Summer of the Loon

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  "Hey Ben, how's it going?" Luke asked.

  Ben nodded but didn't answer. There was only one person in this place he had business with and that man was sitting at the end of the bar.

  Halverson turned around as Ben approached him. "Well, Ben Jenson, imagine seeing you here. Just had a nice little talk with your granddaughter."

  Ben walked right up to Halverson and punched him in the face so hard he flew off his barstool and onto the floor.

  Halverson lay there a moment, stunned. He sat up and wiped his jaw with the back of his hand. Blood smeared over his hand. "What the hell, Ben? Are you crazy?"

  Ben stood over Halverson. "I should have done that seventeen years ago."

  Halverson got up slowly, lost his balance, then regained it and leaned against a barstool. "I could sue you, you crazy old man. I could put you in jail for hitting me. Luke, call the Sheriff. I'm pressing charges."

  Ben took a step toward Halverson. Halverson backed away closer to the bar. "Yeah. You should call the Sheriff," Ben said. "Have him arrest me. Then it will be in all the papers why I hit you, you lousy excuse for a man. Wouldn't your wife and children love reading all about why I hit you? How you got my daughter pregnant. How you've ignored the fact that you've had a daughter all these years. In fact, I bet the law will get involved and make you pay years and years of overdue child support. Yup. Go ahead and call the Sheriff. I'll enjoy every minute of running your name through the mud."

  Halverson sneered at Ben.

  Ben moved his face closer to Halverson. "Now listen to me, you weasel. Don't you ever talk to my granddaughter again. Don't walk past her, don't even look at her. If you see her heading in your direction you'd better cross the street to avoid her. Cause if I ever hear that you even breathed the same air as her, I'll come find you and finish this once and for all."

  "Hey. She came to me. I didn't go search her out," Halverson whined.

  "You can bet she'll never do that again," Ben told him. "Cause after today, you're dead to her. You aren't worth the dirt on the bottom her shoes, you scumbag. If I were you, I'd stay away from Auburn entirely, because you aren't welcome here."

  "Did you hear that, Luke?" Halverson asked. "Did you hear him threaten me?"

  Luke shook his head. "I didn't hear a thing."

  Halverson threw a disgusted look at Luke, then at Ben, and then he got up and walked out the door.

  "See you later, Luke," Ben said, waving as he left the bar.

  When Ben got back into his truck, he looked at his right hand and winced. His knuckles were swollen and bleeding from hitting Halverson's jaw so hard. "Shit that hurt," he said under his breath, then turned the truck toward home.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When Ben arrived home, he pulled into the cabin's driveway, walked inside the garage, and headed up the steps to Ali's room. Gingerly, he knocked on her door. "Ali? Are you in there?" From where he stood outside the room, he heard her shuffling around.

  "I was just getting ready to come down to the lodge," Ali said, her voice sounding strained.

  "Can I come in?" Ben asked.

  "Okay," Ali replied in a small voice.

  Ben entered Ali's room. She was sitting on the trunk at the foot of her bed. He noticed her eyes were red and swollen, even though she'd applied makeup to conceal it. But no amount of makeup could cover up the sadness that shone in her blue eyes.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, standing in the center of the room. He was nervous. Not more than thirty minutes before he'd punched out a man almost half his age without a qualm. But this teenage girl in front of him had a way of turning his bravado to mush. Anger had fueled his reaction to Halverson. Anger was an emotion he could deal with. But a crying teenage girl was something that he had little experience with, especially when it came to saying the right thing.

  Ali nodded her answer to his question, but it was apparent she was anything but fine.

  Ben pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down across from Ali. "Chase told us what happened with Halverson," he said gently.

  Ali covered her face with her hands. "I'm such an idiot," she said, choking back tears. "I should have listened to Chase. I never should have talked to Halverson. He's a jerk. No, he's more than that. He's an asshole!"

  "Well, we can both agree on that," Ben said with a grin.

  Ali dropped her hands and looked at her grandfather with serious eyes. "You knew, didn't you? You knew he was my father. Is that why you hate him so much?"

