Out Of This World (15 page)
I stuck my tongue out at her. “If there was such a thing as a solar powered hair dryer, I’d make you bring that. I’ll take some water, please.” I grinned at her.
She handed me a bottle of water. “Sorry, I don’t have that, a solar hair dryer, but I do have solar powered chargers for cell phones, iPads, and Kindle readers.”
I jumped up and down with enthusiasm. “Oh please bring those. I can download some books for Celeste to read and she can learn more about Earth while we camp.” I opened the water and gulped down nearly one quarter of the bottle.
“Done. Your wish is my command.” Sydney took a bite of her sandwich and smiled at me.
I couldn’t believe I was getting excited about camping. My first camping trip ever. Maybe it would be more fun than I thought. Then I thought about sleeping arrangements and I became nervous. Would Sydney arrange for us all to sleep in the same tent? Would we each have our own tent? I didn’t really want to go there, but I had to know.
“Um, Sydney…do you have more than one tent and enough sleeping bags and pads for all of us?” There, I’d bravely blurted out the question, but was afraid of the answer. All the options would have a certain level of discomfort for me. I wasn’t even sure which option I hoped for.
Sydney narrowed her gaze at me and I suspected she was trying to read my expression.
“I have a tent large enough for all three of us and plenty of sleeping bags and pads to ensure we sleep comfortably. Is it okay for us all to share the same tent?” she softly asked.
I wondered who would sleep next to whom. Would I be in the middle like a love sandwich? I chuckled to myself as a vivid picture of both women cuddled close to me while I basked in their attention.
Stop that. Stop that right now
, I mentally chastised myself. I could not even fathom what a
ménage a trois
would be like and, if I was really honest with myself, I wouldn’t want one anyway.
“One tent is fine.”
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you had a little mini fantasy going on in your head,” she teased.
I blushed and promptly changed the subject. “Should we see if Celeste is ready to eat something?”
Sydney graciously let me off the hook. “Sure, let’s see if her color has improved any. If it hasn’t, we should just wrap this up and put it in the fridge for her to eat later.”
†
I shoved the last bite of the sandwich in my mouth and grabbed a handful of chips as I followed her to the back yard. We’d both been devouring our food while we discussed our upcoming adventure. Sydney had the sandwich for Celeste wrapped in a paper towel.
I was happy to see Gizmo curled up again in Celeste’s arms as she rested on the hammock. My little pumpkin was such a good girl. She always knew who needed her.
Greg was calmly sitting on the ground with an eerily vacant look and I worried that whatever Celeste did to him may have caused permanent damage. I hoped it didn’t, but it was too late now to change anything. Besides, he didn’t really leave us many options. I spied the pile of puke next to him and gagged. I have a particularly sensitive gag reflex, so I quickly looked away.
Thankfully, some color had returned to Celeste’s cheeks and I thought we would be able to wake her up enough for her to have something to eat. I was craving salt again so I was glad to see that Sydney had also grabbed the bag of chips.
Celeste must have heard us approach because before we got to her she stirred and sat up to greet us. “I am much improved. Thank you for allowing me to recharge in the Earth’s sun.” She caught my eyes and then looked at Sydney. “Bella, your energy signature is changed.”
When she made this observation, it seemed like a cloud of sadness enveloped her. She didn’t exactly frown, but the joy that almost always surrounded Celeste had suddenly disappeared. It reminded me of when she told me about her energy mate.
I didn’t want her to be sad so I went to her side and touched her arm. “Is something wrong, Celeste? Are you still not recovered? We can let you rest longer if you need to.”
Sydney appeared to have a contemplative look on her face as she watched me go to Celeste and comfort her.
Celeste smiled at me, but it was kind of a sad smile. “No, sweet Bella, I am rested enough. Sydney, I see you have brought me another Earth delicacy.”
“Well I wouldn’t exactly call it a delicacy, but it’ll do in a pinch. Sorry, I didn’t know what you might like on your sandwich, so I just made it with tomatoes and mayonnaise. Most people like it like that,”
Sydney handed her the sandwich and Celeste took a huge bite. As usual, the humming began.
“Earth’s food is something I will miss. The food on my planet is mainly for sustenance and survival, not pleasure. Perhaps I will bring a new perspective back to alter our view of food.” She spoke around a bite of the sandwich.
