’t quiz me on what you said.”
Hal frowned, and Gabe felt bad about upsetting him. The dislike of politics was a general frustration with the subject, but Gabe feared that Hal might take it personally. He tried to change the subject.
“I think you should buy a cabin in Arrowhead Falls or the woods. You’d get so much closer to this. That apartment in Ely is in the crowded part of town. It’s not the real wilderness.”
Crash: Northwoods, Book 2 Page 8