  Ben nodded. "I suspected he was, but I didn't know for sure until today. Jen never told us, and I'm assuming she never told you, either."

  Ali wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "She never told me anything about him. I guess I can understand why now. He must have been as coldhearted then as he is now. Mom was protecting me by not telling me."

  Ben reached out and took both of Ali's hands in his. "I'm sure my Jen understood that he wasn’t good enough for you to call your father. And you don't ever have to worry about him again. I made sure he'll leave you alone from now on."

  Ali frowned and looked up into her grandfather's eyes. Chase had been right. She'd inherited her eyes and hair color from him, not that creep Halverson. "What did you do?"

  "I just had a few words with him, that's all," Ben said.

  Ali looked down at her grandfather's hands holding hers. The knuckles on his right hand were red and swollen. Her eyes grew wide. "What happened to your hand?" She looked up at him. "What did you do?"

  "My hand had an accident with Halverson's jaw," Ben said sheepishly. He sat there, waiting for a lecture from Ali. Instead, he saw her grin.

  "You know, violence never solves anything," she said, her eyes twinkling.

  Ben grinned back at her. "You're absolutely right. But it sure makes a person feel better sometimes."

  Ali laughed, but then her smile faded and her eyes turned sad again. "It would have been nice to have a father," she said. "I've wanted one for so long, I guess I just hoped that when he saw me, he'd be nicer, knowing I was his daughter. But it didn't turn out that way. I guess I just wanted the happy ending."

  Ben's tough heart softened for his only grandchild. He reached over and tilted up Ali's face to look into his eyes. "You don't need him for a happy ending. Why, your story is just beginning and you have the power to create your own happily ever after. Plus, for what it's worth, you have me, Jo, and Chase. We're your family now."

  Ali looked at her grandfather and slowly smiled. "You're right. I have you guys and a lot to look forward to."

  Ben stood up and offered his hand to Ali. She took it and rose.

  "Let's get back down to the lodge before Chase starts fidgeting and comes looking for you," Ben said, teasing.

  Ali looked at Ben's hand. "Um, you'd better do something with that hand before Jo sees it. She's not going to be very happy with you."

  Ben grinned and winked. "Nope, she won't. But she'll get over it." Together they went down the stairs and inside the cabin where Ali helped her grandfather bandage his hand.

  ***

  August proved to be the busiest month for the resort, and the hot, humid weather made cooking and cleaning unbearable. Thunderstorms were becoming more frequent, and by now Ali was used to them and even looked forward to them so they would wash away the sticky heat and cool down the air. She slept right through even the most violent of storms now, since she was exhausted from working all day in the heat.

  Without air conditioning, the kitchen was like an oven when she and Jo were cooking breakfast and supper. Ben had brought in fans, and they helped a little, but weren't enough to stop the sweat from dripping beneath Ali's clothes. She and Chase cooled off in the evenings by swimming in the lake or lazing around in the canoe out on the water. She was used to heat in California, but the humidity made the heat here unbearable. If she hadn't been able to cool off on the water, it would have driven her crazy.

  After Ali's disastrous confrontation with Halverson, she decided it was
best to let go of her desire to have a father figure in her life once and for all. She'd carefully packed up her mother's belongings and stored them back in the attic room at the lodge. She wanted to remember only the good times she'd had with her mom. It was time to put to rest the bad memories, the ones that she had somehow understood, even from an early age, her mother just couldn't control. Her grandfather was right. She now had him, Jo, and Chase as her family, and that was all she needed.

  The time for Chase to leave for college was drawing near and Ali dreaded the day he drove away. Jo had sent them on a shopping trip to Grand Rapids to pick up items he needed for living in the dorms at school. It was fun helping Chase pick out necessities like sheets, towels, pillows, and blankets, even though she knew this meant their time together was growing short. They also picked out a new laptop for him since he'd need it for his classes. Ali had looked at all the shiny, new laptops and tablets with envy, wishing she could afford a new one. But she knew she should save her money and wait until she went to college to buy a new computer.