It was good to know that all three of us exercised poor manners when we were hungry.
Sydney held out the bag of chips and Celeste selected a few.
Celeste popped one of the chips in her mouth and asked, “What do you call these? They are very tasty. I like them even better than this other food item.”
“Yeah, junk food is quite popular on Earth,” I responded. “I’m not so sure that is something that would be valuable to take back to your planet.”
“Junk?” Celeste asked.
“Just a figure of speech. It’s not really garbage. Well, I guess some people might call it garbage food, but…oh hell, do you know how hard it is to explain slang? You probably don’t even understand the term
figure
of speech
. We have funny ways of referring to things here. I wonder if I can download a slang dictionary or something that compiles all the strange figures of speech. There must be something out there to help you understand.”
Celeste smiled. “I would like to read this on the communication device you call the Kindle.” She looked at Sydney. “You have questions.”
Sydney glanced at the trance-induced Greg. “Um, yeah, we were wondering if the mind trick you placed on Greg is permanent or just temporary.”
“I do not quite understand.”
“Well, if we were to place him in his car right now, would he speed off to Alaska in an attempt to track you down and find the fake license plate you suggested?” Sydney asked.
“Yes, he would do that after I activated that thought again and removed the block on his current energy state.”
“So then he’s okay to remain like he is for now until we’re ready to take off, and then we can send him on his merry little snipe hunt?” I asked.
“If you are wondering if I have damaged him, then no, his current energy depleted state is only temporary. I do not know what a snipe hunt is, but I suspect it may mean that his travels will be as a result of the false thoughts I injected into his mind. Yes, whenever you are ready I can release the block and it will immediately send him on this snipe hunt.”
“How will you be able to activate him without him seeing you?” Sydney asked.
Celeste furrowed her brow. “I will have to send the energy through the Earth’s air molecules from a distance of no greater than one hundred paces. Perhaps we can use his car to drive to the nearest well-traveled road that has a bit of forest to hide in as I activate the new thoughts from afar. I am afraid this is more difficult and will expend much of my re-charged energy again.”
“Does it matter how you capture the sun’s energy? I mean could you get it while we’re driving if I pop the top of my jeep off?” Sydney asked.
“Direct sun is best. As long as there are no barriers, I am able to re-charge.”
“Okay, then let’s get this show on the road. Mabs, I can drive the POS to the road while you and Celeste follow behind. Make sure you park far enough away from us so that he won’t see you. Come get me when you’re ready and we can find a place to hide while Celeste does her thing. First, let me take off the top to the jeep so Celeste can continue to catch those precious rays.”
“Show on the road?” Celeste tilted her head. “Will you be performing for us, Bella?”
I doubled over in laughter. The thought of me doing some kind of performance was beyond absurd. In fact, I’d talked more with Celeste and Sydney in the past couple of days than I’d done in practically my whole lifetime. If there was a corner in a room, I would find it.
“Uh, no. More slang. You know, another figure of speech,” I managed to say over my laughter.
Celeste nodded and Sydney jogged over to her Jeep and began removing the top. She climbed inside and appeared to be messing with her visor. I wondered what that had to do with removing the soft top. I couldn’t quite tell what she was doing when she started rummaging around in her glove box. Whatever she did must have been necessary because then she hopped out, stuck something in her pocket, and grabbed the top pulling it up and folding it back. After it was folded back, she pulled out two pieces of Velcro and secured the top that she’d just folded back. She proceeded to unsnap and remove all the soft plastic windows, tossing them inside. She pushed a button that was holding the soft top frame and repeated this on the other side. Whew, I was getting dizzy with all she had to do to remove the blasted roof. Finally, she was finished and the roof was completely removed.
No wonder people rarely bothered with removing their soft tops. Note to self,
next car I buy, I want a sunroof that opens with a push of a button
.
Sydney walked back to us and grinned. “We can load all the camping gear after we send this poser on his way. Mabs, you want to take his head again?”
I walked over to Greg careful not to look at the vomit still puddled next to his body lest I puke right on top of it. While Sydney grabbed his feet, I held his head and we awkwardly crab walked to his car. Thankfully, he was as calm as a sleeping baby.
“Celeste, would you mind opening the door so we can toss him in the back seat?” Sydney directed.
Celeste opened the door and we callously threw him in the back like a sack of potatoes.
