A Boy's Last Summer Pt. 02

“You’re one to talk about responsibilities, Todd. When was the last time you came by to see Emily?”

Todd’s eyes narrowed into an angry stare, “I don’t need some snot-nosed kid trying to give me parenting advice!”

“Somebody should because you’re doing a shitty job!”

“Why you little cocksucker! What do you know about being a dad?”

“You don’t have to be a father to tell a bad one when you lay eyes on them. If you loved Emily as much as what’s in that flask you’d toss it off this cliff and start acting like the father she deserves.”

Todd grabbed David by one arm.

“You think I don’t know that? If it were that easy, I would have done it a long time ago! I’d still be with Roxy instead of watching her look at you the way she used to look at me.”

The two of them faced each other, Todd panting and trying to control his temper.

“What now, Todd? Are you looking for a fight? The way things are going for me tonight I just might give you one!” said David defiantly.

Todd snorted and took a step back starting to laugh, “Ah Hell! I just bet you would! Roxy sure knows how to pick her men. You got some fire to go with those brains, Kid.”

David had raised his fists in expectation, but now he lowered them not sure what to make of Todd’s mood swings.

“You’re a strange guy, Todd.”

“Funny thing is there was a time when I wasn’t much different than you.”

“That’s hard to imagine,” admitted David.

“I know. I can hardly remember those days myself. Why I recall...What?” asked Todd seeing David make a strange face.

“Do you smell that?”

“Smell what? I swear I just bathed this morning!”

“Not you...It smells like...smoke.”

Both men turned at the same time to see a cloud of white smoke rising from far down the trail behind them, and a dull glow that was brightening and spreading rapidly in their direction.

“Uh...Oh...” said Todd.

“We could be in some serious trouble,” agreed David.

*

In the pavilion the band played on, but where fun and joy had characterized events earlier things had taken a dark turn. Roxy stood leaning against one wall running her thumb across David’s car keys while Stacy and Chris had come over to her trying their best to be consoling. Heather was standing off by herself near the refreshment tables looking back at Roxy with an expression that seemed a mix of disappointment and anger.

“Heather’s right about one thing. David does tend to want space when he’s upset. I’m sure he’ll be back and ready to talk in no time,” suggested Stacie.

“I’m not sure what to say to him,” said Roxy forlornly, still looking down at the keys in her hand.

Maybe it would be easier to do what she had threatened to and go?

“I’m sure we can think of something brilliant if we put our heads together.”

Roxy gave her young friend a fleeting smile that was all too quickly replaced by a mask of sadness.

“You’re sweet to try and help, but I don’t know if things even should be fixed whether they can be or not.”

“Don’t say that! You and David are so perfect for each other!”

“You have the heart of a poet, Stacie, but that this isn’t a romance novel. Things between David and I are a lot more complicated than a Harlequin book plot.”

Roxy said these words looking over at Heather, and the object of her scrutiny was not lost on Stacie and Chris.

“Heather? Heck, Roxy, he probably got tired of hitting that long ago. I mean, he was tapping her for so long why would he want to go back to the well?”

“Chris, you’re not helping,” said Stacie with a grimace.

“Right...Uh...I think I’ll go check up on Pete,” said Chris making a hasty exit.

Stacie put a hand on Roxy’s shoulder desperately searching for the words to make things better, but at a loss as to how to proceed. Her thoughts on the subject were interrupted when the band suddenly stopped playing, and the sounds of feedback from one of the microphones being adjusted caught everyone in the rooms attention.

“Excuse me, folks! I’m sorry to interrupt the festivities, but I have some important information, and I need you all to listen to me carefully.”

The hall went silent, and all eyes were now on the man behind the microphone who wore the uniform of a park ranger.

“We’ve had reports of fire between here and the head of Harlow Trail. It’s relatively small at the moment, and we have contacted emergency fire services to try to get ahead of it, but in the interest of everyone’s safety, we are ordering the park to be evacuated. The good news is that the prevailing winds are blowing away from the main section of the park including the pavilion, so there is no immediate danger, but we would ask that everyone return to your campsites and pack up. Rangers will be moving from section to section clearing them and making sure that all our guests are accounted for as you leave. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Did he say ‘Harlow Trail,’?” questioned Roxy, “That’s where I saw David going.”

