"It's going to take at least two days to get there. Unless you want to push it and do a 40 mile walk. Most of it is over rough terrain and even the best bushman would find it too much for one day. I know it was too much for me last fall."
Sarah didn't think it sounded like a walk in the park and shook her head.
"Then we'll have to do it in two days. That will give us two more days coming back and lets say a day on the summit. That should be enough time for you to see what's there. So it will be five days. So we have to have five days worth of supplies. That will mean weight and that weight we will have to carry on our backs."
"I'm not just some frizzy little thing you know! I can carry my own equipment," Sarah said defensively, as though she felt it necessary to defend her abilities. Jake seemed to have a special power in making her self-conscious.
"If I thought that you couldn't, I'd never have agreed to go. I was just explaining some of the limitations involved with this journey. We'll need shelter and I have a small two-man pup tent. So you'll have to understand that we'll be in rather confined quarters. Whether you are worried about me seeing your bra and whatever it might be a good to say so now."
The explosive that came wasn't as powerful as the atomic bomb over Hiroshima but it did have the same effect.
"Jake, I've slept with 10 men and I didn't give a damn whether they knew my bra size was 36-D or whether it was a lacy Cross Your Heart or a wired bra!"
The silence that followed was deafening and Arthur didn't have the skill to come to anyone's rescue.
Then Sarah realized what she had said in her anger. "I didn't mean that I've slept with 10 men I meant I shared accommodations with 10 men. Oh, what's the use! Jake, you are impossible! I'll carry my own tent or you'll have to sleep outside in rain or wind or whatever the elements throw at us."
Jake saw the red face and the beginnings of tears. He reached up, but Sarah pulled away.
"I already knew about the lace and the Cross Your Heart, but I underestimated the size!"
She looking into his face and then they all started to laugh. The sound filled the room and broke the ice that had been starting to form.
"Good, now that that's out of the way. Sarah you might want to come and try on some of my wife's stuff. Now that everything is out in the open…" and then he too coloured…" or rather everything is back to a normal level of conversation we can finalize plans."
So they had everything arranged. Arthur's wife's jacket and other sweaters and jeans fit perfectly. Their journey would begin early tomorrow morning.
There was a logging road and that pushed into the interior, but it was only four miles long. But that was four miles less than they would have to walk and might make a difference in the end.
So for the rest of the day Sarah and Jake took time to make sure they had everything.
"You look worried. Isn't this going to work out?" she asked.
"Oh, sure, but at this time of the year the weather has a mind of its own. So we had better make some contingency plans. I've got a portable radio. It's heavy but it may save our lives." He pointed towards the distant mountain, "man is the intruder up there. The mountains live by their own rules and many times we have no idea what those rules are. I guess it's like men and women. One doesn't really know what makes the other sex tick. Oh, we think we know, we may even have had some experience either directly or indirectly through books and such, but when it comes right down to it, each of us are babes in the woods. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Oh, think nothing of it. Back at my dig site, it's rather primitive and working together with technicians and labourers and all that sort of thing makes the rigid rules of deportment less important. But I guess I should be honoured that you have taken an interest in my intimate apparel."
He wasn't too sure if she was joking or not, but she didn't leave him in doubt for too long. Just enough time to stew a little.
"Jake, if things go wrong for all you know we will be together forever. If Mother Nature and the Lady of the Mountain make plans to keep us hostage then you'll be forced to know every crack and crevice of me, as I will of you. It may be our only way to survive."
He lightened up and smiled. "That doesn't sound like a bad way to leave this earthly sphere. I'll do a lot worse than be with you if such a thing happened."
It was her turn to look confused and a little fearful.
"I hope you don't expect me to do all the cooking. With the skill of your father I hope his son has been taking cooking lessons!"
They at least understood each other and together they knew that tomorrow a new Chapter In Their Lives Would Begin.
That evening in the confines of her motel room Sarah thought about the events of the day. They were ready and Arthur would drive them to the end of the logging road. She looked at her watch and then sighed. She had not gone to bed at 8 p.m. since she was a child, but she knew that she needed her sleep and time to build up her reserves. As she started to undress she looked in the mirror. The person who starred back at her was moderately attractive. Not too tall, but taller than the average of North American woman. She pirouetted and looked at her back and derriere. She could afford to lose a few pounds there, but the rest wasn't too bad. She looked in the mirror as she started to unhook her bra. Then she smiled. Jake had known some of her secrets. She liked very feminine and lacy bras and this one was not from one of the standard companies that catered to women. She had it specially fitted. She was not too large or if she was she had never heard a complaint. Why men were so conscious of a woman's breasts was an age-old question. He had nearly judged her size as well. It was not truly 36 but just a little less. She wondered how he had acquired the skill if that's what it was in guessing measurements of the female body.
She remembered what Arthur had said about a girl who had been important in Jake's life. What had she been like? Was this where Jake had learned his skills in feminine apparel?
