Roger’s breathing got more even, and slower, and I could feel myself start to relax a little on my side of the bed. There was a little stretch of bed between us that Roger didn’t seem to be drifting toward. Moving as incrementally as I could, I turned myself over to lie on one side, facing Roger, and curled up.
And even though I knew that sleep was going to be impossible, I let my eyes close as well.
The next thing I knew, I was awake again. I squinted at my watch and was shocked to see that it was three a.m. I’d fallen asleep—even without the benefit of the Doppler radar. I sat up and looked around. The cabin was darker than it had been before—maybe the moon was behind a cloud—and I was alone in bed. I immediately felt myself begin to panic, which was ironic, considering how much I hadn’t wanted to share the bed in the first place. But now it felt much too big. I was starting to run though a list in my head of where Roger could have gone—the bathroom, off to do a little late-night stargazing—when I heard his voice outside. I looked to the door and saw that it was slightly ajar, and I could hear him talking.
“Hey, Hadley,” I heard him say, “it’s me again.” I looked around and wondered what I should do. Turn on my iPod? I knew I wasn’t supposed to hear this, but at the same time, I really, really wanted to. Before I could make a decision, Roger continued. He sounded nervous.
“So I guess you’re not in. Or maybe you’re sleeping. I guess it’s pretty late there. Or early. So if this woke you, I’m sorry….” He paused. “I’m up in the mountains in California, and the stars are so beautiful here. I wish you could see them. I’m …” His voice trailed off. “I just don’t understand what happened, Had. Or why you haven’t been in touch. It’s not really like you. So I … I don’t know. Anyway, give me a call if you get this, okay?”
I waited to hear him say good-bye, but nothing followed that. Figuring that he’d be heading in soon, I lay back down and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep so he wouldn’t know I’d heard him.
But the next time I opened my eyes, it was fully light out, and I could hear birds—some chirping, some squawking—all around me. I looked at my watch and saw that it was eight o’clock. I looked across the bed at Roger, his head just a hand’s distance away from mine. He was sleeping soundly, the covers falling off his shoulder. I watched him for a moment, hoping this wasn’t creepy, just taking in what it was like to see someone when they looked so peaceful, when all their defenses were down. I looked away, then rolled out of bed and stretched. I’d just slept more soundly than I had in months.
You’ll be missed, Miss California.
—Jack’s Mannequin
After Roger woke up, we headed to the lodge, a building I’d always loved. It was stone, with an enormous fireplace where people tended to congregate. Between the wooden decor and the constantly burning fire, it was the kind of place that made you want to curl up with hot chocolate, even in July. And decorating it were pictures of my long-ago ancestors, who’d descended on Yosemite more than a century before and set up a camp for profit. Eventually it had been made part of the park. It seemed like the main thing my ancestors had been responsible for was the “Firefall,” in which flame was poured, nightly, down a chute carved into a mountain. The Firefall was stopped in the sixties, mostly because people were amazed that it hadn’t killed anyone yet. After I’d given Roger the brief tour of my family history, we ate breakfast.
Or, more accurately, I ate breakfast. Roger ate the kind of meal usually reserved for holiday dinners and people with tapeworms. Luckily, it was a buffet, and all-you-can-eat, a policy I had a feeling they might be revising after our visit. As Roger came back with his third heaping plateful—this one focused on various meat groups—he raised his eyebrows at my plate. “Is that all you’re eating?” he asked.
“It is,” I said, taking a sip of orange juice. I’d already had oatmeal, two muffins, and a banana, which seemed like more than enough for me. “I’m pretty full.”
Roger shook his head. “You should carb up,” he said. He settled into his chair, picked up the Yosemite Guide we’d taken on our way in, and began reading it while eating a piece of sausage. “There’s a lot going on today—hiking, walks, something called Badger Pass—and you’re going to need the energy.”
He handed me the paper, and I pretended to read it as I looked at him over the top of it. “So how’d you sleep last night?” I asked as casually as I could.
“Great,” Roger said, but I noticed that he was concentrating very hard on his Canadian bacon. “I was out like a light. How about you?”
“Oh, fine,” I said lightly. I looked across at him and realized that there was more to Roger than I’d assumed. And that I was not the only liar sitting at the table.
“Hi, it’s Amy’s phone. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you. Thanks!”
Beep.
“Hi, Amy, it’s your mother. I guess we’re playing phone tag. Glad you made it to New Mexico, and I hope by now you two are well on your way to Oklahoma. I called the Gallup Holiday Inn to make sure you’d checked in, but they had no record of you. But I didn’t get the impression the desk clerk really knew what she was doing. So just call me back so I’ll know everything’s on track.”
“This is beautiful,” Roger said, stretching his legs in front of him and looking around. We were sitting on the outside patio of the Curry lodge, taking in the scenery—the enormous pines, the stunning mountains, the sunlight filtering through the trees. We’d checked out of the cabin and put our things back in the car, but we were close enough to it that we would be able to see if some hungry-looking bears came wandering by. Roger held up his hand to block out the sun and pushed himself to his feet. “Sunglasses needed,” he said, pulling the car keys out of his pocket. He looked down at me. “Want me to get yours?”
Yosemite Hike-u
Led by Ranger Carl
Welcome to this place of Serenity and Natural Beauty! The Hike-u tradition has been around for seven years now, and it is one of our favorite parts of the Yosemite hiking program. Throughout the hike, we will have designated stopping times where you can record your Feelings on the paper below. Please try to keep to the 5/7/5 pattern. Keep longer Pieces and Ideas for the Sunset Sonnet Stroll or the Couples’ Couplet Constitutional.
ENJOY!
Yosemite Hike-u
Led by Ranger Carl
WORKSHEET
This is so stupid
Haikus are so very dumb.
Plus, getting blister.
—Amelia E. Curry
You were the one who
Wanted to go on the hike
Of Half Dome, ’member?
—Roger H. Sullivan
That was before I
Read the fine print, which was
Very very very very very scary.
—A.E.C.
Amy, I don’t think
Haiku are supposed to rhyme
Or repeat same words.
—R.H.S.