A look of horror replaced the sadness that had covered her face, and she raced across the floor to corner the park official.

“Sir! SIR! I need to talk with you!” she shouted to make herself heard over the din of the crowd.

The ranger paused with a walkie-talkie in hand telling the man he had been speaking with to stand by.

“I’m sorry, Miss, I’m swamped...If you could just.”

“My boyfriend went up Harlow trail a little while ago!” she blurted out.

“Oh...I see. Well, we have search units out, and we will be calling in helicopters to lift out anyone that might be trapped on the other side of the fire.”

“How long?”

“It might be another hour before the choppers arrive,” he admitted.

“I’m going to look for him,” declared Roxy, but the ranger shook his head.

“The fire has already cut off the trail from the rest of the park. If he’s on the other side, you’d have no way to get to him. Our best course of action is to wait for the choppers to arrive.”

“We can’t leave without our friend!” said Stacie from behind Roxy’s broad back.

“I sympathize, but at the moment you should be concerned with your safety and leave your friend to us. I advise that you return to your campsite.”

“Stacie’s right...We’re not leaving without David,” said Roxy with a tone of finality in her voice.

“Look, I don’t have time to argue with you. You can remain at the pavilion for the moment, but you’re not to venture out on your own. If the wind changes direction, things could get dangerous quickly.”

The ranger moved off as the rest of the group arrived crowding around Stacie and Roxy, only Heather kept her distance.

“What did he say?” asked Chris.

“We told him about David, but there’s not much they can do until the search and rescue helicopters get here,” explained Roxy.

“We should go find him ourselves,” said George, and Pete and Roger seconded him.

“No one is going out there! The ranger is right. It’s too dangerous to go stumbling around in the dark with a forest fire burning nearby. I’m not leaving, but I think the rest of you should go strike camp and get ready to evacuate.”

“If we’re not leaving David, we’re sure as Hell not leaving you!” said Stacie defiantly.

The others echoed the sentiment, and Roxy couldn’t help but be touched by their loyalty to their friend, and to her, a woman they had known only a short time.

“O.K., We’ll stay together for now, but if things turn for the worse, you guys are all going.”

“What next?” asked Roger.

“Next...we wait,” said Roxy, knowing that it would be a lot harder than it sounded.

David and Todd worked their way back down the trail together hoping to find a way around the fire, but it quickly became evident that the flames had already cut the main path back to the lower park. They tried a handful of side trails but were driven back at every turn by the smoke and heat.

“This sucks,” griped Todd summing up their situation very succinctly.

He stopped by the side of the trail to take another drink.

“That isn’t helping,” said David.

“It can’t hurt.”

“We’re cut off...” admitted David.

“No shit, Sherlock! Unless we both figure out how to sprout wings, we are seriously fucked.”

“You know, Todd, you’re a fountain of optimism. Why don’t you help me think of a way out instead of drinking yourself into a stupor!”

“We’ve tried every trail! The best we can do is backtrack to the lookout and hope that a rescue party shows up before we roast.”

David stood upright and promptly started to cough. The smoke was blowing thicker now in their direction. All to their front flames were beginning to shoot up lighting the night with a macabre glow. David imagined it was going to take a Hell of a lot of water to put this fire out, and wondered if there was any chance of rain.

“I have an idea,” blurted David.

“What?”

“Just follow me and try to stay low.”

They moved off again this time running parallel to the fire, sometimes bulling through the underbrush when the trail didn’t go where David wanted it to or working their way around clumps of burning trees. They were both wheezing and had picked up more than a few scrapes and scratches by the time David called a halt to their march. The fire was bright enough to light their path now, and David put his flashlight away. The trees had parted in front of them, and the two men gazed on the rocky stretch where David had been diving just a short time ago.

“This is a ‘dead end’! Why did you bring us here? We would have been better off on the high ground. Helicopters can’t get down through these trees!” groused Todd.

“We aren’t waiting for rescue,” said David, who began removing his hiking boots and stripping off his jacket.

“What the Hell are you doing?”

“I have a plan, Todd, but you’re not going to like it.”

