They began the trail, and Evie stopped at a wooden sign that read, “Great Missouri Birding Trail.”
They continued on the well-paved trail that was immediately swallowed by snow-capped trees and decaying bark from trees that had fallen years ago. She loved how the fiery hue of the sun’s rays illuminated the snow on them. Squirrels ran amok every which way, and cardinals called from the canopy above. A woodpecker went berserk against a tree. The gray and dead tone of the forest floor was saddening to look at, but glancing up changed everything.
Evie asked casually, “What’s in the sack?”
“Supplies. Food, water, first-aid kit.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” she answered with a smile.
“Guns, ammo, grenade launcher, a few Navy SEALs, a tank.”
She busted out laughing. “What? No F-18? I’m disappointed in you.”
He smiled at her and chuckled. He said, “Think about nothing at all. If you focus on the beauty around you and the mission at hand, it’ll go by faster than you think.”
Only in her dreams.
Not even thirty minutes later, she sat down on a mercifully placed bench and Caleb let her rest. He began using his binoculars to look at certain waterfowls that were spotted through the trees and in a little marshland area. The cattails were dried, brown stalks jutting up from the frozen wetlands.
Evie sighed. “I can’t do this.”
Caleb was apathetic. “Alright. You can walk back on your own and wait for me in the truck.”
“What?” she asked. How dare he treat her like that after what she just did for him that morning!
He turned over his shoulder. “Baby, it’s fine. Go ahead and walk back and wait for me in the truck. I’ll be about thirty-five minutes.”
“Walk back…alone?”
“What? Ya afraid of thesquirrel gang?”
“N-no, but I can’t walk back alone.”
“Well,” he said, approaching her, “you’ve got two choices. Either finish this with me or go back without me. I’m sorry, but remember what I said? You can’t sit here and fester in your paranoia. At some point, you gotta make a move.”
She grew saddened and downtrodden.
Caleb approached and sat next to her and became serious. “Listen Evie, I’m not gonna baby you. That’s not how I work. Unfortunately, there’s no way to test the waters of embracing and facing your fears without facing them head on.”
“What if I get exhausted and can’t finish? I’m not athletic like you are,” she said in despondency.
“Then I’ll carry you.”
She laughed. “You can’t be-”
She looked at him. Hewasserious.
He rubbed her back. “It’s up to you. You’re either with me or without. But I’m getting up to go. I want to finish this hike. I love hiking here, so I’m going.”
And he stood up and walked away, leaving her behind. She lifted her head and watched him walk, getting smaller in size as he made his way up a gentle curving hill. She looked back to the left where there was emptiness, loneliness, uncertainty. Then back to the right where he was, so sure of the path and the road ahead.
Let him lead you, she thought.
Evie sprung up and ran after him. “Wait! Caleb, I’m coming with you!”
Caleb smiled. Without turning his head, he stood still and called back to her, “I thought you were gonna stay, kitten.”
“Well, I thought I’d better come along. Just in case you needed protection.”