Sydney started to get in the front driver’s side seat and then smacked her head. “Damn, I forgot to get his car keys. Shit, now I’m gonna have to rummage through his pockets.” She crawled in the back seat and started searching his pants.
Greg blinked a couple of times, but never lost that unfocused look.
“Voila.” She held the keys up in a triumphant gesture of victory. “Just follow me in the Jeep, and when I pull over, you need to find a place a safe distance away where we can hide and then quickly head in the opposite direction after Celeste flips the switch.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out another set of keys, then tossed them in my direction.
I’m not very athletic, so I promptly squealed and they dropped at my feet.
Sydney chuckled. “I forgot that softball was never your forte, but you did look awfully cute in a baseball cap.”
I stuck my tongue out at her. Sydney arched an eyebrow in response. I was beginning to like this more playful side of myself that had only recently made an appearance. I picked up the keys and gestured for Celeste to follow me. I was looking forward to driving Sydney’s Jeep. I’d never had the chance to drive a
cool
car.
Celeste climbed into the passenger seat and lifted her face to the sun in a sensual movement that had me shamelessly staring. I jumped into the driver’s seat with gusto.
Everything about these last few days was surreal to me. I had no idea what was around the corner for me and I loved it. I was on the precipice of a great expedition that blew to bits my entire, boring, ordered life.
The wind was whipping through my hair, alternately stinging and caressing my cheeks. I suppose I should have grabbed a baseball cap or tied back my hair, but I didn’t care because I felt alive. The sun kissed my face and brought a warmth to my skin, creating a soft glow of excitement. Sydney led us down a winding, remote road near Snoqualmie Pass. The full majestic beauty of the mountains kept blinking on and off through the shadows of the mammoth evergreen trees as the sun alternately filtered through.
I would have been satisfied to continue driving, but all too soon Sydney stopped at a bend in the road. She provided us with the perfect opportunity to pull into a side road that would adequately hide our vehicle until Greg was safely on his way. I turned down the old logging road and pulled the Jeep over behind a massive pine tree that completely blocked the view of our car from the main road.
Celeste and I quickly scrambled out and hiked our way closer to Greg’s car. We met Sydney in the densely wooded area.
“The car is about a hundred yards in that direction.” Sydney pointed west. “I pulled his sorry ass out and dumped him in the driver’s side. He should be ready to go after you do your mind thingy,” she added.
“I will need to move a few paces closer until I feel the energy connection,” Celeste explained.
Sydney and I followed Celeste as she walked closer to Greg. I was thankful when she stopped in an area with heavy vegetation. I didn’t think anyone would detect any of us in the spot she’d chosen. The only thing I worried about was the purple light that emanated from her body. If anyone was around, their curiosity might compel them to check out the odd glow in the woods. I hoped that, since Greg was in the midst of the thought manipulation, he wouldn’t register the strange purple light.
It only took Celeste about thirty seconds and then the light flickered out. She nodded to us and then slumped to the ground. This time I noticed her skin took on a sickly grayish hue. This was so not good.
I scrambled to her side and Sydney was right beside me as we lifted her together and moved her to an area where the sun peeked through the trees, creating a small patch of this essential lifeline.
Sydney placed her finger to her lips and we squatted beside Celeste until we saw Greg’s car ease on down the road. Wanting to be sure he was well away from our location, we waited in the sunshine with Celeste for another ten minutes. I think we were both too scared to say anything, and the silence weighed on me like a heavy blanket of doom.
Finally, Sydney glanced at her watch and nodded. We each took one of Celeste’s arms and draped them over our shoulders as we helped her to the Jeep.
Sydney was gentle when she lifted her and settled her comfortably in the back seat. We couldn’t keep asking her to deplete her energy because at some point she wasn’t going to be able to recover. The sacrifice she made for me was enormous and probably the beginning of the fragile state that she had not been quite able to fully recover from. I hoped that our camping trip would provide plenty of rest and relaxation that would give her the ability to fully recharge before permanent damage was done.
†
It was late afternoon when we finally returned to the cabin. Sydney carried Celeste back to the hammock. She’d started to regain some of her color on the ride back. Thank God for the open air experience of the Jeep with the soft top removed.
