“Morning,” I reply with a nod.
“Glad to see we’re not the only ones up to witness God’s glory at this ungodly hour.”
“It's the best time to witness it,” I say.
“Beautiful dog,” the other woman says. She holds her hand out as they come closer and smiles when Titus gives her palm a lick of hello. “Hey, buddy,” she coos.
“You guys local?” the Black woman asks.
“I am, yeah. You heading up to Dixon’s Peak?”
“Yes,” they both laugh.
“Is there a shortcut? We want to get up there by lunchtime,” the Asian woman says.
“This is the best way. The only shortcut I know of involves a helicopter ride over a ravine. You should be at the site by eleven if you keep a steady pace.”
“We better keep moving, babe,” The Black woman says. She has the look in her eye. I’m sure there’s a proposal at the end of their hike.
“Yeah. Thanks for the tip. You have a good one.”
“No problem. Enjoy the view.”
Both women nod their goodbyes and I watch them for half a second then look back to Claudia. She's not breathing right. I slip my lens cap on then run my hand down her back.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. No. I'm not sure,” she says. Her voice is shaky.
I step in front of her and lift her head with my finger under her chin. Her pupils are all fucked up. I step closer and smooth my hands over her shoulders.
“Breathe. In and out.”
She closes her eyes and drops her head to my chest. We stay like that for a few minutes until she lets out a deep sigh and straightens up. Her eyes are almost back to normal, but her breathing is still a little shaky. I touch the side of her face and her neck.
“Sorry,” she says.
“You don't have to apologize. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure. Maybe it was the sound. It got really loud up here all of a sudden. I wasn't expecting to see other people up here.”
“Are you afraid to run into other people up here?” I ask. Anything she says will make sense. I just want to make sure I understand.
“I'm… I can't explain it. I just got—I just freaked out.”
“I got what I need so we can head back and we don't have to come back out for the rest of the week if you don't want to.”
“No, no.” She waves me off but she still lets out another deep breath. “I just wasn't expecting to see people.”
“We can head back anyway. You want some breakfast.”
“Yeah. Food would be good.”
“Come on. You got, Titus?” I ask. That seems to shock her back to her senses.
She looks down at her hand and looks at her grip on Titus’s leash. “Yeah. Yes, I got him.”
We take our time heading back down the trail. She doesn’t say a word the whole time.