  One Sunday after breakfast Chase grabbed Ali's hand and pulled her outside toward the canoe. He was carrying a backpack in his other hand and wore a sly grin.

  "What are you doing?" Ali asked, laughing. "I have to help Jo with the breakfast dishes and we have three cabins to clean for new guests tomorrow."

  "Don't worry about that. Mom's going to enlist Ben's help with your chores today," Chase said. They arrived at the canoe and Chase handed Ali the backpack so he could flip it over.

  "Where are we going?" Ali asked.

  "To the old Indian Trail. It's cooler today, so it's the perfect day for a hike. And if we don't go now, we won't get a chance until next summer. Mom even packed us a lunch." He pointed to the backpack.

  Excited now, Ali helped Chase slip the canoe into the water. They hopped inside and rode off across the lake. They both paddled the canoe in rhythmic motion and once they crossed the lake, they maneuvered it around the point to the other side. They found a sandy spot to land on shore and pulled the canoe up out of the water.

  Ali had worn shorts and a T-shirt that day and her sneakers without socks. She'd taken off her shoes when they pulled the canoe up onto shore so as not to get them wet because she thought there was nothing worse than wearing soggy shoes while hiking. Chase had done the same, and once they'd pulled their shoes back on and Chase had slipped the backpack up onto his shoulders, they were off in the direction of the trail.

  "Why do they call this 'the old Indian Trail'?" Ali asked as she followed behind Chase. The trail was nothing more than a narrow, dirt path with tall grass on each side. It looked more like one of the deer trails her grandfather had shown her in the woods, the trails that the white-tailed deer frequented enough to stomp down the grass.

  "There's a whole story that goes with it," Chase told her as they slowly started making their way up an incline. "I'll tell you about it when we get to the top."

  They hiked up the narrow trail and into the thick forest of pine trees that covered the side of the cliff. The trail steadily became steeper with switchbacks occurring more often, and they had to carefully pick their way over tree roots and loose rocks. About halfway up, Chase stopped and asked Ali to pull out a bottle of water for each of them from the backpack, and they both drank thirstily.

  Ali closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I smell cedar," she told Chase. "I love that scent."

  Chase smiled. "You're correct. You're on your way to becoming a true northern Minnesotan," he teased.

  Carrying their water bottles, they began the ascent once more and after nearly thirty minutes of hiking, they were rewarded by stepping up onto the top of the cliff.

  Ali's eyes grew wide with wonder when she looked all around her. The cliff top was long and wide, with a smooth rocky surface where patches of grass grew. Pine trees sprouted here and there. She had to walk several feet so she could see out over the cliff toward the lodge. The sight was incredible. If she made a circle, she could see everything all around her for miles.

  "It's so beautiful," Ali exclaimed as Chase came to stand beside her. Ali slowly turned in a circle. She saw the cove the lodge sat on, the gravel road that led to town, her grandfather's house, and the point where she and Chase enjoyed sitting in the evenings. To her left, she saw the cove on the opposite side of the lodge, and as she circled she saw each cove that made up the lake. From her vantage point, she felt like she was skimming treetops, just like the loons and eagles did. "It feels like flying," she told Chase as she completed her circle and looked up at him.

  Chase smiled down at her, his eyes twinkling. They were as blue as the lake. "Just don't go crazy on me and jump, okay?" he teased.

  Ali laughed and they both began looking for the perfect spot to set up their picnic. Chase pointed out a patch of grass that grew under a huge blue spruce.

  "Here's a good spot," he said. He slipped the backpack off his shoulders, opened it, and pulled out a plaid blanket. He flicked it open and spread it out on the ground in one smooth motion.

  "Another emergency blanket?" Ali asked with a grin. "You Minnesotans are always prepared."

  They sat down beside each other and Chase began pulling out plastic containers that held their lunch. Jo had packed two turkey sandwiches, a huge baggie of chips, apples, and chocolate chip cookies. There were extra bottles of water in the backpack, too.

  "How on earth did you carry this up that trail?" Ali asked, looking at everything laid out on the blanket. "It must have weighed a ton."

