For the Best (12 page)

“Yeah, Hanna’s slut of a roommate is a hotel
maid and sometimes waitresses in the bar at night. Her hours are
early too. Hanna’s working so much or just gone enough that it
doesn’t bother her. She hangs out with me sometimes. A couple of
times she even slept in your bed because her room was rocking.” He
laughed.

“So you work the boats also?” I changed the
subject before I strangled him in a jealous rage.

“Yeah, y
ou, me,
Sunye, and Mike are manning the boats this season at least until
you leave,” Glade explained.

He was warming up. I wasn’t. I couldn’t
dispel the image of him messing around with Hanna while she slept
in my future bed.

“You guys tight? She said you were her best
friend from high school.”

With effort, I crushed the
wave of hostility. “Yeah, we’re tight. We were more than best
friends. We were a couple.”

“Figures. She turned me down flat last time
I tried.”

“What did you try?” I so wanted to punch
this guy.

“Not much. I thought she wanted me, she
thought she didn’t.” He shrugged it off.

I nodded relieved. Kicking my bag under my
bed, I leaned back on the sagging mattress. Whiffs of Hanna’s
shampoo drifted up from my pillow making putting up with this guy
seem worth it. I could hear her in the next room talking to her
roommate. Glade bounded over and leaped on my bed before pressing
an ear to the wall to eavesdrop.

There was no need. Her roommate’s accent was
a little grating, nasally and carried well through the wall. “I
know you’re curious. Ask me?”

Hanna’s voice was quiet, muffled like she
knew we could hear them. “About what?”

“Asian men. If it’s true.” Her roommate
laughed.

“I don’t care.”

“Well, sadly it is.”

I didn’t hear Hanna’s response because Glade
burst out in loud laughter. Suddenly, overhead pipes groaned
forcing water to the shower in their room.

“So tomorrow, I’ll do your orientation. We
start at 8 but the first launch isn’t until 8:30. The morning
cruises are always booked. Most people sign up for those the
previous day but in the afternoon it slows down. More passengers
board to return from the lake to here.”

“How many employees on each cruise?” I asked
bunching up my pillow and lying back.

“First trip three: you, me, and Sunye. She’s
a naturalist that leads interpretive hikes to Grinnell Lake. When
we cross Swiftcurrent Lake, she and I will leave you to walk to
Lake Josephine. We lead the passengers across to the hike. You head
back after fifteen minutes returning anyone that is ready. The
other guy, Mike, will be manning the tour office taking
reservations for the 6 tours going each day and also the rowboat,
kayak, and canoe rentals. He’ll send you out for the next cruise at
9 and by the 11, 1, 2, 3, and 4:30 cruises you should have it
down.”

It seemed easy enough, but I felt a little
nervous. We started talking about school. He was a student at
University of Oregon. Eventually, we turned off the light and tried
to sleep. I thought of Hanna just one wall and inches away as I
drifted off. So close, yet so far.

Tanner

Mid-day and although it began in the upper
30s the temp rose to 80°. Glade entertained the first day’s
passengers with stories that may or may not have been the truth. I
learned the turquoise lake was shallow. He said you had to watch
for bubbles in the water because moose liked to eat the underwater
vegetation and even though they can swim up to 15 miles per hour
you could run them over.

“Sort of freaks the tourists,” he joked.

He warned the passengers to watch in the
early morning for a brown bear and two cubs who liked to forage
around the shores. He and the naturalist answered a ton of
questions. I noticed tourists tipped them as they departed.
Deciding I’d better study up on the local wildlife if I wanted tips
I made mental notes.

At lunchtime, I headed inside the lodge to
the snack shop. Hanna was steaming milk for a latte, but she held
up a finger for me to wait.

“How is it so far?” she asked.

“I’m kind of having fun.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Her eyes twinkled.

“I’ve learned a lot.”

“Oh, yeah. Like what?” She thanked the
customer as she handed him his drink.

