drives me nuts, but I bite my tongue.
Paul kneels and I step on his shoulders and hold his hands. He stands up and holds my ankles firmly. I reach up, and my hands feel the bottom of the crack until I’m able to slide my left hand into a hold. I pull, but don’t have the strength to lift myself through to a foothold in the crack.
“It’s too high,” I say.
“Hold on,” Paul grunts, and his hands come under my boots and he pushes up with all his might. I reach and stretch until my left hand lands on the floor of the cliff and my right boot finds a foothold. I push hard and Paul gives me one last shove. I hoist my body over the top and land, hard, on the floor, scurrying to pull my legs over.
“I’m over, I’m over,” I holler.
“Stay there.”
In a matter of minutes, Paul climbs the wall and then shimmies across the crack like he’s climbing hand over hand on a pull bar. When he reaches the wide part of the crack, he pulls himself up and over the top.
He stands and looks out over the valley. He has a big smile on his face.
“Not bad, Solis.”
He sits down next to me. He puts his hand around my shoulders and pulls me in. My head falls onto his shoulder.
“Yeah, not bad, Hart.”
He looks around and then behind us.
“Not exactly what I’d hoped for.”
I look around again. My heart sinks. I’m not sure this is the right term for what I’m seeing, but I’m calling it a false top.
We are surrounded by mountain peaks far higher than the one we are standing on. Unless the sky was to turn crystal blue, it’s unlikely that a search plane could find us here.
“We can’t be found here, can we?” I ask.
“Do you mean alive?”
“Of course.”
“Unlikely.”
He lies on his back and looks up.
“We have to find shelter, before the sun falls.”
I look around and then up toward the sun, or where it should be. I can’t believe that we’ve gone through all of this and haven’t changed our situation at all. Except, of course, that we no longer have the bathroom shelter. A cold wind hits my face and I turn into Paul’s chest to protect myself.
“Don’t freak out on me now,” Paul whispers in my ear.
“I’m not.” I sit back up. “It’s the wind; it surprised me.”
He sits up and puts both arms around me, pulls me in tight, and kisses the top of my head.
“The worst is below us now,” he says. “Look.”
I don’t look, because I know looking back is a haunting feeling all its own.
I made it up the cliff and I feel good about that, but I’m still terrified of what’s to come. If I add obsessing about my near-death climb into the mix, I’ll end up a morass of nerves.
“I’m scared,” I say with honesty.
“I nearly shit my pants back there. It’s okay to be scared.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Who’s they?” Paul asks.
“People.”
“Doctors, you mean?”
“Yes, doctors, parents, friends, and now strange boys I meet on mountaintops. But everyone tells me to walk around like there’s nothing to be afraid of. Then they drop dead or something.”
“I’m sorry about that quip, about daddy’s girl.”
“You didn’t know.”
“It’s funny how people just drop dead one day. My mom died when I was ten. I remember the scent of her hair. Strawberries. That’s what I remember most about her.”
“My dad shot himself in the head. I just think about blood when I think about him. He used Old Spice. Blood and Old Spice. That’s what I remember.”
We just stand there for a few moments taking in each other’s histories. We are so different and yet so alike, I think. We both lost a parent.
“Do you suppose they think we’re dead?” He breaks the silence.
“I don’t know, but I think my mother would be pleased I finally met a guy.”
Paul laughs out loud.
“Did you find a guy, Solis? That’s nice to know.”
Chapter 24
L ess than an hour later, in the middle of a crop of slab-like stones, we find a small cave. Inside, the ground is dry
Paul kneels and I step on his shoulders and hold his hands. He stands up and holds my ankles firmly. I reach up, and my hands feel the bottom of the crack until I’m able to slide my left hand into a hold. I pull, but don’t have the strength to lift myself through to a foothold in the crack.
“It’s too high,” I say.
“Hold on,” Paul grunts, and his hands come under my boots and he pushes up with all his might. I reach and stretch until my left hand lands on the floor of the cliff and my right boot finds a foothold. I push hard and Paul gives me one last shove. I hoist my body over the top and land, hard, on the floor, scurrying to pull my legs over.
“I’m over, I’m over,” I holler.
“Stay there.”
In a matter of minutes, Paul climbs the wall and then shimmies across the crack like he’s climbing hand over hand on a pull bar. When he reaches the wide part of the crack, he pulls himself up and over the top.
He stands and looks out over the valley. He has a big smile on his face.
“Not bad, Solis.”
He sits down next to me. He puts his hand around my shoulders and pulls me in. My head falls onto his shoulder.
“Yeah, not bad, Hart.”
He looks around and then behind us.
“Not exactly what I’d hoped for.”
I look around again. My heart sinks. I’m not sure this is the right term for what I’m seeing, but I’m calling it a false top.
We are surrounded by mountain peaks far higher than the one we are standing on. Unless the sky was to turn crystal blue, it’s unlikely that a search plane could find us here.
“We can’t be found here, can we?” I ask.
“Do you mean alive?”
“Of course.”
“Unlikely.”
He lies on his back and looks up.
“We have to find shelter, before the sun falls.”
I look around and then up toward the sun, or where it should be. I can’t believe that we’ve gone through all of this and haven’t changed our situation at all. Except, of course, that we no longer have the bathroom shelter. A cold wind hits my face and I turn into Paul’s chest to protect myself.
“Don’t freak out on me now,” Paul whispers in my ear.
“I’m not.” I sit back up. “It’s the wind; it surprised me.”
He sits up and puts both arms around me, pulls me in tight, and kisses the top of my head.
“The worst is below us now,” he says. “Look.”
I don’t look, because I know looking back is a haunting feeling all its own.
I made it up the cliff and I feel good about that, but I’m still terrified of what’s to come. If I add obsessing about my near-death climb into the mix, I’ll end up a morass of nerves.
“I’m scared,” I say with honesty.
“I nearly shit my pants back there. It’s okay to be scared.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Who’s they?” Paul asks.
“People.”
“Doctors, you mean?”
“Yes, doctors, parents, friends, and now strange boys I meet on mountaintops. But everyone tells me to walk around like there’s nothing to be afraid of. Then they drop dead or something.”
“I’m sorry about that quip, about daddy’s girl.”
“You didn’t know.”
“It’s funny how people just drop dead one day. My mom died when I was ten. I remember the scent of her hair. Strawberries. That’s what I remember most about her.”
“My dad shot himself in the head. I just think about blood when I think about him. He used Old Spice. Blood and Old Spice. That’s what I remember.”
We just stand there for a few moments taking in each other’s histories. We are so different and yet so alike, I think. We both lost a parent.
“Do you suppose they think we’re dead?” He breaks the silence.
“I don’t know, but I think my mother would be pleased I finally met a guy.”
Paul laughs out loud.
“Did you find a guy, Solis? That’s nice to know.”
Chapter 24
L ess than an hour later, in the middle of a crop of slab-like stones, we find a small cave. Inside, the ground is dry
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