Learn to Fly (52 page)

***

“
I
thought maybe you and Shelby Lynn could share a cabin.” Nick
was still talking to Lenny. “You know, since you’re the
only girls.”

“
Yeah,
that sounds good.” Lenny turned her attention back inside the
vehicle, her thoughts momentarily put on hold.

“
Unless
you want one to yourself, I can try to arrange that , too.”
Nick put in.

“
No,
I’ll share. I hate staying alone.”

“
You
probably wouldn’t have to stay alone for long.” Ben said
under his breath. Lenny frowned at him but he just shook his head
like he hadn’t said anything at all. She knew what he was
implying, but nothing was going to happen there. Ever.

“
She
doesn’t snore, does she?” Lenny raised an eyebrow at
Ben. “'Cause I’ll probably have to smack her.”

***

“
I
don’t know about the snoring, you’ll have to let me
know.” Nick chuckled from the front seat. He glanced in the
rear view mirror and saw the brief exchange between Ben and Lenny.
He grimaced inwardly.

The wonderful thing
about having Lenny along was that she was probably the best rider in
the group and would be able to teach the others a thing or two. The
hard part was that she was too damn pretty and too damn nice. Nick
had promised to take over for Duke in looking out for her among all
these dudes. But it was going to be difficult. Hopefully they would
get enough snowfall that there wouldn’t be much downtime for
them to get bored and start looking for other forms of entertainment.
Especially since Nick knew that Lenny could take care of herself. He
didn’t want to be taking guys into town for broken bones and
what not.

Nick Federa was
forty years old this year. He had been doing big mountain riding
nearly his whole life. Duke had been his best friend and riding
partner for most of it. Nick enjoyed nothing more than to get a bunch
of pros all together for a couple of weeks a year in what he
considered his backyard. He always tried to invite a variety of
riders, guys and girls. But usually the girls opted out. The ones
that did make it were pretty fearless and would, on occasion, scare
the shit out of him completely.

This year was no
different. The group that had come together consisted of legends and
rookies but all freaks in their own right. No one looked forward to
snowfall more than this group of crazies.

“
How’s
the weather looking for the week?” Ben asked Nick.

“
So
far so good. But you know as much as I do. That can change.”
He chuckled to himself. He loved the unpredictability of living in
the mountains.

“
How
soon till we can get on the heli?” Lenny piped in.

“
Damn,
you’re ready to get to it, aren’t you?” Ben said
with appreciation.

“
Oh,
probably tomorrow morning, I’ll have to check with Jack.”
Nick answered.

“
Kay.”
Lenny gave a half-smile and looked back out the window.

***

They pulled into the
little area where they would ‘camp.’ Tiny cabins with no
plumbing and a couple of nearby outhouses. It was not the most
glamorous of setups but no one was there for the amenities. A main
Lodge was the focal point of the cul-de-sac. It had plumbing and a
staffed kitchen and full service bar. That’s where the riders
would spend most of their down time. It was nice and rustic with an
old pool table and a couple of big screens thrown in for
entertainment during blizzards.

Lenny helped unload
her gear and Nick directed her to her cabin. She opened the door to
the tiny room and smiled. It had been a long time since she was
here. The cabin only held what it needed to. It was one room with
one set of bunks and one small window. A short table under the
window held a few items that belonged to Shelby Lynn and the heater
in the corner was roaring. The bunks were piled with blankets and
sleeping bags and a single light bulb hung from the ceiling with a
pull string.

Lenny
set her stuff down and gratefully accepted the top bunk. Shelby
Lynn’s things were obviously claiming the bottom even though
Shelby wasn’t there herself.
Probably
in the Lodge.
Lenny thought to herself.
Smart girl, don’t wanna isolate yourself in this world of
testosterone.

Lenny left her
things and trudged through the snow over to the Lodge. She might as
well join everyone right away. She had been away from the entire
snowboarding culture for so long, she wasn’t sure what to
expect. Would she have to prove herself all over again? Would they
welcome her with open arms the way Ben had? Would she be shunned and
rejected?

She opened the door
to the Lodge and it took a second for her eyes to adjust from the
brilliant snow outside to the darker interior. She tried to gauge
where she should be as she looked around the open space. It was
pretty full since it was a destination restaurant for a lot of folks
in Valdez, not just for those staying in the cabins. She took off
her coat in the warm interior and hung it on a nearby hook with
others. She startled a little when someone came up beside her and
put an arm around her shoulders.

“
We’re
all in the back at the bar.” Ben said as he guided her that
direction.

Lenny was relieved
that she wasn’t left to fend for herself but she was growing a
tad uncomfortable with Ben’s familiarity with her. She
shrugged her shoulders subtly to push his arm away. He didn’t
resist, instead he walked ahead of her to the group.

“
Hey
everyone, look who’s here!” He announced Lenny to the
group of snowboarders who were having a casual drink at the bar.
Lenny gave a small wave and swallowed.
Here
we go,
she
thought.

Serge immediately
patted the stool to his left and motioned with his head for her to
join him. She smiled gratefully and took a seat.

