Chapter Twelve #2
“I think she knew I was into her.” Mo snorted, the memory obviously bringing her fond joy.
“She had just got out of a whirlwind romance with some terrible woman, so I think she was protecting herself. Either way, Bud can convince most people to give anything or anyone a try, so in the end she agreed to both of us. And a few weeks later, local artist and Bud’s kryptonite, Opal, joined the band as our keyboard master. She also plays a mad fiddle.”
Aspen smiled, taken aback by this side of Mo. She was being so open, like a floodgate had broken. “Opal was the friend who would go backpacking with Annie?”
“Yeah. She ended up marrying Bud. We kind of broke the cardinal rule of being in a band. Don’t fall in love with your bandmates.”
Aspen laughed at that, finally deciding the fire was ready for the pot of water. “Do you like your coffee black or with some sugar? I also have some powdered creamer if you’re game?”
“I’ll take it black, thank you. Anyway, the band was successful in and around Palo Alto. We had such a good time that we kept doing gigs all the way up until…” A few moments passed in silence before Aspen looked up at Mo, who was now staring out toward the creek. “Until Annie got sick.”
“So, I can infer…” Aspen began with trepidation, hoping to not derail the mood. “That she gave you a chance?”
“Yeah, I guess I kinda broke down her resolve.”
“I don’t think she’d see it that way,” Aspen offered, setting up her travel pour-over for the coffee. “I think she knew exactly what she had found.”
Mo hummed in realization before nodding. “Yeah, I guess I hadn’t considered that.”
“Good thing I’m here.”
“Truly. And, honestly, if you are still okay with it. I want to keep doing this.” She waved her hand around to point toward the trail and creek, confirming her intention. “But only if you are comfortable.”
No one had ever asked Aspen that. She was taken aback again, awkwardly adjusting herself in front of the fire. Her apprehension must have been obvious, as Mo moved closer to the fire, squatting near her.
“It’s gonna boil over.” She pointed toward the pot.
“Whoops,” Aspen squeaked, shaking herself back to the present. She grabbed the pot with her rolled up towel, pouring the water over the coffee in the pour-over. “My bad.”
“It’s okay if you wanna quit,” Mo said. “I made a fool of myself and of this trip. I treated you really badly as well, so I want to make sure this decision is yours.”
“Actually,” Aspen replied. “I do want to keep going. We can’t quit after a bit of squabbling.”
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it.” Mo laughed, standing up. “I was a dick.”
“Yeah, but you told me more about Annie, and she probably needs to know how much of a cranky asshole you’ve been in her absence.”
Mo gasped. “Are you going to snitch on me?”
Aspen moved the pour-over to the other collapsible cup, grabbing the pot again. “Damn right I will. Annie needs to know that you’ve been misbehaving in her absence.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. But I gotta know something?”
“All right,” Aspen said, passing Mo her undoctored cup of coffee. “What’s that?”
“Do you always apologize when it’s not your fault?”
That wasn’t the question she was expecting, and it sent her into a mild panic. “Huh?”
“Last night, when I was being unfair you just—”
“I knew you were projecting.” Aspen waved her hands, hoping this excuse she was creating from thin air would work. “Do you want eggs? I got a few packs of powdered eggs. They actually taste pretty decent if you add salt and some nutritional yeast.”
“You’re changing the subject.” Mo cocked her head, studying Aspen curiously.
“Sorry.”
“And now you are apologizing again.”
“I don’t know, maybe I was a Canadian in a previous life?” Aspen grabbed a pack of powdered eggs as she mentally kicked herself for that ridiculous statement. “I’m making eggs.”
The air was awkwardly silent as Aspen focused on making the food. Just as she thought she was going to need to come up with something to fill the air, Mo said, “Why is the food in plastic tubs?”
Aspen looked over at the containers. “They’re bear vaults. Tested and rated by IGBC, or the Interagency Grizzly Bear Commission. Have to have at least one in order to backpack in the Redwood National Park.”
“You mean hanging it up over there wasn’t enough?”
“No, I just do that out of habit. But you should store your food away from where you sleep, to keep bears from bothering you.”
“Okay.” Mo accepted the explanation easily, her tone far calmer than the previous day. “You are the expert.”
“I know.” Aspen winked. “Now let’s get these eggs made, I’m starving.”
* * *
“So, Annie was a singer?”
Mo nodded in reply, snapping down the top cap of her pack as Aspen placed her own bag on the ground in front of her.
They had eaten breakfast slowly, enjoying easy conversation and a shared disdain for the powdered eggs.
Afterward, Aspen had taught Mo how to disassemble and pack her tent.
Then they cleaned up their campsite to look like they were never there, the pinnacle of “leave no trace.” The entire time Mo was open and receptive, a side of herself that Aspen had only previously seen in small glimpses.
It was so jarring that Aspen would liken it to a night-and-day kind of transformation, leaving her wondering if it would be sustainable.
But as she watched Mo smile easily up at her before fluffing her hair with her right hand, Aspen changed from wondering to hoping.
Because if Mo was attractive before, she was irresistible now.
“She was a smooth alto,” Mo explained, standing up. “We countrified ‘Waking Up In Vegas’ by Katy Perry. She not only gave it the classic nineties twang but knocked it out the park.”
“Oh man, I bet that was so good,” Aspen guessed, already trying to imagine what the song would sound like done in a country style.
“I called it our ‘hook’ song. If a crowd seemed kind meh, that song would always get people up on their feet and engaged,” Mo said before looking down at her pack. “So, back to the pain, huh?”
“Here is where I admit to something.” Aspen hesitated but then continued, “I kind of am the reason you were extra grumpy yesterday.”
“I promise, you weren’t.”
“I kinda was. I let you hike without setting your…” Aspen stepped forward, grabbing onto Mo’s pack. “Well, it’s Annie’s pack, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, either way, I didn’t help you put it on correctly. Which contributed to a lot of your pain.” Aspen gave an apologetic look, bracing for a tongue lashing.
Mo only laughed, covering her face temporarily with her left hand. “Honestly, with the way I acted, I deserved it. But um…could you help me now?”
Relief flooded over Aspen, and she nodded excitedly. “Totally!”
“All right, what do I do?”
“Before we do that, let’s rearrange how you packed everything.” Aspen pulled items out of Mo’s pack and reverently placed them on the ground. “I’m going to add one of the bear vaults to your pack and move your clothes and stuff like this.”
Mo watched intently as Aspen placed each item back into her pack, careful to arrange the weight while also maximizing the space.
“And I will take out these books and put them in my pack. You’ll find the bear vault weighs a bit less than all this, and if you get the urge to read, you can just ask me for them.”
“Sorry.” Mo shrugged sheepishly.