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With my solo dinner plans of sandwiches looking a little light, I ordered a pizza from Sergio’s to be delivered. It was a long delivery, but the guys there were used to climbing the mountains with pies and were tipped handsomely for it.
When the pizza arrived, Kim sat on the couch and watched TV with me, the two of us eating and falling back into the same comfortable relationship we shared when she was younger. It was a bit different with a tiny baby in a portable rocker sitting next to the couch, but similar to how we had always been.
I always had room for my sister, but this was kind of nuts. It was different, and yet, it might just work. I had never thought of myself as a father, but an uncle? I could be a damn good uncle. And we could have a very comfortable, if unconventional family situation. All that mattered was it was family. I would do anything for family.
8
DEE
One of the big perks of working daytime now was that I got to go to the bonfire every week. A tradition of a growing group of friends in Ashford, the bonfire was generally held at one of the homes of the men that worked for the local logging company. I had gotten to know them pretty well in the last year, enough to call them my friends.
The drive up the mountain was nice since the weather had warmed up a little during the day and the sky was clear. When I finally pulled into Everett and Helen’s house, I parked the car along the long line of them in their yard and headed out toward the house.
It was only seven, but the party was already rocking. I could smell cooking meat and the burning campfire from the road, and as I got out of the car, it was almost overwhelming how good the smell was, and the excitement started to take over once again. I had avoided going out a lot recently, partially because work was so demanding of my time and getting rest, but also because I was still feeling a little weird about being around all the hubbub over my sister.
I loved my sister, and I loved the family she was starting, but it was a lot. Everyone who talked to them gushed and gushed over the baby, as they should, but then the talk would slide into their engagement. Their happy future was so perfect, so exciting, that I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of my sister. I never wanted to feel that, and when it was just us, I didn’t, really. So, I tended to avoid social gatherings for a little bit. I figured I just needed some time to get used to it.
It was starting to look suspicious that I had skipped the bonfire, though. Malia knew how much I enjoyed them, and so did most everyone else. I was a very good party guest, often bringing food or drinks and making sure to have a conversation with everyone there. My absence had been noted, and Everett’s wife, Helen, had asked about me, worried I was sick or upset with them.
When I walked in, there was a rouse of voices, and I was greeted warmly, several of them noting that they hadn’t seen me much. I tried to pass it off as having just been very busy working. It wasn’t a total lie. Work had been crazy.
After the newness of me being there again wore off and the party was in full swing, I ended up in my usual spot on the reclining chair on the porch. Around me were Malia and Gerry, Deacon and his wife, Rebecca, Wendy and Finn and Helen. Everett was down on the grass with Carter and Lauren and a bunch of workers from the logging company I didn’t quite recognize.
“Hey, Dee,” Wendy said, leaning down a bit and absentmindedly scratching at her leg. “How is work going? I heard it’s been crazy.”
A thin smile crossed my lips. Wendy was always good at calling me out on my shit.
“It has,” I said. “We became the satellite for another small-town hospital over in Brunswick. So, now we are getting ER patients from all over the region, and they’re flying people in on the helicopters from as far out as Kentucky and Virginia sometimes since we have a helipad. It’s insane, but it’s gratifying to finally be doing it.”
“I bet. So…” She leaned even further down. “Did you hear about Hawk?”
“I did,” I said.
The word was all over town. Hawk had moved back a while ago, but no one ever saw him, save for the people who lived nearby. I only knew that he had bought a cabin up at the top of the mountain and worked for the government. I tried to stay away from anyone who I overheard talking about him, if nothing other than to avoid even hearing his name.
