Railroaded

"What if I leave early and you rent the apartment before my month is over? Would I get the money back then?"

"Ha, Ha, Ha. Ohhhhh, Boy. You just don't give up do ya, honey? I told ya, ya gotta give a month's notice." Jan heard a click and the phone went dead.

"Crap. Well, I guess I'm stuck here another month anyway."

Jan began sorting and packing her belongings and cleaning the apartment. At least she hoped to get her damage and cleaning deposit back at the end of the month. The third week of her last month in California she got a frantic phone call from Todd. He said, "Jan, that last project you did for us is fucked up. I need you to get your ass in here today and find the problems. We've installed it on five business servers already and they're all having problems with it. If I had known how incompetent you were I would have fired you earlier but you're all I have. Jerry and Dan can't find the bugs."

Jan laughed and said, "No fucking way, asshole. Besides, how could you possibly have five sites installed by now? The damn beta testing was scheduled for six weeks and it's only been four weeks since I finished the program and you stole my company from me."

"Listen, I don't have time for this crap. We tested the program and it worked fine after you left so we installed the sites we had pre-sold. Now you have to get in here and fix it before we have more problems."

Jan laughed and said, "Not my problem, asshole. I don't work there anymore. My responsibility ended the day you kicked my butt out the door. Fix your own problems." For almost the first time since she was fired Jan sat with a smile on her face.

Over the remaining week she touched base with her few acquaintances in the programming field ostensibly to say good bye, but actually to spread the word on how she was treated by Todd and to find out what the rumors had to say about the failing program. Those who heard about the problems were chortling. This could break the company and send it under. Three of the buyers uninstalled the program and were pursuing legal action to get back their money and damages. Todd hired a high priced programmer to clean up the program. Rumor had it that he found bugs in it galore, but the programming was different enough from the main part of the program he advised Todd a different programmer accessed their copies of the program and trashed it. Todd immediately blamed the one programmer that remained from when Jan was there and fired him. Jan just smiled. She felt a little sorry for the man who was fired but not much. She was considering firing him before she left the company.

Jan did leave her apartment a few days early. She had nothing to do and was anxious to get on the road so just gave up her six remaining days. She felt the worries slip away as she drove toward home.

Jan was in no hurry to arrive home. It was mid July and she had no job so took her time on the trip. When she was in Albuquerque on Interstate 40 she remembered how beautiful the Colorado Rocky Mountains were. Her family owned a small acreage in the mountains west of Colorado Springs that had been in the family for five generations. Rumor had it that the first owner found gold "somewhar in them thar hills" but that was never proven. He and his partner filed on two adjacent sections of land as homesteaders and proved up on it so it was privately owned. As far as Janice knew he never mined on the land. However, until he died he would disappear for several days at a time and show up with freshly mined gold. Sometimes he would have ore, other times he had flakes as if panned from a stream according to the tales. There was a mine site on the section his partner filed on.

Almost without thinking, Jan turned left at Albuquerque and headed for Colorado and the family "spread". When she got to Colorado Springs she had to call her father for directions to the land. After he gave her the directions he also gave her a lecture about how dangerous it was in the mountains for anyone, much less a young beautiful woman, alone. She laughed and said, "Daddy, I still have my rifle and pistol. I'll be ok. Besides, I need some fresh air and relaxation before I get home. I'm an old bear right now, and no one would want to be around me, anyway."

"Well, you be careful girl. You come out of the hills every two or three days and call us so we don't worry."

While Jan was talking to her father a tall slender young man in dirty torn clothing was stumbling up a valley alongside a small mountain stream. His pack weighed more than he did. His hair was long and straggly, dirty looking. His beard hadn't been cut in a week or more, making him look like one of the actors in the old movie Deliverance except for his light weight.

