13. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
BECCA
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“Order for Becca!” The barista called over to me to pick up my order.
“Thank you!” I said, grabbing my coffee and heading out the door. It had been four months since I left Louisiana. I had found my routine again and knew that consistency was key.
Even though I left, I couldn’t stop checking in on him. I asked about him, I watched the news channels for him, and I rooted for the Kings to win their playoff games, but they didn’t. Not having Shy as their leading man hurt them.
Since I moved back to the West Coast, I knew I wanted to jump back into nature as quickly as possible. I ended up getting a new job with a retreat center specializing in mental health and recovery.
We had different locations and excursions for our clients to book with us. My job was to lead them on hikes, set up our campsites, build their mental strength, and honestly just have an opportunity to step away from the busy world we live in.
This job gave me the purpose that I needed—to help others, but also it helped me.
“Hey, Becks! Are you ready for your next trip?” Janelle called to me from her office as I stopped at her door frame.
I smiled. Janelle was a unique and brilliant human being. She had been through an insane amount of trauma in her life, yet she treated life as a gift every single day. That’s what I wanted for myself: to live like Janelle.
“Yeah,” I breathed out a sigh. “I think so, I’m gonna re-check the list, make sure I have all the reservations for the campsites, and the typical stuff.”
She stood, folder in hand. “I took the liberty of double-checking them this morning for you because I knew this retreat was a little farther than normal. But everything is ready for you. No need to spend any more time here.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Is this your way of trying to get rid of me?” I asked cautiously.
Janelle grinned. “Yes, and also Sam is coming in today.”
Ah, Sam. The two of them were hilarious to watch because they both liked each other but were too scared to act on it .
“No need to explain anything else,” I chuckled. “I’m going to load up the van, and I’ll get going.”
She smirked. “I already did that too!”
I opened my mouth in shock. “Damn, you really do want me gone!”
She shoved the folder in my hands and said, “Yes! Now go. You have a four-hour drive to Las Vegas.”
I had four people to pick up at the airport in Las Vegas and I certainly didn’t want to be late.
***
I finally made it to the airport, waiting with my sign at the baggage claim.
Relaxed and Renewed Retreats
I had already completed three retreats since I started working here, and now I was starting to feel like a pro. Our retreats could last as short as a week to as long as three weeks. This one in particular was two weeks.
We would start at the Meadow, the northern portion of the Grand Canyon, and work our way south. I had all of the supplies, MREs, water, and everything you could imagine for our trip.
I had memorized the four people’s names, where they were from, and what they wanted out of this trip. First was a middle-aged couple, Joy and Mark. All of their children were out of the house, and they wanted to have an opportunity to spend quality time with each other. The third was an older woman, Donna, who was widowed young and had a thrill for hiking. She had been on my first retreat when I started. The fourth was a man in his mid-thirties, Josh, recently divorced and struggling with his mental stability post-divorce.
It was always fun to get to know the clients I worked with. You learned so much about each other in such a short amount of time. There was so much that I could share with them too, because we were strangers. But we were strangers with something in common. We wanted to find our joy in life, whatever that might be. It looked different for everyone.
My purpose and joy was helping others see their worth, their reason for being alive, and I would do that on this trip.
I met Joy and Mark first, followed by Josh. The only one I had left to wait on was Donna, who was flying in from Louisiana. I was excited to see her again. She was such a delight, full of knowledge, and I think she was an absolute knockout in her younger years, judging by her stories.
Only thirty more minutes and we could start our adventure.