A knock on her door startled her and made her reach for her dressing gown. Was Jake trying to further confuse her? The last thing she needed was to be seen in her birthday suit. She couldn't stand anymore jousting whether verbal or physical. She wasn't ready and she was afraid that she'd cross that invisible line.
"I'll be there in a moment." She firmly tied the belt around her waist and then checked the mirror to make sure nothing was showing and carefully opened the door.
Molly Parsons from the restaurant was standing in the hallway.
"Oh Molly, I was getting ready for bed. Can I help you?" she asked.
Molly grinned sheepishly. "Oh, I wasn't too sure if I'd find you here or up at the Dorchet's place. I heard about your expedition and I thought I could help in my own little way."
Sarah looked confused. She hadn't realized that her journey was fast becoming the talk of the little hamlet.
"I guess I'm more tired than I thought. What do you mean?"
"I understand that you are heading up into the interior so I thought you might like a lunch. I've packed it carefully and it will give you and Jake enough for a good meal. Hopefully it will also give you some needed energy. It's no light thing to go tramping off into the bush at this time of year."
"Molly, how thoughtful of you. Yes, that would be wonderful. Jake wants to get as far up the mountain as possible tomorrow."
"Well, you be careful. It seems Arthur is one of your biggest fans and he'd be heart broken if something happened to you."
"Well, I'm not worried. Jake will be looking after me. So I shouldn't be in danger.
"Girl, the way Jake looks at you he's going to be your biggest danger. I'm not saying anything out of school, but
Jake is lonely up here. I don't know what happened back in New York, but I don't think all his troubles had to do with his stockbroker job. Some girl screwed him and well, you know how catty women can be sometimes! Besides if you don't mind me saying so, you're about the prettiest thing that has come into our region in years."
Sarah didn
't really have an answer to that. "Molly, maybe when I come back you can tell me more about Jake."
Molly's eyes rose in a mocking look. "Sarah, either you are very naive or very clever. By the time you get back here it will be too late. You'll know more about him than any of us. Good luck!"
* * *
Arthur watched as his son and the archaeologist walked up the path and disappeared from his sight. Strange. Sarah was a lady who seemed to brighten any room she walked into. Yet, she didn't realize that she had that gift. Well, it was going to be a long walk. Forty miles up into the interior and on top of that they had to get to the mountaintop where Jake had found the remains of the bomber. He knew that Sarah hoped that somehow she could discover the truth of what really happened to that flight 23 years ago. He knew that it was all a dream. Too many people had visited the site to see what they could glean from the remains of the B-36.
He couldn't help thinking back to that time. There had been an announcement that a training flight of a B-36 had gone down over the ocean and several of the crew had been rescued. There was no announcement of a lost bomb or even that the bomber was actually carrying an atomic device. Then information was closely guarded. But as the cold war gradually subsided, bits of information started to
come through. They had not found the actual crash site for twenty-three years. Twenty-three years is a long time and finding a plane 200 miles north east of where it was reported lost was another mystery. But that was another story that was filled with rumours of Russian submarines, spies and odd behaving prospectors. The official line was that the atomic weapon had been on board but had been safely jettisoned. But it didn't stand up to too much scrutiny. Failing to know where the craft had actually crashed left gapping holes in the story that a Mack truck could drive through. He had once met a man up there, a day's trek from here. He was like no other prospector he had ever met. He didn't answer any greetings of "Welcome Stranger", but seemed to be happier to fade back into the brush. Looking back those 19 years made everything clearer or maybe fuzzier depending on your point of view. Had that prospector been a Soviet spy who was trying to find the atomic weapon? It seemed closer to the truth than he had thought before. If the Soviets could somehow get an atomic weapon of the latest design then the balance of power might be switched to the Communist side of the ledger.
Arthur shook the cobwebs from his mind. His memory often played tricks on him these days. He looked back, but no one was within sight. He turned on the ignition and turned his truck around. He didn't like the look of the sky. Whether he had a premonition or not, there was a distinct chill in the air. Now at least Sarah was warmly clothed; his wife Martha could be looking down and she might even give her approval. A foolish thought jumped into his mind. Sarah and Jake were a nice looking couple. Maybe this expedition was more important for what they discovered about each other than what they actually found at the crash site.
Jake and Sarah covered the first five miles at a fair clip, but as the terrain got rugged they had to slow down.
"It was nice of Molly to go to all the trouble of making us lunch." Jake said.
"Yes, she's my kind of lady. I think she believes you are intending to do me wrong. Well, she didn't really say that, but I got that sort of female look."
"Molly's no fool! I've got all sorts of plans that might get you in a compromising position!"
She turned and looked at him to see if he was joking. "Jake, I'm not amused. I'm a good street fighter so you are fully warned. "
She then saw the twinkle in his eye. "God, you can be so troublesome."
By the time they had gone 18 miles Sarah was limping. "I think I may have twisted my ankle on a rock half a mile back."
Jake came back to where she was sitting. "Here, let me look." He undid her hiking boot and eased it off and then took her sock off. He carefully felt her ankle and her foot and then each toe and even the sole.