As the man stumbled upstream he gritted his teeth once again and kicked a rock muttering, "Fucking DAMN Cunt. I knew when she went to college in California instead of to college with me like we planned that she'd fuck around on me. I can't believe it took me over a year to find out. If Jason hadn't been laughing about it to his cousin I still might not know. Hell, I didn't even know he was going to San Jose State but I'm glad he was. Fuck, what does she see in that damn arrogant prick? After what she did there's no way I could keep working for her Uncle. Fuck. Brand new degree in Business Management and no fucking job. At least I don't have any debts thanks to the GI Bill and living at home while I went to college.

Frank Ames continued plodding along up the stream. Even in his anger he stopped occasionally to admire the scenery. He hadn't been here in almost ten years and was having trouble remembering landmarks although occasionally he saw something he remembered well. His family had owned this little part of heaven for years but they mostly just used the cabin near the edge of their holdings. His parents both worked in town but were now two states away and didn't have time or the inclination to wander around the mountain on their days off. Twice, when younger he came to Colorado Springs to visit his grandparents he and his grandfather came out and walked up this stream to camp at the old mining camp. He was told that was the same spot his grandfather said his great grandfather and great grandfather's best friend camped and lived for years back in the 1800Õs. He still remembered the stories told about prospecting for gold and hunting in these mountains. Well, he wasn't going to hunt much, but then again, he might. If he shot a deer even though it was out of season, he could stay longer and try to forget the pain. Seems like everyone he knew found out about Paula before he did and now they were asking what went wrong.

Well, he was going to spend at least two weeks at the old campsite while he tried to forget that cheating bitch and unwind. He hoped it was as peaceful as he remembered it. Finally, as dusk was falling on the mountain Frank reached his destination. It was like many other secluded prospecting or old home sites in the mountains. You could see the remains of two or three short log cabins perched on the hillside and a stream running somewhere close by.

The only difference in this site and hundreds of others was its condition. While not in pristine shape there were two buildings still standing and somewhat weatherproof. Most of the chinking was still in the logs and most of the roof was still on the buildings. Of course, that was a result of many hours work by the family while they visited here over the years. When they came here every year or two they didn't have to do much work each time they came to keep the two buildings somewhat decent. Now, if he wanted something to do he could spend his entire two weeks working on the buildings. All he intended to do, however, was make sure one of them was in good enough condition to keep him dry during the inevitable mountain showers. Other than that he planned to hike, fish and, maybe, do a little prospecting.

Frank looked across the small stream at another small building. It was in much better shape than were the ones owned by his family. It belonged to his grandfather's friend's family. From the looks of it they must still come up here fairly often. It appeared to be weather tight and the roof looked good. He was tempted to just camp out in it but didn't seriously consider it. He hadn't been invited and it would be no different than if he went into someone's house in the city without invitation. It just wasn't done except in dire emergencies.

Frank spent the remainder of the afternoon and all of the next day improving his living area and bringing in firewood. Early on the third day he packed a lunch and his water then took off up the stream looking for adventure and relaxation. He took a pan and shovel intending to pan for a little gold. From time to time when he was younger he and his grandfather found a few flakes in the stream. He hoped he remembered how to do everything and was lucky enough to find a little color.

That evening as dusk was falling, Frank stumbled back down the stream and headed for his little cabin. He was halfway from the head of the small clearing to it when he stopped in surprise. There was a small fire in front of the Stover's cabin and someone was working around it. He hesitated, unsure of what to do. Finally, he decided he would go over and find out if they were supposed to be there and try to run them off if they weren't. He checked his pistol before he went any farther. It was almost like the old days, he thought to himself, but what with all the drug pushers trying to grow marijuana in out of the way areas he was better off safe than sorry.

Frank was just stepping into the stream to cross it when the person working around the fire saw him. They stood and looked at him for a minute then moved toward a pack leaning on the old porch. They bent over and picked something up then turned to meet him.

A feminine voice called to Frank, "What do you want?"

"I'm Frank Ames, and my family owns the land on the other side of the stream. This land belongs to friends of my family and I wondered what you were doing here. Do you have permission to camp here? If you don't have permission to stay I'll have to ask you to move on."

