Eagle River (11 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Training Camp

~ Galen ~

Galen hauled his two duffle bags out of the bed of the pickup.
I can’t believe I’m finally here at Great Lakes University training camp.
He had graduated from Eagle River High in June and summer had flown by with training and working. He had been so busy he hadn’t had time to think. And then suddenly, it was mid-July and time for the football players to report for the pre-season.

The ride from Eagle River down to Chicago had been a quiet one for the two Odgers brothers. They hadn’t exchanged more than a handful of words by the time that they pulled up onto the downtown Chicago campus of Illinois University.

“Here, give me one of those,” Kyle hefted the green bag onto his shoulder.

Galen grunted in response.

“You haven’t said two words since we stopped in the Dells. You scared?”

“Nah,” Galen said and shook his head. He felt anxious. There were knots twisting in his stomach.
It’s just something else to get through, but I’ll survive it.

The two brothers made their way out of the parking lot towards the dorm. The campus was green with summer lushness. It was also relatively empty. Some students were around for the summer term and all of the football players were on campus for training camp, but that was it. The air was heavy and damp, like inhaling a wet blanket, and the Odgers’ t-shirts clung wrinkled and damp to their backs. The pickup didn’t have any air conditioner, and the drive had been more than six hours long. Galen sniffed at himself. “I stink.”

“College kids stink the same as you or me,” Kyle mocked and then let out a low whistle. “Check out the scenery.”

Galen eyed the two long-legged coeds in cut off shorts and bikini tops who roller-bladed right past them on the side walk.

“The blond was checking me out! Did you see that?”

“In your dreams, Kyle. She was probably wondering if you were a stalker.”

“No way. She was definitely checking me out. I think that I’m going to like visiting you here, little brother. Chicks dig me.”

Kyle’s familiar lewdness elicited a weak smile from Galen.

“Excuse me.” Kyle waylaid a girl with books in her arms who was just passing them. “Is this Walker Hall?”

“Yeah, you’re in the right place. The third building, there.” She pointed across the quadrangle. “That’s where the football players live. You a ballplayer?”

Galen nodded.

“Well, I’ll see you around.” She smiled at Galen.

“Thanks.”

“See what I mean?” Kyle elbowed Galen.

The brothers made their way through the entrance foyer and checked in at the front desk. There, they got Galen’s room assignment, and headed up the steps. The dorm was new and spacious, though rather utilitarian in decoration. They proceeded down a hall, past a lodge which was occupied by several groups of young guys to room one thirteen. Galen unlocked the door and swung it wide. It was a decent-sized room with two twin beds, two dressers, two desks, and a big window.

“Not bad.” Kyle looked around, appraising the accommodations.

“Haven’t met the roommate yet,” Galen reminded him bleakly.

They stowed away his few belongings quickly. As a finishing touch, he pulled out a rolled up poster.

“Kyle, tell me when I have it straight,” Galen requested as he held up the poster against a wall.

“That’s okay, there.”

Galen taped the poster to the wall and stepped back to admire his handiwork. It was an old poster of Johnny Unitas, the legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback, in the classic quarterback pose with his arm drawn back. It was an old poster, frayed at the edges and faded in color.

“Can’t believe that you brought that piece of crap all the way from home. You should have a Packer poster up,” Kyle muttered. “Hell, at least go with the Vikings.”

“Coach gave me the poster. It’s lucky.”

“Whatever. Well, it looks like you’re about all set. You got a while until your team meeting. You wanna give me the grand tour?”

“I can try. I can’t promise you that I know much more than you do. This place is huge. Wait until you see the athletic facilities. The weight room is unbelievable. They’ve got everything.”

Suddenly, the dorm room door swung wide to reveal a mountain of a human being. The man standing there was six five, and easily three hundred and twenty-five pounds. He was fleshy but underneath the fat was serious bone crushing muscle. A Bearcats baseball cap covered his shaved scalp. He was sweating profusely despite the air conditioning in the dorm. “You Galen Odgers?” a deep baritone rumbled.

