Chapter Eighteen #2
“That wasn’t really what I was planning to tell her, but yeah, I don’t think she’d be too happy.”
“Oh…” Aspen faltered but didn’t add anything more. Instead, she pointed toward the small bridge ahead that crossed to the opposite bank. “That’s our bridge.”
Mo nodded. “Lead the way.”
The sand wasn’t nearly as rocky as their campsite, making it easier to traverse.
Their journey was silent, save for the light twittering of small birds and the occasional shrieks of a Steller’s jay.
The churn of the river over the rocks got louder as they closed in on the bridge.
Aspen shook the bridge to test its stability before getting on, turning quickly to make sure Mo was still behind her.
“Still here.” Mo raised her voice to be heard over the water.
Aspen grinned, crossing the bridge with care.
On the other side her eyes went straight to the tree line, skimming it for anything promising.
She quickly found where the small stream went northeast off of the creek, and she decided to move toward it.
After crossing the bank, she found an easy upward slope to move up into the tree line.
“Over here,” Aspen called out, her eyes studying the trees.
“What’s up?” Mo replied, catching up.
“There are plenty of maples and firs along this stream,” Aspen said, pointing at the slope. “We can go up in—”
“Look!” Mo exclaimed, interrupting her.
Aspen turned toward where Mo was now moving, and that’s when she saw it.
Right at the mouth of the stream was a small but majestic big-leaf maple.
It was guarded on both sides by huge, towering redwoods.
Deep green moss climbed up its body as its beautiful, snaking limbs sat lopsided between its overly sized neighbors.
Aspen watched as Mo almost skipped toward it.
Her excitement was contagious, pulling a huge smile from Aspen.
“Wait up!”
“Nope, you gotta hurry,” Mo replied, her voice almost childlike with wonder. “Man, she’s gorgeous.”
The tree was. As Aspen got closer, its tiny, mossy frame was striking sitting between the two wide and tall redwoods. Mo made her way to its base and put out her free hand, softly touching the trunk.
“Can we?” Mo asked, low enough that Aspen almost missed it.
Aspen trotted right up next to Mo and quickly studied the quintessential maple leaves, brown bark, and winding limbs. “Totally. It’s a big-leaf maple. We were told to avoid redwoods.”
“She’s huge,” Mo commented, now looking straight up the trunk.
“It’s actually kind of small. Most big-leaf maples get much larger than this.”
“She’s perfect.” Mo’s head dropped, and she softly moved her hand back and forth over the light moss. “Right?”
“Well,” Aspen replied, turning slowly to see the tree’s view. “Wow.”
Mo followed suit, taking in the same picturesque view as Aspen.
The tree wasn’t blocked by brush, instead just wonderfully shaded by its redwood neighbors.
It looked out over the rocky bank and the creek’s thinner bend to the right and the deep, rushing water on the left.
Many gorgeous redwoods were across the creek, looking absolutely statuesque as they seemed to guard the river.
“It’s absolutely perfect,” Mo whispered, turning back toward the tree. “I think we found it, Aspen.”
“We did.” Aspen smiled, her chest tightening with a mix of emotions. “This is it.”
“I can’t wait to talk to her,” Mo said, turning toward Aspen. “Can I—”
“Nope.” Aspen glared at her, removing her pack. “I will install it. I don’t want Annie to be angry at us because you injured yourself trying to put her phone in.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I’m sure.” Aspen flipped open the top of her pack, energy already flowing through her at the excitement to get the phone installed.
She removed the phone, the blaze orange a stark contrast to the mossy green and brown of the tree.
She pulled out the nails and hammer, her mind already chastising herself for not grabbing something to create an awning or sign for the phone. “A future trip. Definitely.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.” Aspen shook her head, organizing her items as she mentally planned out the task.
“What are you gonna tell her?” Mo asked, kneeling next to Aspen.
“What?”
“Annie, duh,” Mo added, tilting her head as she met Aspen’s eyes. “What will you tell her?”
“I’m going to talk to her?” Aspen asked, anxiety creeping up in her chest at the thought.
“Totally!”
“Oh, uh, I-I was just joking before,” Aspen stammered, standing up to full height with the items cradled in her arms. Mo followed suit, her gaze burning holes into Aspen, which caused her to blush slightly. She leaned her arms toward Mo, nodding down toward the phone. “Here.”
Mo grabbed it with her free hand.
“Hold on to it while I get the nails in,” Aspen said, turning to gauge the best height. “Right here?”
Mo stepped forward, holding out the phone to the spot Aspen had placed the nail. “Yeah, that’s a good height. If you’re short.”
Aspen snickered. “Well, hopefully this will become a fixture that lots of hikers use. So yeah, that includes us shorties.”
“Got it.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t care.”
“No, she wouldn’t. She’d probably love this, honestly. She struggled with verbalizing her feelings, ya know?”
Aspen scoffed lightly, that comment hitting close to home.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just—” Aspen took in a deep breath. “Same.”
Time crept by as both women just stared at the tree, deep in their own thoughts. Aspen could feel the words she wanted to say, the impulse to let go of all her pretenses. To explain. Before she could build up the courage, Mo cleared her throat next to her.
“I’m really happy for you, Mo,” Aspen uttered instead, cutting off anything Mo was about to say.
Then she lifted the nail back up to the tree.
“I’m glad you had that kind of relationship.
You know, the kind where you really know them and they really know you.
I’m thankful you brought me on this trip and allowed me insight into your love with Annie, even if it did only scratch the surface.
That kind of love should be celebrated.”
Mo didn’t respond right away, so Aspen raised the hammer and hit the nail into the bark until only a small sliver of the head was sticking out. Aspen turned, gesturing for the phone.
“Can I hang it?” Mo asked softly, holding the phone against her chest.
“Sure can. I just need it for a second to make sure I hammer the other nail correctly.”
Mo agreed with a murmur, handing the phone over. Aspen worked quietly, making sure not to hang the phone as much as use it to get the other nail situated in the correct spot. After she was finished, she went to hand the phone back to her companion.
“I would—” Mo started, softly taking the phone under her arm. “You deserve that kind of love too.”
Aspen froze for a few seconds, hammer in a ready position. An empty sensation spread across her chest and down into her stomach. She took a few extended blinks before slamming the hammer against the nail, letting the action speak for her.