The woman glanced at the pistol on Frank's hip and watched him closely. She said, "I'm Janice Stover, so I guess you could say I have permission to be here. What are you doing here and how do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"Maybe the same way I know you are telling me the truth? If you're who you say you are you probably know some of the stories I know. I remember grandpa talking about his friend, Mr. Stover, several times, and I'll bet he talked about Gramps. If that won't help, I'll show you my license if I can see yours."

Frank reached for his pack straps and shrugged it off. He rummaged inside until he found his billfold and took out his driver's license. He held it out toward the young woman and she tentatively moved until she could see it. "Well, you seem to be who you say you are. Now, I think you need to go back on your side of the stream and leave me alone. I came up here to get away from people and I sure don't need someone fooling around making a lot of noise. Are you going to be here long?"

Frank looked at the woman-Janice, he thought she said-and felt a trifle angry. He said, "No problem. You don't bother me and I won't bother you. I was just trying to protect your family's property like our families have done for each other for years. I'm sorry I bothered you."

Frank returned to his side of the stream and began preparing his evening meal. His main course was a nice trout he caught earlier that day. He cleaned it and fried it up nicely. He also fried some potatoes and onions and opened a can of pork and beans. While he cooked and ate his meal he watched Janice across the stream. As soon as she finished her meal she put the fire out and went inside the cabin with her pack. He didn't see her again that evening. When he finished his meal he cleaned up then sat outside enjoying the beautiful mountain evening and occasionally taking a swig of his Balviene single malt straight from the bottle. He chuckled to himself when he thought about the outrage some of his friends would feel seeing him drink such fine single malt straight from the bottle like a heathen. After it was full dark he went inside his little cabin for the night also.

The next morning both young people were out preparing breakfast at the same time. From time to time each watched the other. After she finished her breakfast Janice prepared a day pack and took off downstream shortly before Frank did the same and took off upstream once again. They followed almost the same schedule for the next two days, except Frank did begin exploring downstream. On the night of the third day Frank watched for Janice to return but she didn't.

The next morning he saw no sign of her either so he went over to her cabin and looked through the one window on the porch. Her large pack was still inside. He became worried. Instead of going back into one of the canyons as he planned, he went downstream trying to see if he could track Janice. He didn't believe she left because her pack was still there. The fire pit was cold that morning so he knew she didn't get out before him. After he went about a half mile downstream he saw a trail leading away from the stream that looked as if it had been used several times recently. Having nothing better to do he turned and followed it. He wished he had better tracking skills.

The trail was difficult to follow but led up a side canyon with a smaller stream trickling down it. After he went about a quarter mile he heard cursing and rattling coming from someplace ahead of him. He rounded a large rock blocking his view and saw a bedraggled Janice hobbling toward him using a tree branch as a crutch. Her face was dirty and scratched as were her hands. One leg was scratched and very bruised.

Frank rushed toward Janice and said, "Janice, are you OK? Strike that. I can see you're hurt. How badly are you hurt? I saw you didn't come back last night and I got worried about you so I decided to see if I could find you this morning."

Jan jerked her head up almost in fear when she heard Frank. Her jaw tightened and her eyes became pinpoints. She flinched aside when he reached her and wrapped his arm around her to help her walk.

Frank saw her flinch and said, "Now, look, you're hurt and I'm here to help you. I don't know what your problem is but you need help. It looks to me like I'm the only one around who can do that for you so relax and let me help you. Our families have been helping each other for years. Why would you think I'm different? Now sit down here and let me see your leg. Is there anything else wrong with you?"

Frank looked up at Janice's face and she shook her head no. She let him guide her to a large rock and sat on it while he looked over her leg. Her knee and ankle were swollen and she had some fairly deep scratches but it didn't seem like it was broken. She flinched and pulled back several times when he touched her leg a little too hard. He said, "It looks like you twisted your knee and ankle but I don't think anything is broken. You appear to only have some soft tissue damage. What the hell happened to you?"