Galen nodded.

“I’m Moe Johnson and I’m here for the team to welcome you and see that you get around okay. You’ll be my project this week.”

“You’re in deep shit,” Kyle muttered, clearly amused by this turn of events.

“What did you say?” Moe queried, as he moved his bulk into the room. The room suddenly felt very close and tight. Moe moved up to Galen and held out his hand. With relief, he gripped it firmly and shook.

“I’m Galen’s brother, Kyle. Pleased to meet you.” Kyle smiled up at Moe and Moe returned the smile. Moe’s smile was brilliantly white against the blackness of his skin and impossible not to reciprocate.

“You two finding your way around so far?”

“We were just going to go out and look around some,” Galen commented.

“If you need anything, let me know. I’ll help you out. I’m gonna look out for you.”

Galen nodded gratefully.

“Don’t forget that there’s a team meeting tonight. I’ll see you then. Good meeting you, Kyle.”

Moe closed the door after him as he left.

“He seems like a good guy. In no time at all, you’ll fit right in,” Kyle reassured Galen. “You already know one player.”

“Yeah,” Galen sighed and collapsed back on the twin bed.

“That thing’s about a foot too short for you.”

“You’re not kidding.” He stretched out in order to show how his feet dangled over the end of the bed.

“You oughta ask if they have any of those extra-long ones. You know what I mean? They probably do.”

“I’ll take care of it, big brother. Don’t worry about me.”

“Yeah, you’re a big boy now.” Kyle looked somehow dismayed at the realization. “Come on. Let’s get going. I want to be back on the road before dark.”

Chapter Fourteen

A Chance Meeting

~ Kjersten ~

A few months later, on a bright but still cool October afternoon, Kjersten sat reading a romance novel at a table in the window of a sub shop that was popular with the college set in Milwaukee. She didn’t glance up when the bell jingled because the door had opened.

“You doing some heavy reading, I can see,” a familiar voice teased.

Kjersten spun around to face Ben, and a blush crept up the pale column of her neck. “Ben!” She jumped to her feet, hugging him. “You know I’ve always loved romances. Especially cowboy ones.”

Ben laughed. “Yeah. I remember you dragging Galen and me to all of those rodeos. Little britches, semi-pro, pro. It never mattered as long as you got to see your cowboys. You only quit going when you figured out that girls couldn’t participate in most of the events. Thinking back, you never did mention that you wanted to go to see the cowboys.”

“I didn’t think that would have gone over well with either you or Galen.”

“True.” Ben chuckled, taking a seat at Kjersten’s table. “Do you remember that rodeo in Medford when the calf’s neck was broken? You went nuts. I thought you were going to run down into the arena. We never went again.”

“It seemed so cruel to rope the poor little guys around the neck, then

flip them off their feet...” She shivered at the traumatic memory. “What have you been up to lately, Ben?”

“Well, I’m a communications major now. I want to get into broadcasting.”

“I think you’d be great at it.”

“I’ve always loved sports, just never been very good at them. How about you? You still pre-vet?”

Kjersten nodded. “I needed a break from Organic Chem.”

“Hence the heavy reading,” Ben commented. “You’ll be a good vet. Galen always said that you had a way with animals.”

“Thanks. Mom and Dad weren’t too pumped at first. They wanted me to go into business or pre-law. But I realized that I want to work with animals.”

“Sounds like you really have things together.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it takes some of us longer than others. Have you been home, lately, Ben?”

“I go home at least one weekend every few months.”

“Do you see anyone when you’re back?”

“I’ve seen a couple people,” Ben equivocated.

“Like whom? Come on, Ben. Just tell me.”

“No way. You have to ask the question if you want the answer.”

She grimaced. “Fine. How’s Galen?”

Ben grinned. “He’s good. He likes Chicago and Illinois University. But that’s not really what you want to know, is it?”

