“I know, it’s not a summery dish, but it’s delicious,” Dianna said, holding her notepad and pen ready to write.
“I’ll have the salmon burger, please,” I said, deciding on something I knew I would devour in seconds.
“Fries with that?”
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll have the chicken soup then. Put some spice in it, will you?” Mama asked.
“Perfect. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Although she hadn’t asked what we’d like, she knew we would both have a coke.
Mama reached across the table to pull my hand in hers, squeezing it gently and smiling at me the way mothers so often did.
“I’m proud of you, Vespyr. You know that, right?”
I nodded, smiling back at her but quickly letting the corners of my mouth fall again.
“When I was your age, Papa and I had already spent one whole year together. We met in high school, and just like you, Papa was his own person.”
I knew that.
As similar as we looked, we were the exact opposite character-wise.
I was like Papa and Fennec like Mama.
They were both confident, didn’t care about other’s opinions, and had friends who would accept them the way they were.
Papa and I were confident too, but we only showed that trait when we were on our own, deep in the forest.
Confidence was needed when you lived miles away from society, having to fight wild animals and live through snowstorms.
We did care about other’s opinions, but only if they were ones we could turn into something useful.
We didn’t need to be criticized by people who never lived in the wild before or knew what it’s like to do so, but the sad part was, most people didn’t know there was this thing called constructive criticism.
That was a helpful thing, but just like those girls making fun of me, people didn’t know better.
“Do you miss Papa?” I asked.
“Of course I miss him. And I miss Fennec too.”
“Then why don’t you come live with us for the summer? I know they miss you too, and you won’t leave town anyway.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “You know I can’t live in a tent for that long,” she told me.
“We have the treehouse, Mama. It’s warm and cozy in there. Please…Papa and Fen would love to have you there,” I said, my voice full of hope.
She smiled at me now, her eyes showing me that she was thinking about it. “I can’t. It’s not my world out there, but I’d be happy to have Papa and Fennec come down here and spend some days with us.”
I had to respect her decisions, and she had to respect mine.
“Will you at least drive me up there?” I asked, seeing as we had already silently agreed on me leaving.
“It’s a six-hour drive,” she stated.
“Here you go,” Dianna said as she placed both our drinks on the table.
I smiled up at her and let go of Mama’s hand to take a sip. “Going on a trip?”
“Uh, sort of. Vespyr wants to go live with her father in Wiseman. I’m not sure I can drive twelve hours.”
“Oh, why don’t you ask Jason? He’s right there,” she said, pointing at a booth on the other side of the room. “Said he was picking up a few things and then heading back to Wiseman. I’m sure he’ll take you to your Dad.”
I looked at Jason, an older guy who’s lived in Wiseman his whole life. Papa got to know him when he chose to move to a cabin in Wiseman, and shortly after, he moved into the forest.
Although Papa’s camp wasn’t too far away from Wiseman and the few residents living in that small town, you easily could get lost finding your way to his home.
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll go ask him later,” Mama said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
She wasn’t happy, but she knew she couldn’t change my mind.
“Don’t. I’ll go ask him,” I said.
Dianna left, and I got up from the table to walk over to Jason, whose Alaskan Malamute immediately sat up as she noticed me walking toward her.
“Hi, Sitka!” I got down on one knee and rubbed her thick fur, letting her sniff my face and finally recognize me as the girl she met a few times before.
She was a gentle giant, and Jason didn’t mind me touching his dog without asking.
“Hey, Vespyr. Didn’t see you come in here,” Jason said as I got back up and smiled at him, continuing to rub Sitka’s head.
“I’m right over there with Mama. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” he said in his deep, raspy voice.
He was almost sixty, had no wife or kids, and was living his best life in Wiseman, away from big towns.
He often came to Fairbanks to get food for Sitka and himself, and to say hello to his old friends.
“Dianna told me that you’re leaving soon. Would you mind taking me with you so I can go to Papa’s? I’m going to live with him, just like Fennec.”
“Ah, you graduated last month, huh?”
“I did,” I said, not feeling as proud as I should.
“Sure can take you to Wiseman, but it’s gonna be a bit tight in the truck. I got a few things to take home, and Sitka’s with me as well.”
“I can squeeze in wherever there is space. I won’t take up much of it, I promise.”
He studied me for a moment, then looked at Mama sitting at the booth behind me, and with a quick nod, he looked back at me.
“All right. I’ll be leaving on Friday. Around lunchtime.”
I nodded and smiled brightly. “Thank you! I’ll be ready by then.”
Two days.
Only two more days and I’d be back with Papa and Fennec.
2
I hadn’t done much in the last two days other than excitedly repack my duffle bag and check the time every other minute.
It was lunchtime, and I had put my bag with warm clothes and three pairs of boots next to the front door, waiting for Jason to pull up with his truck.
“Why don’t you come sit and eat another bite? You only ate half the chicken wings I made for you,” Mama called from the kitchen.
“I’m too excited to eat. I had enough,” I told her, but for some reason, my feet dragged me into the kitchen where I sat down at the table.
“Two more wings,” she suggested, and I sighed at her nudging me to eat.
If I didn’t eat, she’d make me take them on the trip to Wiseman, where Sitka would definitely bother me about the smell of it, wanting me to give the wings to her.
Dogs shouldn’t eat cooked meat, because cooked bones were dangerous for them, so keeping them from her would be a pain in the ass.
I grabbed one wing and started eating it while my feet couldn’t stay still, making my knees shake and move up and down in quick motions.
“Did you pack everything? I won’t drive up there just to bring a shirt or pair of pants.”
“I packed everything.”
Clothes, shoes, toothbrush, and my notebook.
“What about shampoo?” Mama asked with a raised brow.
“Papa makes shampoo out of plants. I don’t need to bring mine.”
“I see,” she replied, trying to figure out if it was amusing or too strange.