*

The sirens from emergency vehicles arriving began adding to the controlled chaos of the evacuation. Roxy had felt the need to get away from everyone else and had gone to stand out on the back porch of the pavilion. From her vantage point, she could see the river as it followed its course past the lodge and down toward the park entrance where it eventually turned to empty into Sequoia Lake a few miles away. A group of emergency personnel were setting up a command tent near the boat dock, and she watched them at their work, wondering if they were doing anything about her missing boyfriend.

“George says you can see the smoke billowing up in the woods from the front of the pavilion now.”

Roxy didn’t bother to turn at the sound of Heather’s voice from behind her.

“We’ll be alright as long as the wind is blowing away from us,” said Roxy.

“I wasn’t thinking about us, and I’m sure you’re not either.”

Roxy looked down at the keys in her hand. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to shove them in a pocket. Instead, she kept squeezing and rubbing them like worry beads thinking that in some way they brought her closer to David. It ate at her that their last words to each other had been angry ones.

“I wish we hadn’t been fighting when he walked off. I hate to think our last words to each other would be those,” admitted Roxy out loud.

“I’ve never known David to hold a grudge. He was probably over it by the time he hit the head of the trail,” said Heather as she stepped closer.

“Are you trying to make me feel better?”

Heather laughed, “Strange coming from me, right?”

“How is everyone else doing?”

“Oh, Stacie has them organized and helping the rangers pass out water bottles to the firemen. That girl is going to make a great Red Cross worker one day.”

“At least it gives them something to do to take their minds off things.”

“You mean off, David.”

Roxy looked out at the woods at the mention of his name, and tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. Heather looked at her for several heartbeats, a slow look of sympathy coming into her eyes.

“You love him.”

She didn’t answer, but given the stricken look on her face, she didn’t need too.

“Have you told him?”

“We only just met, and our relationship has a lot of obstacles to it. I guess I just wasn’t sure it was the right time. Hell, I’m not sure how strongly David feels about me.”

“Based on what he said to you in front of the pavilion, I think it’s safe to say he feels pretty strongly.”

“Maybe so...” she said, her voice drifting off as she caught sight of the fires glow now becoming visible even from where she stood.

“You should tell him, Roxy. When you see him again, you should tell him. Remember what Stacie said when she read your cards, ‘You have to believe in the relationship for it to work.’”

“That Tarot stuff is a lot of nonsense.”

“Are you dismissing it because you think it’s a load of crap, or because it might be true and that makes you even more uncomfortable?”

Roxy struggled to answer, but Heather continued anyway.

“Don’t wait to tell him how you feel. You don’t want that regret. I may be a kid to you, but I’ve experienced plenty of that kind of pain lately, and I know how bad it sucks.”

“Since when are you the big champion of my relationship with David?”

Heather looked away, guilt painting itself on her features.

“I haven’t been before this, but you should know that David was telling you the truth earlier. What happened at the campsite was all me. I threw myself at him, practically stripped naked in front of him and begged him to take me back, but he pushed me away. David doesn’t want me anymore. He wants you...The way he used to look at me...The way I miss so much...that’s how he looks at you. I can get as jealous as I want, but that will never change. I see that now.”

“Thanks for being honest with me,” said Roxy as tears now streaked Heather’s face as well.

The sounds of more vehicles arriving momentarily drowned out further attempts at conversation, but the noise soon faded.

“David is going to be alright. He’s going to make it back to us,” said Heather, her voice suddenly steady and resolute.

“How can you be so sure?”

To Roxy’s surprise, the younger woman reached over and took her hand, squeezing it tight in a comforting gesture.

“Because I can’t imagine living in a world without David Cross in it, and I wouldn’t want too.”

They turned back together facing the rising glow, both praying for the safe return of the man they loved.

*

“You want me to what?” shouted Todd.

“Jump! We’re going to get a good running start and jump to the river. I’ve done this plenty of times, and it’s relatively safe. Once we’re in the water, the current will carry us downstream right to the main camp area. The fire can’t get to us on the water, so we should be fine.”

Todd stepped closer to the edge, but couldn’t see much below.

“You ever do this in the dark?”

“No,” conceded David, “but it shouldn’t make much difference.”

“I don’t know, Kid. I think we should take our chances waiting for that rescue.”

“A rescue we don’t even know for sure is coming? I’d rather make my own fate, thank you very much. Come on. You’re the macho biker. What’s a little jump of twenty-five or so feet to a guy that rides a Harley?” said David, throwing in the last part in an attempt at levity.