I followed Sydney to a large shed in the back yard. When she opened the door, I was privy to her hidden chaos. Sydney must be one of those people who kept their house neat and clean, but allowed their garage or storage area to overflow with every imaginable item. I smiled to myself. Thank God, I had another closet pack rat I could commiserate with.
“Wow, I never would have expected this. What happened? Did Home Depot throw up in your shed?”
“Hardy, har, har, such a comedian. I could use your help, not your cryptic remarks on my organizational skills.”
“Okay what would you like me to do?” I asked.
“Just grab as much of the camping equipment as you can and toss it in a heap. I’ll go through it and decide what we should take. It’s mostly located on that wall, although there might be a few items interspersed throughout.”
I’d never been camping before, but I did recognize certain items, like the tent, sleeping bags, and Coleman stove. I decided to start with the usual suspects.
Sydney was a whirlwind of activity as she started to toss various items into the center of the shed, including water proof bags that weren’t obviously camping gear.
I couldn’t help myself as I nosed around and opened a few of those bags, curious about their contents.
“Ooh, looky here. These are so cute. I didn’t realize there were special containers for bathroom items. Does that mean I’ll be able to take a shower every day? This container is marked cream rinse. You take cream rinse while you’re out camping and you tease me about glamping? I mean, who takes cream rinse on a camping trip, Princess Sydney.” I doubled over laughing.
Sydney grabbed the container. “Gimme that.” She tossed the hair product into the bag. “If you’re not gonna help, just march back out and I’ll take care of it.”
“Sorry, I was only kidding.”
It wasn’t normal for Sydney to get testy. She was one of the most easygoing people I knew. “Hey, are you okay? You seem a little tense.”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s just I have a bad feeling. Hollie gets off work in a few hours and I want us to be far away from here.”
I spied a huge cooler in the corner and dragged it into the middle. I was sure it would hold our salmon and a bunch of other items. I was excited to cook over a fire. I’d opened one of the other bags and had seen a bunch of those freeze dried camping meals, and they were definitely unappealing to me.
The mound in the middle of the floor was epic and I wondered how in the world we were going to fit everything into her Jeep. Sydney looked like she was surveying the pile and I imagined she had that same thought.
She slapped her hands together. “Okay, I think that’s everything. Oh wait…” She turned around and grabbed three fold up camping chairs, the fancy ones with cup holders. I’d seen the same ones in Costco. “Now if I could only rip out the kitchen sink, we’d be set.” She winked at me.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Now we drag this all out to the Jeep and let the master packer find a place for everything.”
I must have had a skeptical look on my face.
“Oh ye of little faith,” she added.
“Hey, why don’t you move the Jeep closer so we don’t have to lug the gear so far?” I asked.
“Good call. See that’s why I need you in my life—to state the obvious.”
While Sydney went to move the Jeep closer, I grabbed the tent and a sleeping bag and starting hauling it out to just outside the shed. I grinned as I glanced over at Celeste and saw Gizmo back in her favorite resting place, nestled on top of Celeste’s chest. That stopped me dead in my tracks. Shit, what were we going to do with Gizmo. I couldn’t leave her here to fend for herself. We were going to have to take her with us. Gizmo was a great cat and I thought she’d be just fine hanging around the campsite with us. She wouldn’t even need a litter box because we would be in the great outdoors. I told myself that she would be just fine, but would Sydney be okay with taking her? Her food couldn’t take up that much room and I’d be happy to hold her while we traveled to wherever we were going.
Sydney whipped the Jeep into an open grassy area next to the shed and climbed out. She immediately began retrieving the heavy items from the shed and started packing the gear.
“Um, Sydney…” I started to ask.
“Yeah.” She turned her head to look at me as she was shoving the softer bags into corners.
“Can we please take Gizmo? She’s very obedient, almost like a dog. I promise she won’t roam.”
“Sure, why not? I like the little furball,” she replied.
We both headed back into the shed to grab some more stuff. The song,
Bitch,
by Meredith Brooks, blasted out of Sydney’s back pocket. She pulled her phone from her pocket, glanced down, and placed a finger over her lips as she pushed one button and then another.
I wondered how pissed Hollie would be if she knew that Sydney was putting the call on speaker.
“Hi Hollie.”
