As we approach, I do my best to let myself melt into the music. I hear the tail end of a stereotypical reggae song, and I want to roll my eyes again. Of course these guys are listening to ‘Woooahh amber is the color of your energy.’
Rusty lawn chairs are gathered in a haphazard circle around a miniature fire pit. It looks exactly like where lifties go to regenerate each summer. The sun hasn’t quite set yet. It’s a soft sort of yellow, like the center of a daisy. All of the guys have the same aesthetic. Layers and layers of—likely unwashed—baggy tees and flannels. A less clean version of my own outfit, recycled over and over again. They look happy though, and they might be onto something. The more I listen to the beat of the music, the more my shoulders drop a little.
Reid gives two guys a full double-armed hug, and suddenly I’m jealous of these river rats.
“Stoked to see you man. And who is this beauty?” one of them asks as he hands me a beer.
I can’t tell if he’s trying to be nice or what, but people do not usually refer to me as abeauty.I’m curious how Reid will introduce me. We’ve never been in this situation before.
Reid puts both of his hands on either side of my waist and pushes me forward an inch like he’s presenting me. Is he trying to set me up with this degenerate?
“This is Addie.” He smiles.
Removing Reid’s hands from my waist, I step back. “Nice tomeet you,” I say, pausing for him to fill in his name, but he just stares at me.
“This is Kai,” Reid says, answering for him. Then he motions to the other guy. “And this is Maverick.”
Instantly, I recognize Kai from the pictures Reid has taped up in his room. He looks exactly the same—wearing baggy clothes with a beer in his hand.
Beer is my last choice of beverage. I’d even take hard Kombucha over this watery wheat, but I drink it anyway. It tastes exactly like it’s been sitting in the back of a humid van. My nerves are absolutely fried, and I’m not sure how much more I can take.
I pick the chair in the corner that looks like it’s the least rusted, and I plop myself down. It creaks more than a chair should. The last thing I need is to draw attention to myself right now.
My phone feels like it’s whispering to me to pick it up. I want to text Riley and see how far she is, but I settle for checking her location instead. She’s still in Yellowstone by the looks of it. The pass between Yellowstone and Jackson is pretty sketchy, and I hate that she’ll be driving at night. Maybe she’s already on her way down into the valley and her location just hasn’t updated. Service can be spotty out here.
The conversation around me is flying. Reid is having the time of his life. He’s on his second beer, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile this much. Damien isn’t really the smiling type, and Reid tends to match the energy of those around him. Maybe this is his true form.
If that’s the case, no wonder he doesn’t want me. I’m too uptight.
They’re talking about raft guiding and the interesting tourists they’ve encountered. The snake river is pretty intense, so I’m absolutely shocked that random tourists are going down iton a Tuesday, but they are, and it honestly sounds hilarious. I want to jump in, but I can’t seem to find an opening.
“Yeah man. I had to start paying for Duolingo. I can’t understand these people, and they can’t understand me. It’s so fucking sketchy,” Kai laments.
“How many languages are you gonna learn? I never knew you as the bookish type.”
“I’m working on the basic commands in Spanish, German, French and Japanese right now.”
Reid sits back, clearly in shock, as he takes in the level of passion Kai has for this. It shocks me too. I’m regretting how fast I was to judge him as a degenerate just from the cigarette holes in his clothes. I still don’t want to hook up with him though.
Before I can craft my reply, they’ve moved on.
Maverick says this time, “I don’t know man. I prefer the pow in Jackson.”
“Yeah, yeah, me too. But the tourists are so much less annoying in Colorado,” Kai replies.
“True. I guess they are a bit less demanding. Unless you’re in Aspen.”
Reid sits there taking it all in. His shoulders are resting against the edge of the folding chair. The glass beer bottle is pressed up against his lips.
Truthfully, It’s fascinating to hear more about the dynamics behind the scenes of these resorts. Seasonal workers always seem so happy and free. They get unlimited access to whatever activity they’re leading and that’s typically enough to keep them around, even if they’re devastatingly poor. Apparently, my judgment of this type of person is hereditary, even though I wish it wasn’t.
The chair creaks again as my back hits the cold metal, and I take a deep breath. This time I trust it to catch my weight, and I finally speak.
8
Isomehow choke down two lukewarm beers while we sit around the fire. Part of me wishes I was spending the night here. The combination of the fire, the simmering sunset, and the beer put me in some kind of trance.
The staccato beats from the reggae are still ringing in my ears. I never thought I’d be a reggae girl, but the way music mixes with the steady rhythm of the river makes me think I could be convinced. Kai and Maverick tag along with us to the bar. It’sliterallycalled The Cowboy Bar. For some reason, the cheesiness of that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It might in the morning.