  Chase flexed his arm. "Don't you see how strong I am," he asked.

  Ali shook her head at him, then they both dug into their lunch, hungry from their long hike.

  The day was cooler than it had been in weeks and there was a lovely breeze up high on the cliff. After eating, Ali made a pillow out of the backpack and lay back, looking up into the clear, blue sky. Not too far up an eagle flew by and swooped down toward the water.

  "So tell me now. Why is it called 'the old Indian Trial'?" Ali asked.

  Chase was sitting crossed-legged beside Ali, looking down at her. "It's been said that long before white people came to this part of the country, native Indians climbed this trail up to the top of the cliff for spiritual rituals. Of course, no one knows for sure, it's just a story that Ben's grandfather passed down, supposedly from an elder of a local tribe. All we know for sure is the trail has been here since before the lodge was built."

  Ali's eyes sparkled. "So, is this cliff magical?"

  Chase smiled, stretched out beside her, and propped himself up on one elbow. "I don't know. Do you believe in magic?" he asked, his face close to hers.

  Ali looked up into Chase's eyes. She'd never felt this way about a boy before, had never felt any desire to find a steady boyfriend like all her other friends had. But Chase had taken her by surprise. He was sweet, caring, intelligent, and adorable. Looking up at him now, she couldn't help but believe in magic.

  In the distance, far below the cliff, a loon sang out its laughing song. Ali smiled.

  "I want to kiss you," Chase said softly, his face only inches from hers. He reached over with his free hand and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. That simple gesture melted Ali's heart.

  "Just kiss the girl and get it over with," Ali said softly with a grin, mimicking what Jake had said that day on the boat weeks before.

  Chase lowered his lips to hers, brushing them softly. Ali raised one arm and ran her fingers through Chase's hair at the nape of his neck. The kiss was soft, gentle, warm, and lovely, just as Ali had imagined it would be, with all the magic a first kiss should hold.

  ***

  Ali and Chase reluctantly left their cozy spot on the cliff and headed down the winding trail, back to the canoe. Chase paddled slowly around the back cove as they watched for families of loons. Close to shore, they saw four loons swimming together, two larger and two smaller ones. "That must be a family," Ali said, excitedly. "Look how big the babies are already."
<
br />   They sat and watched as the loons dived for food, came up, then dived again. Soon, their canoe had drifted away in one direction while the loons had made their way to deeper water in another direction.

  "Do you think one of those is the loon we saved?" Ali asked, hoping one was. It warmed her heart to know that she'd kept a family together by saving the loon's life.

  "Certainly could be," Chase said, slowly paddling the canoe in the direction of home. "The loon should be your talisman. Once you saved him, you connected with him for life."

  Ali's eyes grew wide. "I love that idea. I feel like the loons have connected with me since the first day I was here and one scared me then laughed at me. I've been fascinated by them ever since."

  Chase chuckled. "That was funny, you have to admit. But you were just a greenhorn then. Now you're becoming a real North Country lady."

  Ali grimaced. "That doesn't sound very flattering."

  "Don't worry. Once you bag your first moose and bear, you'll be a Minnesotan for sure."

  Ali shook her head vigorously. "That will never happen."

  Chase laughed, bent over, and kissed her, then proceeded to paddle the canoe home.

  ***

  Ben stood on the screened-in porch glaring out at the lake. It had been six hours since the kids left and he'd been wrangled to do Ali's work for the day. Six hours. What in tarnation could they be doing on a cliff for that long?

  "What are you grimacing at?" Jo asked as she came through the porch door. She'd been cleaning the last of the cabins and had a carrier of cleaning supplies in one hand and a mop in the other. Ben automatically took the cleaning supplies from her and followed her into the kitchen to put them away.

  "Just wondering why it's taking those kids six hours to climb a cliff, eat lunch, and climb down. That's two hours max," Ben said, frowning.

  "Oh, don't worry about them. Here," Jo handed him the mop. Ben grudgingly took it and the cleaning products to the supply closet and put them away.