Page 80 of Eco-Activist's Mountain Men
Maybe coffee will help.
There’s a tension in the air over breakfast. I’ve done my best not to show anything, but I’ve never been much of an actor. The others can tell something’s wrong.
Eventually, Toby offers me a refill, and as he sets it down, he asks, “What’s up, bro? You don’t seem quite yourself this morning… You feeling okay?”
Seems I can’t put the moment off any longer. I sigh deeply, then pull myself together. It’s a tough conversation, but it has to happen. Might as well get going.
“You’re right, Toby. There is something on my mind. It affects all of us, so I thought I’d announce it after breakfast, and we could all discuss it together.”
“I see.” He studies me with those trusting blue eyes of his. He’s always had me up on a pedestal. Same mom, different dads. I guess because I’m older—and maybe because of my Army career—he’s always looked up to me. It’s good he trusts me, though I wish he realized he’s every bit the man I am. Maybe more.
He’s smarter, for one. Brains never were my strong suit. He could’ve gone to college, made more of himself. But he followed me into forestry, stubborn as a mule, wanting to be where I was. So now, of course, I feel doubly responsible for him.
“Well, we’re all here,” he says. “Spill it, then. What’s your news?”
I sigh again, take a sip of coffee, then lean forward.
I start by telling them how happy I’ve been these last few days, since the plunge pool. How it feels to be part of something bigger than work. How I’ve enjoyed their companionship and love. How the only cloud I’d seen was the Kill ClimateChange visit coming in a couple of days—but how that seemed manageable, since Luna had made her decision to walk away from it all. No banners. No setup for Tim’s cameras.
Then I tell them about Pat’s voicemail. I play it for them verbatim. When the recording ends, silence falls over the table. Everyone’s digesting. Thinking about what it means. To us as a group, and to them personally.
Finally, Toby clears his throat. “Listen, guys, I know I’m a bit of a fool—a jokester—but what I want to say right now… It’s serious. I mean it.” He swallows, nervous, then pushes on.
“I agree with my brother. These last few days have been real special. I mean that. Maybe we’re all dropouts in our different ways—Luke with his anger, me with my not taking things seriously, Eric not knowing how to fit in, and Luna needing to find a cause to get behind. Even you, Jack—hiding from commitment. Look, one way or another, we’ve all ended up here, right?”
We nod.
“Okay. Well, seems to me maybe there’s a reason. Maybe it was meant to be. Look at Southpaw. He knew. Before any of us had a clue, he knew. He took you to Luna, Jack. Then he rescued her again up the mountain. Now it’s like his work is done, and he’s ridden off into the sunset like any good superhero should. He brought us together, and now we’re a family…” He trails off, clears his throat again, and pushes back from the table to pour more coffee, not wanting us to see his misty eyes.
Silence lingers. Then Eric speaks.
“Guys, you welcomed me when I came here. Treated me like one of your own. I was so nervous at first. I thought I’d never fit in. I thought people would laugh at me—or worse, ignore me. But you… You proved me wrong. You’re the salt of the Earth. Honest. Straightforward. No double meanings, no backstabbing. And then Luna…” His voice falters, color rising to his cheeks.“You lit up my life—with your honesty, your beauty, your… your…”
We laugh softly, not unkindly. The levity helps.
“All I’m saying is—whatever everyone decides, I’m in. If you’ll have me.”
Luke reaches over, claps him on the back, and pulls him into a hug that makes Eric both grin and wince.
“What Eric said—that’s me too,” Luke rumbles. “Hell, I love it here. And I love you guys. Count me in.”
All eyes turn to Luna. The lynchpin. Without her, we’re just four colleagues again. Friendly, sure. But not a family. Not like now.
She hesitates, twirling a lock of candy-pink hair, then says softly, “You guys think you owe me. But it’s the other way around. Don’t you see? In a literal sense, I owe you my life. If you hadn’t rescued me, I’d have died in that storm. Exposure alone would’ve finished me off—even without predators.
“But that was just the start. You didn’t just save me. You welcomed me in, even when I came as an enemy. You showed me forestry isn’t the enemy—it’s the solution. You don’t just harvest. You plant. You manage. You protect. And now… I want to be part of that. Instead of fighting you, I want to join you.”
Her eyes sweep across us, steady and sure.
“I’m in too. This feels like destiny. I want to save our family. I want to work with you to protect these forests.”
She pauses. “Trouble is… I don’t know how. I agree with Jack. We have to stop Tim from ruining the company’s reputation—especially now, when it needs to look as strong as possible for buyers.”
Silence again, all of us processing. Then Eric leans forward, eyes sharp.
“Wait. Luna, what’s Kill Climate Change’s leader’s name again?”
“Tim. Tim Collier. Why?”
