AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The universe sends signs
(Blakely)
My pack was slung into the back of the truck and the door was opened for me. Liam had a warm wide smile and as he started his truck I started telling him about my hike. He asked questions but my story poured from me like a flood. I told him about riding out the rain and the night of the wind, about the epic views, then I backed up and told him about the first day and how I was exhausted by the time I stepped foot on the trail.
He laughed. “Och, ye mean the pack was too heavy for ye, Woodshee? Was I right on it?”
“You were so right on it.”
I had barely noticed when he pulled the truck into a drive-thru. “We could go sit inside if you want?”
He chuckled. “Twould nae be fair tae the other diners, ye’re a frightful smell.”
“Oh god.” I sniffed my pits. “I put on deodorant.”
“I think tis more the whole effect, when was the last time there was a full body washin’?” He laughed.
“Ugh, I am so embarrassed.”
“How come ye’re embarrassed, Woodshee? Because ye did a ‘Big Thing’? The locker room after a big game always has a substantial stench, I daena think ye ought tae be embarrassed for it. Besides I kent what I was gettin’ intae when I offered tae give ye a ride... what ye want?” He drove up to the speaker to order.
“All of it. Everything. Like the biggest of it...”
He ordered two big meals called ‘The Monster’ with extra large cups of Coke.
Big bags of food were passed through the window of his truck. “If ye’re still hungry we can stop again, the drive will be two hours.”
“I walked for that many days and now we can drive it in two hours?” I dug my fries out of the sack. “It doesn’t seem fair.”
He slurped from his Coke and put it between his legs because the cups were way too big for the cup holders. “Ye ken what inna fair? The majestic waterfall ye told me about is two hours away and I haena seen it yet. How come I haena gone tae see it?”
I smiled, chewing a mouthful of burger, and groaned because it tasted so good. “I would say that we ought to drive and see it right now, but I really really really don’t want to know how close it is. How about one day next week, we can go see it, and we’ll pretend like it’s a great distance away. That way I don’t spiral into self-pity.”
“Sounds fair, ye can show me the falls. We might need tae do some preparation for the trip since tis so far away. Do we need passports, ye think for such a far distance?”
“Totally. We totally need our passports for it because it’s soooooo far away.”
I slurped some drink and moaned happily. He grinned over his arm and I smiled back. Then he asked another question about my hike and I was off again, the words spilling out. “...and then Frank gave me an ‘it’s-okay-to-quit’ pep-talk, and he had an albatross patch on his pack, and I already told you all about how it’s my favorite animal because of—”
“All the studyin’ ye did on the airplane about it.”
“Exactly! So it really seemed like a sign from the universe. And it so was—”
He chuckled. “Woodshee, ye believe the sign from the universe is that the airplane had a magazine with an article about albatrosses that ye dinna read and Frank had a patch of an albatross when he told ye tae stop trying tae kill yerself on the trail?” He raised his brow. “Tis the same thing I was tryin’ tae tell ye. Maybe ye were ignoring real signs from the universe, because ye were so busy looking for birds.”
I teased, “Yes, but you didn’t have an albatross patch.” I tapped my temple. “The universe sends signs. I’m lucky I’m smart enough to hear them.”
“Aye.” He turned on the blinker and passed a car which required all his concentration because the truck did not seem to want to go fast enough. He muttered, “Come on, come on...” Then he settled the truck into the slow lane again and said, “Albatross. Alba-tross. Do ye ken, Woodshee, what the Gaelic word Alba means?”
I screwed my face up. “There’s a Gaelic word Alba? What does it mean?”
“It means Scotland. I wonder if the Scottish man bein’ yer emergency contact might be the albatross in yer universe’s ‘signs’.”
“Wait, really?”
“Aye.”
“Holy shit.” I slow-blinked for a moment then said, “Well, I’m glad I didn’t know that before because I might not have gone on my hike and I’m really proud of having done it.”
“I agree, I think ye ought tae stop givin’ the universe so much credit and give it tae yerself.”
“That is good advice.” I took a sip of Coke and topped it with a bite of burger. “Did I tell you about the campsite on day three?” And I was off again, talking, while he asked questions, and listened, for like a full hour, just talk talk talk and then I yawned as lack of sleep caught up with me... I spent a few moments trying to keep my head up as it lolled. I was never good at staying awake in cars, plus digesting, plus the — it was hard to... but this was Liam... I barely knew him. He picked me up and was driving me two hours and yet... I was having a very hard time staying awake...