“Moose have poor sight, are irritable
animals, members of the deer family, their antlers come in early
April and are fully grown by July. The bulls do not reach maturity
until age 6. They shed their antlers in December. Females are
called cows and do not have antlers. They can swim fast, and have a
keen sense of smell and hearing. They live their entire life within
15 miles of where they were born. Can live up to age 20 but average
10. Oh and they love water plants but will eat willow trees, buds
and grass.”

She laughed through my entire speech.
“Impressive. Have you heard them bugling yet?”

“What’s that?”

“The male’s call to the females. They do
this back and forth to find each other to mate.”

“Interesting.” I tapped my forefinger to my
bottom lip jokingly in thought. “I will have to not drown out the
sounds of nature with my MP3 while I’m here.”

“How long is your break?”

I checked my watch. “Twenty more
minutes.”

She rummaged through her backpack and pulled
out a can of tuna with a pop top, some crackers, and two apples.
“Want to share lunch with me?”

“Yes to the apple but I’m going to nuke one
of those nutritious Hot Pockets you are selling over there.”

Hanna arranged for her break and waited for
me outside. I met her on a bench. With limited time and the
cramming of food, we didn’t talk much.

“I’ll meet you when you get off work.”

She frowned. “It’s after 9. Don’t wait
around on me. You have free time. Go enjoy yourself. Glade is
always up for a hike, or to grab a beer, or cards, or just
anything. Plus, some of the bartenders at the lodge are fun.”

I wanted to tell her that there was no one I
would rather spend time with than her. I wanted to apologize for
ever giving another girl the time of day. Instead I let it ride,
“I’ll be back at closing.”

After a couple of hours I’d scarfed down a
microwave can of soup, three PBJ sandwiches, and drank two sodas.
At the rate I was going through food I’d need to borrow Hanna’s car
for a grocery run by the end of the week. I’d met quite a few of
the other workers, a varied bunch mostly in their twenties who were
from all walks of life. Joining them in a game of poker in the
employee lodge lounge, I almost forgot the time. I folded a dismal
hand, and took off with no excuse.

Walking the darkened path back to the guest
lodge I could still smell the trail horses that had been taken to
their corral hours ago. Picking up my pace I stumbled in the
downstairs avoiding a crowd and found Hanna locking up the snack
shop.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled. “Thanks for coming for me
but you didn’t have to. I’m sure there was a nightly game back at
the rooms.”

“Yeah, but this is better.”

She looked outside, up at the brilliant
stars shimmering in the black sky.

I followed her, but instead of going out the
back door she turned for the stairs. “Have you checked out the
lobby?”

“Nope.”

“Employees aren’t really supposed to mill
around but since it’s a Sunday night it’ll probably be slow up
there. I like to stand by the fire.”

We climbed the flight of stairs and a view
of rough darkened beams of wood met our eyes. Five floors above
with Craftsman style well-worn furniture, long rectangle lanterns
hung from the highest points in the ceiling, and a gift shop. The
metal domed fireplace was the only one lit, but it looked like
someone had put several new logs on and the embers were radiating
some intense heat. Hanna held her hands out and absorbed the
warmth.

An older woman from the front desk waved at
her and she took me over. She introduced April to me. Some guests
arrived and we let April continue working.

“That other fireplace, the big stone one,
why don’t they light it?” I asked.

“Not sure. It hasn’t been lit since I’ve
shown up and it was freezing in early May. See that stuffed Big
Horn Sheep?” She pointed over by the gift shop.

“Yeah.”

“They tell that in the winter the snow is so
high it covers this building. The sheep get on the roof and the
winter caretaker has to shoo them off. That one supposedly fell
through the skylight.” She pointed to the skylight in the
ceiling.

“Do you think that’s true?” I asked
skeptical.

She shrugged. “It’s an entertaining
story.”

We left through the front entrance and
walked the stairs to the parking lot coming back to our rooms.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I really do. I would never have
adventured like this if it wasn’t for you but I think this is going
to be a great experience.”

Under the harbor light of our building, I
saw her smile. Up the stairs, she stopped at her room and held her
key. No sock but still she listened. She unlocked her door and
peeked inside like she was scared of what she might find. Still
smiling, she said, “Empty. I’m taking a hot shower and going to
bed.”

