Page 103 of The Falcon and the Foe

“Talk about your close encounter,” Cal quipped. He grabbed Quentin’s thrashed backpack and examined the damage. It made me pull him into another hug and crush him with my arms.

“You boys did great.” Cal put his backpack on. “You did exactly what we practiced in our meeting. You were like sardines. I guess I shouldn’t have given you crap about all these life-and-death lessons you made us practice.”

Cal was speaking to me. I could only make out fragments of what was happening. The boys slowly laying down. The bear ripping Quentin’s backpack. The cop ringing my doorbell. The look of instantly recognizable sorrow that lined his face.

“Let’s get the F outta here.” Cal checked the map, and I followed them back to the trail, filled with hikers who had no idea what had happened. We walked in silence. The boys held my hand at intermittent times. Cal reported the incident to the ranger on duty. I was unable to talk.

I blinked, and we were back in the parking lot.

The boys got into the backseat. I grabbed the handle but couldn’t open the door.

“Hey.” Cal rubbed my back and led me to a bench that I made sure was in clear view of the car. “Russ.” He caressed my cheek. “Babe, it’s okay. The boys are safe. A little shaken up, but safe.”

Safe.

Something about that word broke me. I leaned forward and heaved in deep breaths, somewhere between sobbing and choking for air.

“I need to buy a new iPhone. I was due for an upgrade, so we actually came out ahead.” Cal massaged a hand on his back. “That was a joke.”

I willed myself to take deep breaths, to calm the fuck down. I wasn’t one to lose it in public.

“We’re okay. We’re all okay.” He remained calm, somehow. His voice brought me back from the edge. “Russ, talk to me.”

I turned to Cal, blurry in my watery vision. “Cal, I love you, but I can’t see you anymore.”

30

CAL

“What?” I asked.

Russ sat up straight and tried to convey that he was of sound mind, but it was like an escaped mental patient assuring you he wasn't crazy.

“You’re breaking up with me? Like, for real? Is this because I sacrificed a perfectly good iPhone?”

“This isn’t funny, Cal.”

“I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

What happened was terrifying. I didn’t know how we all came out of that situation without soiling ourselves. I was fucking close. But the best way to get rid of the shock and fear was to laugh about it. Not going catatonic as Russ had chosen to do.

“I thought...when I saw that bear…” Russ was completely unglued, in a state I’d never seen of him.

“I thought those things, too. But they didn’t happen. You taught the boys well. They did exactly what they were supposed to. You saved their lives.”

“I put them in danger. We never should’ve gone on that trail.”

“Bear sightings are rare, but the ranger said they do happen from time to time. He probably wanted directions to the nearest gay bar.”

“How can you joke about this?”

“Because we’re alive,” I said firmly. “We’re not going to spend the rest of the day replaying horrific what-if scenarios in our head and Monday morning quarterbacking a random horrifying incident. We’re all fine, Russ. We’re all safe.”

Russ took labored breaths; his efforts to inhale deeply weren’t working, turning him into a wonky accordion.

“I can’t lose Quentin. I can’t lose Josh. I can’t lose you, Cal.” The tears made his eyes shine with clarity. “I love you, Cal.”

I never thought I’d hear those words from anyone, though I didn’t expect them to be preceded by a breakup speech. “You love me and you’re dumping me? I’m not following.”

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