Serge was a legend
among legends. He was arguably the greatest rider in the world. His
talent and technique were unrivaled. Quiet and soft spoken but he
always meant whatever he said. His immediate acceptance of her
relieved Lenny. That meant that no one else would have a problem
with her either.

Serge didn’t
say much but he bought her a beer and listened to the others talk
about their run earlier that day. Lenny relaxed into the
conversation. It was fun getting to talk to others who loved what
she loved and did what she did. The Lodge was full of activity and
soft country music played from a nearby jukebox. It made her
heartache seem more bearable.

Nick, Smitty, Ben
and Shane were playing a game of pool nearby. The rest of the crew
was lined up at the bar facing outward. Next to Serge was Jimmy
Trucker, a long haired hippy from Wisconsin who hadn’t competed
in more than ten years. Next to Jimmy was Shelby Lynn, blonde,
unruly hair and sweet innocence wrapped in a stick of dynamite. Next
to Shelby Lynn was Travis Jenkins, eight-teen year old superstar from
Washington who thought he was a lot cooler than he actually was.

Shelby Lynn and
Travis gravitated towards each other naturally because of the age
similarity. They had more in common with each other than with the
older riders.

Smitty was around
the same age as Nick. They had been friends for years, competing in
the same circuits and then eventually leaving the competitive side
for the same reasons. Smitty used to keep his red hair long but had
cut it when he turned forty so he would look more ‘respectable.’
Smitty and Trucker had been along for Lenny’s first trip to AK
six years ago and it was comforting to see familiar faces.

And then there was
Shane. He kept his eyes focused on the game of pool but they would
occasionally flick up to look at Lenny. She wasn’t sure how to
act with him, they didn’t leave things very good in Aspen but
maybe they could move past it. He seemed more subdued than his
usual, flashy self.

“
You
looking forward to getting some heli time tomorrow?” Serge
asked from beside her.

Serge was from
Norway but his English was perfect. Lenny could only detect a slight
accent if she listened really hard.

“
Yes.”
Lenny nodded emphatically. “How was it today?”

“
Good.”
He gestured to the pool game, “Smitty took a bad fall but he
says he is okay.” He nodded over his shoulder at the rookies.
“They are a little skittish on the big hills still,” He
said quietly, his eyes locked with Lenny’s. “I was hoping
you would be looking for some good vertical tomorrow.”

Lenny felt her mouth
pull into a half-smile. “Absolutely.” Serge had a
reputation for pushing the limits of what was physically possible and
Lenny felt privileged that he would include her.

“
Saw
the footage of you in Aspen. That was impressive for not having
ridden in two years.” He was fishing, trying to see if her
hiatus had been real or if she had made up the whole thing for a more
dramatic comeback.

“
When
you want it, you want it.” Was all Lenny would reveal. Serge
smiled at her response and saluted her with his beer.

She felt her phone
buzz in her pocket and pulled it out. Her heart almost stopped when
she saw Luke’s number on the screen. She excused herself and
stepped over to a corner that was more quiet.

“
Hello?”
She asked, her hands and voice shaking.

Lenny heard lots of
voices at once, like from a club or restaurant. And she thought
maybe he had accidentally pocket dialed her and then he spoke.

“
Hello?”
He was speaking loudly and didn’t sound like himself.

“
Luke?”
Lenny asked, confused.

“
Lenny?”
Luke asked in return. Lenny could hear giggling in the back ground.

“
Are
you drunk?” Lenny was trying to stay calm but she could feel
her neck heating up. Did he really call her while he was with
another girl?

“
I
might be drunk.” Luke laughed loudly.

“
Why
are you calling me?” Lenny asked forcefully.

“
I’m
calling cuz…hold on.” She heard him moving around and
it got quieter in the background. He must’ve moved to a
different room.

“
Lenny?”
Luke asked.

“
I’m
still here,” she answered.

It was quiet for a
few seconds and Lenny swallowed the lump that had formed in her
throat.

“
I
miss you,” Luke finally said.

“
I
miss you too,” she replied. And she did. Oh, how she missed
him.

“
I
need you to come back.” His words were slurred and Lenny knew
for sure that he was drunk. “Just come home to me and we can
fix this whole mess.”

“
I’m
in Alaska, Luke-” she started but he interrupted.

“
Why?
Are you with Duke? I know he’s in love with you! Is that why
you left me? For him?” His tone was suddenly combative.
Definitely drunk.

“
No.
Duke is back home. I didn’t leave you for anyone.”
Lenny knew that trying to explain anything to him in this state would
be useless. Her arms ached to hold him.

“
You
said you loved me…” Luke’s voice broke and Lenny
could feel tears starting to form in her eyes.

“
I
do love you, Luke,” she whispered.

“
Then
you why did you leave?” His voice kept swinging from
heartbroken to angry.

“
Luke,
we can’t have this conversation when you’re drunk,”
she pleaded with him. “Call me tomorrow, we’ll talk
then,”

Luke seemed to
consider her request. He sighed heavily, “Okay. I’ll
call tomorrow…Lenny?”

“
Yeah?”