"Well, doctor now that you've examined the patient what is your wise advice," Sarah asked and couldn't help wondering why he had been so thorough.
"For one thing you should be wearing a heavier sock and one made out of wool, not a synthetic one. Your foot is over heated and stressed. I've got several pairs of socks in my pack. Wait a second and I'll get them."
She watched and then smiled, as he carefully put the new sock on. Then he took off her other boot and did the same.
"I thought you were in girl guides? They should have taught you about proper socks."
She saw that he was deadly serious. "I must admit my foot feels better. Are you always this grouchy after feeling a lady's foot?"
He saw that she was laughing at him. "Sarah, this is serious business. Your feet are very important and so are socks and proper boots. Up here if you go lame or injure your foot, it's a long crawl back to civilization."
She knew that he was right and she felt that she had let him down. But she saw something else in his eyes. He did care for her. Maybe Molly was right after all.
In the late afternoon they had not yet reached the place where Jake had wanted to overnight.
"Jake, I can't go any further." Sarah said in a tired voice.
Jake knew that the mile or two more was not critical. He had wanted to do 25 miles to give them only a 15-mile hike tomorrow, but an extra mile or two wasn't a worry.
"I've had it too. This back pack is getting heavier and heavier."
Sarah knew that his pack was close to 100 pound while hers was only about 30. For her even the 30 was enough to make every muscle scream in agony. He must feel even worse.
"I'm ready to hit the sack. Just throw a blanket over me and let me die in my sleep."
Jake knew that she had reached her limit. "Come on, we'll get the tent up and you can flake out while I cook one of my famous dinners."
She eyed him with a questioning look. "You never told me you could cook?"
"Well. I haven't told you everything. I've got my diploma from the Paris School of Cordon Bleu. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to add water to a freeze-dried chill dinner. But who knows maybe I'll burn it. Our little Primus stove is quite powerful!"
She was exhausted and his attempt at humour didn't work, as she felt her muscles begin to tighten. She'd never be able to get up again.
"God, I feel awful!'
Jake quickly put the tent up and laid out her sleeping bag. "Here, I'll put on some water for tea or hot chocolate. Strip
into pjs and get under the covers. I'll be back with the tea."
She looked thankful. "Hot chocolate sounds better!"
He came back and found her trying to get comfortable as
she wrestled with a stick that had poked into her.
"I'm not impressed with the accommodations. Where is my manicurist or dresser?"
He saw that as least she was trying to cope with the results of their long walk.
"You drink this! It will restore some of your energy while I give you my special once-in-a-life time massage. It will make a new woman out of you."
She looked up and groaned, as she tried to lie on her stomach. "I hope you make me into something that is impervious to pain."
He massaged her back and her legs and her feet and gradually with his expertise he worked out the knots that had started to harden in her muscles.
"I don't think I'll end your indentured servant status with hands like that. You're a God-send."
After a 20-minute massage she felt as if her life had come back and she realized that both the hot chocolate and Jake's ministrations had given her a new outlook.
"Did you say you were going to put on some chill? That sounds mouth watering. I'm glad you're the cook. You'd be surprised at how easily I can ruin things. I'm famished."
So in the confines of the small pup tent they had their meal and listened as the wind picked up.
"It's a good thing we're in here. That wind is shaking the tent." Sarah said.
Jake put down his bowl. "Yeah, I think I had better string the ropes to ensure that w
e don't get blown away. You look better after you've had something to eat."
She smiled and suddenly realized that their tent was barely three feet across. Any thought of privacy was out of the question and she had no desire to go outside unless the call of nature was unavoidable.
Jake unzipped the flap and crawled out into the evening. She heard him whistling as he tied the guy ropes in a wind setting. The change in the stability of the tent was apparent.
He returned and brought the Primus stove to heat up some more water.
"We can use some for tea and the rest you can use for a bed bath. You'd be surprised how good it feels to have a hot wash cloth soak your tender spots."
"Thanks that would be heavenly. But it' rather confining and I.."
He didn't let her finish. "Oh, I guess I could take a walk and check on the wildlife although I could stay and show you that I'm willing to give you a bed bath."
She looked at him and could see the smile in his eyes. "That's all I'd need. You'd probably start washing and then suddenly want to do other things. You've got me here under false pretenses."
She laughed when he looked guilty and then said. "Come back in 15 minutes and you can tell me a bedtime story or maybe I can tell you one."
They didn't have an opportunity to tell bedtime stories. When Jake returned he found Sarah asleep. He reached over and finished covering her and then with a gentle movement gave her a light kiss on her forehead.
"Goodnight!"
She couldn't have heard him nor did his kiss affect her demeanour. He knew she needed her rest and in a few minutes he too was sound asleep.
Morning has a tendency of coming quickly and Sarah woke first. She peered down her nose and saw that Jake was still in the land of Nod. She needed to do what nature demanded and crawled out of her warm sleeping bag and slithered out the door. It was colder than the day before and she shivered as she walked a few feet and relieved herself.
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