Jan clenched her jaw and glared at Frank then grudgingly said, "I climbed up on a rock to look around and it rolled out from under me. I fell from the top of it and twisted my leg when I landed. Then another smaller rock rolled over my leg and dragged me a little ways down a hillside with the sliding rocks. OK?"

"Damn, don"t you know better than to climb on rocks before you make sure they're stable?" He saw Jan's angry glare and raised his hands with a small smile. He continued speaking, "Ok, sorry. We all make mistakes from time to time. Now, come on. Let me help you back to camp and we'll clean you up. Do you have a first aid kit or will we have to use mine?"

Janice looked guilty and said, "No I don't have a first aid kit. This trip was sorta spur of the moment and I just came with what I had. If you don't mind, could we use yours?"

"No problem. Now, come on, let's get you back to camp before we bandage you up. I don't want to clean you up here. Next time you need to be more careful. You know you could have died here either at that rock, or on the trail, or even back in camp if I wasn't here to find and help you. What were you thinking?"

Janice glared at Frank for a moment and snorted then said, "You're a fine one to talk. I see you take off hiking alone every day, too. You could have just as easily gotten injured and died as me."

Frank started to make an angry reply because of the tone of her voice but controlled himself. Finally, he said, "Yeah, you're right and then again you're not. I make damn sure I don't put myself into a dangerous position if I can help it. Of course, that's what accidents are normally. We think we're being safe and careful then find out we really weren't when we have an accident. All we can do is the best we can. At least when I hike I take a first aid kit with me and try to be very careful."

"Well, I thought I was being careful, too, when I had the accident. Now, would you please just stop your damn lecture and get me back to camp?"

"Ok. I'm sorry but I was worried about you and when I saw you I became scared. OK?"

Jan snorted but didn't reply to Frank's last statement.

Finally, after an agonizing hike for Jan and one that was much longer time wise than either of the hikers wished, they made it back to the small group of buildings. About a quarter mile from the buildings they climbed onto a rise running the length of the valley alongside the stream and turned to follow it. Frank thought it was an old roadbed but it was so narrow he couldn't understand how wagons could meet on it.

During this last leg of the hike at one of their frequent stops Frank turned and looked down hill following the roadbed with his eyes. He frowned and bent down to pick up a rock. He used the rock to dig a small trench across the roadbed. At two places he came across steel rails embedded in the dirt and rocks.

Jan watched him with a frown on her face then said, "What's the matter with you? You act as if you never saw an abandoned railroad before."

"I've seen rail lines where they were abandoned and the track was taken up, but this is the first one I have seen where the track is still present. I didn't even know there was a rail line up here until today."

"You're kidding, right? I thought you said you were the grandson of Steven Ames and heard all about this land from him. Didn't you tell me you used to come up here with him? I'm starting to think you've been lying to me."

Frank became angry at the accusation, and replied hotly, "Think whatever you want. I told you who I was and showed you my license. I remember seeing the raised roadbed but I don't remember the tracks and I sure don't remember any stories about there being a line up here. OK?"

"Now, let's go to the stream and wash the worst of this dirt off your leg before we get you bandaged up. The cold water will help with the swelling also. After you soak a while we'll wash with hot soapy water and get some antibiotic on the cuts and scrapes."

As Frank worked on Jan's leg they exchanged a few more sentences but mostly they were about her treatment. Finally, they finished doctoring her injuries and he carefully helped her across the stream and into her cabin. After she was seated he said, "I'll go make us something to eat now. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"NO. That's not necessary. I can fix my own food."

"Bullshit. You can't even walk empty handed. How do you think you'll be able to carry food and work around your fire?"

"I can do it, OK? Just leave me alone."

Frank felt his anger rising again. He glared at Jan and said, "OK, fine. I'll see ya around." Frank stomped out of her cabin and across the stream to his smaller shelter. He quickly busied himself preparing his meal. He cooked some of the venison he killed the day before and prepared some instant mashed potatoes along with some canned green beans. After he ate his fill he sat looking across the stream. He watched as Jan hopped out of the cabin on one leg, barely touching her injured leg to the ground. She was trying to carry something toward her fire pit.