before a bigger climb of nearly two miles. The path
was smooth for the most part, but rougher in other parts. He
descended again into Sassafras Gap and kept going until he reached
the Muskrat Shelter. He’d gotten a later start, and though he had
only traveled a few miles, he decided to stop for the day. There was
no time limit on this hike.
Large hardwoods and
smaller trees surrounded the shelter. Sean remembered it from his
first hike more than a decade before. He had been almost fourteen
years younger and just graduated from high school. He and two of his
friends, Taylor Williams and Jeremy Salito had planned the trip for
months. They researched it to death, and got camping gear, food,
backpacks, and maps. Sean wondered where Taylor and Jeremy were. He
had lost touch with them a long time ago. But they had taken that
hike together, and it had changed all of them.
Sean made a fire in
a well-used pit outside the shelter. The sun was starting to set and
he wanted to get into the shelter before it was completely dark.
Using the one pan in his backpack, he brought dehydrated chicken
noodle soup to life. After he ate the soup, he munched on some trail
mix and crawled into his sleeping bag he had laid on a bunk in the
shelter. Even though he had only traveled a few miles that day, Sean
could feel the muscle aches in his legs and arms. He unzipped a
compartment on the backpack and found the ibuprofen. And then he
slept the exhausted sleep of the hiker.
When he woke up the
next morning, he could definitely feel his muscles aching. But he
knew the only way was to work through it. Outside at the pit, he made
another small fire and cooked oatmeal, which he ate voraciously, like
it was his last meal on earth. Then he set off back on the trail.
Unlike the day before, when he was acclimating himself to the hike,
the second day his mind wandered as he took each step. Up and down he
went that day. And as he walked, he thought about Meredith and how
much he missed her. He thought about when he met her.
Sean had been
working at the bank for a couple of years and was moving up in the
ranks. It wouldn’t be long before he was manager of the loan
department, if he played his cards right. The bank president, Mr.
Anderson, seemed to like him. He had told Sean how much he depended
on him. And then one day, he saw her. She was the most beautiful girl
he’d ever seen.
Sean introduced
himself to her. She had blue eyes that captured him and held him and
he wanted to look into them forever. He wanted to swim in those eyes.
Meredith was her name and she had just started working in the credit
card department.
“ Nice to meet you,
Meredith,” he said. How was he going to ask her out, which is
exactly what he wanted to do right that minute? His heart was
thumping, but he had to play it cool. “Welcome to South Bay Bank.”
“ Thank you,” she
said sweetly, looking at him with her blue gaze.
All through that
first week Meredith worked at the bank, Sean went out of his way to
go into the credit department, making excuses to see Meredith. She
always greeted him with a smile.
On Fridays, several
bank employees usually went to a nearby bar and Sean sometimes joined
them. That first Friday that Meredith worked at the bank, Sean went
to the bar. He sat at a booth with Janice, a teller, and Mark, who
worked in his department. Sean kept watching the door to the bar
hoping to see Meredith walk through it.
“ Hey, Sean,”
Mark said. “Why are you so jumpy tonight? Rough day?”
Embarrassed, Sean
made a conscious effort to appear casual. It wasn’t easy. Carol,
who worked in the credit department, walked in a few minutes later
and plopped down.
“ I think we need
to get one of those tables,” she said. “Meredith said she was
coming and this booth isn’t big enough.”
Sean couldn’t
believe his good luck. Meredith was coming to the bar and he was
going to talk to her. He would make sure he talked to her if it was
the last thing he ever
was smooth for the most part, but rougher in other parts. He
descended again into Sassafras Gap and kept going until he reached
the Muskrat Shelter. He’d gotten a later start, and though he had
only traveled a few miles, he decided to stop for the day. There was
no time limit on this hike.
Large hardwoods and
smaller trees surrounded the shelter. Sean remembered it from his
first hike more than a decade before. He had been almost fourteen
years younger and just graduated from high school. He and two of his
friends, Taylor Williams and Jeremy Salito had planned the trip for
months. They researched it to death, and got camping gear, food,
backpacks, and maps. Sean wondered where Taylor and Jeremy were. He
had lost touch with them a long time ago. But they had taken that
hike together, and it had changed all of them.
Sean made a fire in
a well-used pit outside the shelter. The sun was starting to set and
he wanted to get into the shelter before it was completely dark.
Using the one pan in his backpack, he brought dehydrated chicken
noodle soup to life. After he ate the soup, he munched on some trail
mix and crawled into his sleeping bag he had laid on a bunk in the
shelter. Even though he had only traveled a few miles that day, Sean
could feel the muscle aches in his legs and arms. He unzipped a
compartment on the backpack and found the ibuprofen. And then he
slept the exhausted sleep of the hiker.
When he woke up the
next morning, he could definitely feel his muscles aching. But he
knew the only way was to work through it. Outside at the pit, he made
another small fire and cooked oatmeal, which he ate voraciously, like
it was his last meal on earth. Then he set off back on the trail.
Unlike the day before, when he was acclimating himself to the hike,
the second day his mind wandered as he took each step. Up and down he
went that day. And as he walked, he thought about Meredith and how
much he missed her. He thought about when he met her.
Sean had been
working at the bank for a couple of years and was moving up in the
ranks. It wouldn’t be long before he was manager of the loan
department, if he played his cards right. The bank president, Mr.
Anderson, seemed to like him. He had told Sean how much he depended
on him. And then one day, he saw her. She was the most beautiful girl
he’d ever seen.
Sean introduced
himself to her. She had blue eyes that captured him and held him and
he wanted to look into them forever. He wanted to swim in those eyes.
Meredith was her name and she had just started working in the credit
card department.
“ Nice to meet you,
Meredith,” he said. How was he going to ask her out, which is
exactly what he wanted to do right that minute? His heart was
thumping, but he had to play it cool. “Welcome to South Bay Bank.”
“ Thank you,” she
said sweetly, looking at him with her blue gaze.
All through that
first week Meredith worked at the bank, Sean went out of his way to
go into the credit department, making excuses to see Meredith. She
always greeted him with a smile.
On Fridays, several
bank employees usually went to a nearby bar and Sean sometimes joined
them. That first Friday that Meredith worked at the bank, Sean went
to the bar. He sat at a booth with Janice, a teller, and Mark, who
worked in his department. Sean kept watching the door to the bar
hoping to see Meredith walk through it.
“ Hey, Sean,”
Mark said. “Why are you so jumpy tonight? Rough day?”
Embarrassed, Sean
made a conscious effort to appear casual. It wasn’t easy. Carol,
who worked in the credit department, walked in a few minutes later
and plopped down.
“ I think we need
to get one of those tables,” she said. “Meredith said she was
coming and this booth isn’t big enough.”
Sean couldn’t
believe his good luck. Meredith was coming to the bar and he was
going to talk to her. He would make sure he talked to her if it was
the last thing he ever
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