A fork in the trail approaches, and at the last minute, he chooses the left trail.
The vehicle swerves, but Ryan is an excellent driver, and I trust him immensely to keep us safe. We continue our ride, exploring many trails and having the best time.
Unexpectedly, a woman steps out onto the trail about fifty yards in front of us and stops directly in the middle of it.
“Holy shit!” Ryan shouts at the top of his lungs.
I rear back, my feet pushing me against the chair in fear of crashing into her. Ryan swerves the vehicle and loses control of the wheel for a split second, and dread washes over me.
Inches from hitting a tree, Ryan gains control, and the vehicle teeters back and forth, coming close to flipping over until it finally stops.
Pulling up on the emergency brake, Ryan flings open the door and throws off his helmet.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he shouts, storming toward the woman.
As he approaches her, he stops, and recognition appears on his face.
“Georgia? What the hell are you doing out here?” he asks her, confused as to why she would be out here.
“I felt like taking a walk.” She shrugs one of her shoulders, her mouth downcast.
“You do understand this is miles from your campsite?” he asks incredulously.
“When you’re with the same people all the time, you get a little stir crazy. I needed a break and got lost in my thoughts. My feet just kind of led the way,” she explains, like it’s no big deal to be on a trail specifically for side-by-sides.
My adrenaline is crashing from almost flipping the vehicle and hitting her. I can’t even move my lips to form a coherent sentence.
“Anyway, what are you guys up to tonight?” she asks with a beaming smile.
After what just happened, she’s wondering what we are up to tonight? Anger and disbelief surge through me.
Ryan paces back and forth, trying to calm down, and with a hint of aggravation, he responds, “We don’t have any concrete plans.”
“Well, why don’t you stop by for a bit?” she suggests, noticing I’m being standoffish.
“Yeah, we’ll think about it,” Ryan snaps, still trying to catch his breath.
Georgia’s face lights up, ignoring Ryan’s attitude. “We’ve got steaks,” she says, trying to entice him.
Who doesn’t like red meat? My mouth salivates at the thought of it.
“That sounds great,” he says, sounding kinder now. “We’ll see you later.” Ryan waves and moves back to the vehicle.
I give her a small wave as well, not wanting to stick around for long. I haven’t voiced my concern to Ryan, but I think she has some screws loose.
She waves over her head with a huge smile across her face. Odd, considering, you know, she was just almost run over.
Ryan starts the vehicle, and we turn around to head back the way we came.
The high energy is extinguished, so he drives at a normal pace. After about an hour, I see our campsite ahead. Once the vehicle is parked, we exit it in silence.
Looking over at Ryan, I say, “You can’t tell me that wasn’t weird as hell!”
“You can’t tell me you didn’t feel a speck of empathy for her situation?” Ryan says defensively.
“It’s her choice, and they all seem really close and get along from what I’ve seen,” I argue back.
“Everyone needs space at times.” He shakes his head at me, frowning.