“Right...” said Todd still not sounding convinced.

“I’ll go first if it makes you feel better,” offered David.

Todd didn’t answer but stopped to pull out his flask instead. David angrily knocked it from his hand, and the two squared off again just as they had at the lookout.

“What the Hell is wrong with you? If we stay here much longer we’re going to die anyway!”

Todd mumbled something that David couldn’t hear.

“What?”

Again Todd mumbled, though slightly louder, but over the crackling of the fire, David missed his words.

“You’re going to have to speak up!”

“I said I can’t fucking swim! O.K. Hotshot! I can’t fucking swim, and if I jump off that cliff I’ll be just as screwed!”

“You and Roxy both? What’s the deal with you guys? I know we live in a desert, but come on!”

Todd kicked the ground in disgust, “I figured I’d get around to it eventually...”

“Look...We’re not going to quit and sit here, and I’m not going to leave you. You can do this, Todd. The current is going to carry you down around the next bend, and you’ll hit a sand bar there. I’ll go first and pull you out of the water. Once we’re on the other side, I can help you stay afloat as we go downriver. I’m a great swimmer, and lifeguard trained.”

“Ah...Shit! O.K., but if I drowned it’s on you!”

David nodded, thinking Todd drowning might not be that much of a loss, but then felt bad for wishing such a fate on Emily’s father.

“You ready?”

Todd kicked off his boots, lamenting the loss, and picked up his flask from the ground shoving it into his back pocket.

“Well?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m ready God Dammit! Feel like fucking Butch and Sundance...”

“I go first. You count to twenty and follow.”

Todd nodded, looking sick, but David quickly tuned him out, focusing on what he needed to do.

He took off, legs pumping, the dark edge of the cliffside intermittently lit by the flickering light from the flames behind him. Then he was airborne, arms pin-wheeling as he plunged downward toward the barely visible surface of the water below. The impact was jarring and cold, almost stealing his breath away. He broke the surface, the current sweeping him forward precisely as he had said it would. In the dark, it was challenging to tell distance, but the water shallowed up before the sand bar, so he knew he was getting close when he felt his toes dragging. Soon, the depth had dropped even more, and he was able to stand and walk up onto the sandy obstruction that blocked two-thirds of the river at this point. Here, away from the cliffs, the fire was raging on both sides of the river, and he could feel the heat all over his body. Smoke drifted across the water, and he stayed low fighting back the need to cough as his eyes searched the blackness from back the way he had come looking for Todd.

It didn’t take long to locate him. The sounds of the fire were almost lost in the cacophony of loud curses that were coming out of Todd’s mouth as the older man fought to pull himself upright.

“Son of a bitch! I am never fucking doing that again!” wailed Todd.

“Are you o.k.?” asked David.

“I think so, but I lost my flask!”

“I honestly don’t see that as a loss.”

“It’s hotter than Hell down here!”

“I know. We need to keep moving. It gets deep past this point, but I’m going to help you stay afloat. Let me do the work, and stay limp in my hold.”

“You’re the boss,” conceded Todd eying the water unhappily.

David stepped into the current first, holding himself long enough to pull Todd in with him, and then they were swept swiftly along. Almost immediately, Todd began to flail around making things difficult on David.

“I told you to hold still, dammit! I’ve got you!” yelled David into Todd’s ear.

Thankfully, Todd’s struggles ceased for the most part, and he was able to keep one arm around his girlfriend’s Ex while using the other to pull them along a bit faster. The current was getting stronger, picking up speed and that helped because the further they went, the harder it was on David to keep them both up in the water. His muscles began to tire, and he longed to swim to the bank for a break, but this was hardly an option with the woods on both sides in flames.

“Come on...” thought David, looking for the point where they would be past the fire, but so far it still stretched out before them, a liquid road lit by flaming trees.

“Are we there yet?” moaned Todd who was facing backward in David’s grip and couldn’t see.

“Why, you gotta pee? Feel free...”

“Very funny, Smartass! I can see you why you and Roxy get along she loves that kind of humor.”

David started to retort when he saw that the flames were getting smaller and less pronounced among the trees, and in the distance, only darkness prevailed.