“Since I’ve obviously left myself wide open here, I might as well get this over with. Is he seeing anyone?”

“Galen’s dated some, but I don’t think that he’s gotten serious with anyone. Could be he still has feelings for an old flame.”

“Give me a break, Ben. You aren’t still trying to patch things up are you? Galen got over me a long time ago... You know, I did try to call him a few months ago. He wasn’t very friendly.”

“What did you expect?”

“He broke up with me, remember. I wish that I could take some things back, fix things, but everyone makes mistakes. He made some big ones, too.”

“I was glad to hear that you broke up with that jerk Cam.”

“He is a jerk. You’re right. Lesson learned. It’s good to see you,” Kjersten shook her head and smiled. “What’s up with you? You seeing anyone?”

“Nope. I can’t find anyone who can keep up with a dynamo like me. Actually, I just don’t seem to have any luck. There aren’t that many girls who find a trumpet playing Communications Major all that sexy.”

“I don’t believe you. I’ve missed you, Ben,” Kjersten said.

“I’ve missed you, too, Kjersten.”

While she sat chatting with Ben, Kjersten’s thoughts kept drifting to Galen. No matter how much time passed, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, even though their relationship was ancient history.

Chapter Fifteen

Dreams of Days Past

~ Galen ~

He heard the alarm go off and sought to ignore it.

“You gotta get up, man,” Marvin Richardson shook his shoulder. “Let’s go eat.”

Just two more minutes,” Galen pulled the pillow over his head, closed his eyes and slipped away into his memories...

The engine of the snowmobile burned hot against his calf and its roar obliterated every other sound. The icy wind bit into him where it penetrated through his clothing, helmet, and even his balaclava. It tasted like snow fresh with a faint hint of diesel. Dimly through the heavy snow, sixteen-year-old Galen could make out Kyle on the snowmobile ahead of him. It was one of those truly amazing winter days when the snow was brilliant and white and the air tasted so fresh and cold that it burned one’s lungs.

“Hold on,” Galen shouted back to Kjersten, who, seated on the back of the snowmobile, was gripping him tightly. He was aware of every inch of her body against his, of her heat. The feel of her was thrilling.

“What?” Kjersten shouted back.

He turned his head. “Hold on!”

Galen felt her nod against his shoulder. He revved the engine. The snowmobile rocketed forward in response. He muscled the surging monster off the path, around Kyle on the Odgers’ old snowmobile and then back on. Galen waved as he passed his brother. Predictably, Kyle flipped him the bird.

Kjersten laughed and he felt it pulsing against him and through him. Mr. Solheim’s snowmobile was top of the line, powerful and fast, much faster than Kyle’s, which had been assembled from the refuse of other wrecked machines. His cheeks burned with the combined effects of the wind chill, the speed, and the ten below zero temperature.

Faster, he kept going faster. He waited for Kjersten to make some gesture of protest but she didn’t. Her arms gripped him ever more tightly and he could feel the softness of her breasts pressing into his back. He felt incredible and she was totally with him, egging him on. Lean into the turns. Give it gas. Don’t hold back. It was awesome. Galen felt awesome. They were practically flying, swooping through the winter wilderness.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, the path took a sharp right turn. He had a moment of objective clarity when he recognized that he was going way too fast to take the corner smoothly. He saw the pine trees as he bore down on them, inexorably. He swung the snowmobile hard into the turn. He felt the roaring machine fly out from under him, then felt every bone in his body disintegrate on impact with the earth.

He didn’t know if he’d been knocked out. Suddenly, he was staring up at the grayness of the sky peeking through the pine branches. He struggled to breathe under the crushing weight that was pressing down on his chest. Breathe, small breath, in and out. Don’t panic. Slowly, the weight lessened. Gradually, he became more aware of his surroundings; of the coldness of the snow against his neck and cheek. He began to move each limb carefully, to make sure nothing was broken. Limp. Sore as hell. But nowhere near dead and nothing broken. Kjersten! Where was Kjersten? Was she okay?