Stalling I asked, “Is your shower head
center on the wall or off kilter like ours?”

“None of them are in good spots. When we
were opening the lodge I noticed even the ones in guest lodging
suck.”

“Well, I guess there is no point in asking
if I can use your shower instead of mine.”

“No, plus the one in your room is set higher
so you don’t have to duck down to wash your hair.”

“We must be in the deluxe room.” We both
laughed.

The urge to kiss her overcame me but I
wasn’t sure if her reaction would have been accepting or not.
Sticking my hands in my pockets I mumbled, “Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she almost whispered before
closing her door.

In my own room, I listened to the noise of
her readying for bed; I could even hear the creak of the old wood
bed as she settled under her covers. I pressed my fingertips to the
wall, memories of her floating through my head until I fell
asleep.

Tanner

Days had passed much the same as the first.
When I sought her after work, I learned she’d switched shifts with
another employee and had gotten off early. When I passed her
bedroom door and saw a sock over the doorknob then saw Kali walking
down the hall my stomach clenched at the thought she was there with
some other guy. Relief flooded me when I found her sitting in her
car shrouded in a blanket with the dome light lighting up the
interior. Engrossed in her book, she jumped as I tapped on the
window. She rolled it down.

“Hey.” She smiled.

“What are you doing?”

“Reading.” She held up her book.

“I can see that. Want some company?”

She swept up a bunch of junk from her
passenger seat and gestured. I got in.

“The gym sock is on your door but I just saw
your roommate.”

“Oh, well, I still like hanging out here.
It’s quieter.”

Of course, it was quieter. Between the
muffling voices and the groaning pipes a bar would be quieter. “I
saw a bear today.”

“What did it look like?” she asked sticking
a piece of wrapped gum as a place holder in her book.

“Big. Black. Overfed.” I smiled. “Glade
explained the Grizzly hump, less prominent ears, and long straight
claws vs. the Black Bear. Made me feel all greenhorn with the stand
tall, appear big to a Black, never turn your back, but if rushed
stand your ground or cop out and go fetal on a Grizzly.”

“Was it in the creek?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“It was probably Yogi, or at least that’s
what I call him. He hangs out around here causing bear jams with
tourists.”

“Bear jams?”

“It’s where the traffic backs up on the
roads as all the tourists park their cars trying to get a glimpse
of a bear. I nicknamed him Yogi because one day from a distance I
saw him carrying a loaf of bread still in the plastic sleeve in his
mouth. He must have stolen it from the campgrounds. If he keeps it
up, it won’t be long before the rangers trap him and take him
off.”

“Aren’t you afraid walking around in the
dark here?”

“I try to be noisy so I don’t come up on one
unaware. I always look twice before I walk outside.” She tapped her
satchel, “and I carry bear mace with me.”

I laughed. “I’m not completely confident
that the stuff will work but I can be noisy.”

“Yes, you tend to not walk silently,” she
teased and her eyes warmed.

I wanted to kiss her so bad. “What do you
have planned on your next day off?”

“It’s not for another four days.”

“So what do you have planned in four
days?”

“Sleep, hibernation.”

I laughed. “Maybe we can do something
together.”

“I checked your schedule. You aren’t
off.”

“Yeah, the boat company sends in floaters to
relieve us. I don’t ever have the same days off as Glade. But I
still get off early enough to hang with you.”

She seemed unsure. Finally, she said, “Okay.
We can go out.”

Tanner

Almost two weeks had passed since my
arrival. The job was so much fun the work hours flew. The next day
Hanna was off and although she told me she was beat, I wanted to
play like it was Friday night.

I waited for her, watching for wildlife
coming to the lake for a drink at dusk in the prolonged evening
sunset. The hotel had a large, wrap-around lakeside balcony and
from there the view of the lake was 180°. The brilliant stars
competed with the rugged hillsides, the visible glaciers, and the
incredible serrated peaks. My only deterrent was the blustery wind
blowing across the water.