“Hey, baby. I’m assuming that by now Greg came and got that freakazoid and took her back to the looney bin so that we can get on with our lives. I know we can get past that little misunderstanding we had. Babe, you have to know that I did it for your own good. You’re just too warm hearted. She could have hurt you, and don’t get me started on that slut, Mabel, who put you in that vulnerable position.” Hollie’s voice oozed from the tiny iPhone speaker.
“Stop it right there. Don’t you ever talk that way about Mabel again. I mean it. I also meant it when I told you we’re done. You have to know this has been a long time coming. I just can’t do it anymore.”
“Aw, hon, you know they never mean anything and I always come home to you. Besides, I didn’t even sleep with him. I only love you. I’ve always only loved you. You know that. Syd, I’ll do anything you want. We can fix this. I’ll even go to a couples counselor if that’s what you want.”
“Hollie, I wanted to do that five years ago when we may have had a chance to work this out.”
“Look, I promise we can even talk about getting married, or kids, if that’s what it takes. I know you still love me. I can’t believe you bought us a romantic vacation getaway and didn’t tell me. That was such a sweet thing to do, but I’m mad at you for not telling me. I had to find it out from Greg. Let’s just talk this out like we always do.” Hollie was pleading.
I didn’t really understand why Sydney put Hollie on speaker phone or why she wanted me to hear everything. I was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation, but maybe she needed my silent support. Whatever her reason for wanting me to hear all this, I decided I would stay and give her whatever she needed to stay the course. I nodded at her and heard an audible sigh.
“I didn’t buy the cabin for us. I bought it for me. I needed a place to go to when I finally got the guts to end it with you. I don’t want to hurt you, Hollie, but can’t you see that we aren’t going to work? You don’t really want me. You just want something to rub in your old man’s face.”
“That’s not true. Maybe at first I wanted to rub it in his face, but no one makes me feel like you do. You can’t really blame me for stepping out. You leave me by myself for days in a row, especially when you pick up all those extra shifts. Lately, even when you’re here, it’s like I’m invisible. You have to take some responsibility here.”
I couldn’t stop myself and blurted out, “You gotta be effing kidding me. You’re blaming Sydney for your infidelity?”
“What the fuck, Sydney? You have me on speaker phone and you’re letting that bitch listen to our private conversation? What the fuck is she doing there anyway?”
“I warned you not to talk about Mabel like that. I’ve put up with enough of your shit over the years, but I’m done letting you trash Mabs. This conversation is over.” Sydney was speaking through gritted teeth.
“Wait, please wait. I won’t say anything more about Mabel. I promise. Babe, I love you. Can you just please tell Mabel to go home? I’m coming out there. Don’t go anywhere because I’ll be there by five-thirty with some takeout and a bottle of wine. I swear I’ll do anything you want. Just give me a chance to change, and I promise I’ll never cheat on you again. I’m really ready to commit now. Please, you can’t want to throw away ten years just like that. I know we can make it work, please.”
I could tell she was crying now and I almost felt sorry for her. Hollie’s crying affected Sydney, but she took one look at me and I could almost feel the resolve build in her.
“I’m sorry, Hollie, it’s too late. I won’t be here when you come tonight, so don’t bother. Goodbye.” Sydney pressed the button, flipped the switch to silence mode, and placed the phone against her forehead. An errant tear rolled down her cheek.
I took a few tentative steps in her direction and then I felt compelled to pull her into my arms to comfort her. I really didn’t intend to kiss her, but she was like a magnet and I closed the gap. It wasn’t like our earlier kiss that had a respectable amount of passion attached to it. It was more like a commingling of two body parts. I just wanted to convey my support and love. I knew I shouldn’t have done that to her because she had to be confused, but it just seemed right and I refused to feel guilty about it.
She smiled at me and lifted one eyebrow.
“Nope, if you’re thinking I’m sorry I just did that, you would be wrong. I’m not about to apologize.” After those words flew out of my mouth, I regretted them, because even though I wasn’t sorry, I was still confused about what I was going to do about Celeste. We’d started something. I didn’t know what that something was and she lived literally millions of miles away. It put a new perspective on long distance relationships.
Sydney interrupted my thoughts. “Good, because I wasn’t asking for an apology and I’m not the least bit sorry you did that. I hate to break the mood, but our timetable just accelerated. We better be out of here in less than thirty minutes and be well on our way to our destination, or both of us are going to really be sorry when Hurricane Hollie arrives.”