“Kjersten?” His voice came out in a raspy whisper that he could barely hear himself. “Where are you?” He managed to sit up. He saw her body, tossed like some brightly colored, discarded rag doll against the white of the snow. She was not moving.

Galen began to crawl. Every inch sent needles of pain shooting through his body. He tasted the coppery saltiness of his own blood. He probed the tear in the inside of his cheek with his tongue.

“Kjersten?” He got right beside her, but she still hadn’t moved. Galen felt the panic, the fear pooling in his stomach. “Kjersten.” He was afraid to touch her, to move her. What if she was seriously hurt? “Kjersten?” Then, he realized that her chest was moving up and down. She was breathing. He felt an enormous surge of relief. He took her hand as her eyes fluttered opened. Her eyes moved wildly about. She began to suck and choke for air. Galen saw the panic, the tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay. You had the wind knocked out of you. Breathe slowly in and out. It’ll pass.”

She followed his coaching and slowly the fear diminished in her eyes. Gradually, her breathing calmed and slowed. He watched the tears streak their way slowly down her cheeks. He pulled his gloves off and brushed them gently away.

“Galen?” Her voice was a shaking rattle, as she reached up and gripped his hand. Galen felt a sob forming in his own throat. He collapsed back down onto the snow beside her and embraced her carefully. She patted his shoulder. “I’m okay,” she whispered with a weak smile.

“I could have killed you,” he choked on his own words. A world without her, in which he had hurt her gaped before him. “I could have killed you,” he repeated.

She nodded. In a hoarse whisper, she muttered: “From now on, I’ll drive the snowmobile.”

Despite the discomfort that encompassed his body, despite his awareness of the near tragedy, he felt himself begin to laugh. She, too, began to giggle. Then, they lay back in the snow, weakly laughing while cringing and holding their bruised ribs. They laughed until the adrenalin, fear and the excitement subsided. Finally, they settled down.

“Where’s Kyle?” Kjersten asked.

“He must have turned onto another trail. He should have come up on us by now.”

“Well, I hope we don’t have to peel him off a tree on the way back... So much for your lightning fast reflexes,” Kjersten teased Galen.

“Nah, his snowmobile probably broke down. You wouldn’t have been able to make that turn either. We were going way too fast.”

“You were going way too fast,” Kjersten corrected him dryly. “I’ve never wiped out on a snowmobile. I should have listened to your brother’s warning. You are a terrible driver.”

“I doubt anyone could have handled that turn.”

“You sure couldn’t.”

Galen noticed the small cut oozing blood on her cheek. Automatically, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. “Mom always puts these things in my pockets. Never made much sense to me. Until now.” He picked up some snow with the handkerchief, allowed it to melt in the heat of his hand, then pressed it so gently to her cheek.

Kjersten’s eyes were riveted on him as he held the handkerchief to her cheek and stared back. He felt his breathing go shallow again. She leaned towards him. He saw her eyes close. Then, he felt the butterfly brush of her lips on his. Her lips began to move against his, slowly, delicately. Just as Galen began to savor the delicate sensation, Kjersten pulled back. He opened his eyes in time to see the warm color flood her cheeks. Then, he lifted her hands and moved them up to rest on his shoulders. Next, he pulled her body closer to him. Leaning, his head down to hers once again, his lips encountered the more yielding softness of hers. He nibbled on her bottom lip and felt her lips move in response. Her tongue...

“Galen. Come on, man. Wake up.”

Galen shook his head, resisting the masculine tones invading his memory. Desperately, he reached back with his mind to that elusive January day years ago that was already drifting just out of his reach.

“Galen.” A hand jostled him impatiently. “Wake up.”

He felt it slipping away. The memory, the sensations, all slipping away, eluding him as only a half forgotten memory can. Gone.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes to face the new day.