Absence (Seperation and Reclamation Part III)

I grit my teeth and cursed under my breath. I wasn’t really interested in stopping for anything but if I didn’t gas up my bike soon, I’d be walking the rest of the way. A sign I passed earlier said there was a rest stop just a few kilometers away, which would have to do, and a break was probably the smart thing considering I had been tearing down the highway since noon, and the sun had long since set.
 
I pulled in and killed the engine, then stepped off to fill up the bike that was by now running on fumes. As I did so I took out my phone and flipped to the picture I had received earlier that day It looked like it was taken as soon as they had arrived at Ryan’s cabin, but it was tough to be sure. Tristan, Ryan, Sarah, Jen, Dana. They were looking like they were having a great time as they posed for the camera.
 
Normally, I’d have been happy to have received a picture of them having a great time, but the circumstances were anything but normal.

It had been three months since I heard from any of them. Much too long.  I spoke to Ryan’s parents about it, and they said they had got a message from him saying he was going to be out of range of cell service as they continued backpacking and that they were going to be a little longer than they thought, and not to worry. Jen’s sister got a similar message, as did Sarah’s mom. Tristan wasn’t from our city originally so I didn’t know how to get in touch with his family, and Dana had lived alone for a long time now. Still, the people that would worry had all been reassured.
 
Except me. It wasn’t that I was lonely, or that I was regretting not being able to go with them. It was that the messages I heard all sounded very similar. Similar wording, little real personality, it sounded to me like they were reading a script. Not only that but they knew I would worry most. They would have called me, texted me, anything. But they hadn’t, and for three months is was like they just disappeared. Until today. Today I got my first real piece of evidence that they had at least made it to the lake safely.

At first I kept telling myself that they were just having fun somewhere, that they had forgotten to call me or whatever. Even being forgotten by them would be better than something having happened. But I knew more and more with each passing day that I was fooling myself.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Those past three months were a blur. I wasn’t able to focus on anything, I was so worried. But today, today offered a brief glimmer of hope that maybe I could find them, and find out what had happened. When my phone rang and that picture came through, I immediately quit my job, withdrew a chunk of change from my savings, packed up and took off, intending to start my search at the lake, and hopefully find some answers.
 
Finally my motorcycle was full, and I quickly paid before hopping back on and taking off. I was determined to find out what had happened to them, so determined that I told myself I would do whatever it took to get the answers I needed.

It wouldn’t be the first time I had done something awful to protect them. It wouldn’t be the last.

Sarah (Seperation and Reclaimation Part II)

“You don’t like him do you?” Sarah asked me after a brief silence. She was leaning heavily on me, gripping my arm tightly as we made our way back to her car, the alcohol keeping her from moving too quickly, or gracefully for that matter.

“I never said that,” I said, trying not to laugh at her current state. Sarah wasn’t nearly as much of a partier as Jen or Ryan, so it wasn’t often that she ever needed a ride home, let alone someone to cling to lest she fall over.

“But you barely said anything to him all night,” she said with a pout. “I really like him so you should too.”

“You know we have this exact same conversation every time you get a new boyfriend right?”

“We do not!” She exclaimed, a little too loudly for 2:30am but we were hardly the only people filtering out of the club so I supposed it didn’t matter.

“We do,” I replied. “Every time you worry about what the others are going to think of whoever you may be dating, but I’m the only one that you actually pull aside and ask for an opinion.”

“Well that’s because I know if you like them, then they must be a pretty good person,” she grinned at me. “Everyone knows you’re hardest one to impress with this kind of stuff.”

“What? I am not, no one thinks that.”

“You’re the fun police.”

“I am not the fun police,” I grumbled as we rounded a corner, her car just up ahead.

“You are, and you were out in full force tonight.”

“No one thinks I’m the fun police.”

“Everyone thinks you’re the fun police. I’m going to get you a badge to prove it. You can flash it in people’s faces when they get too fun.  You can walk up to them and say excuse me sir, this is the fun police, you’re going to have to take it down a notch, the amount of fun is exceeding the legal limit, please bring it down to within the previously accepted levels of fun in accordance with city law.”

I sighed, heavily. “I just don’t have an opinion on him yet that’s all.” I said, trying to compromise. “You deserve the best, you really do. We’re all going to make sure you get it.”

“That’s sweet,” she giggled, causing her to stumble a bit. “But the others aren’t nearly as judgmental.”

“Oh come on, I am not judgmental.”

“Okay maybe that’s the wrong word, but whatever, he’s been really nice so far, so you should like him.”

“We’ll see.”

“You’ll like him,” she said, seemingly convinced she had won this round. “He has a really cool job.”

“He’s a musician,” I muttered. “You met him in a bar.”

“Fun police!” she shouted with a punch to my arm. “Told you!”

“Ugh, fine fine,” I said, rubbing my shoulder as we made it to her car. I took out her keys and unlocked her door, helping her get settled.

She smiled at me as I walked around the car and hopped in. “What was his name again?” I asked as I started the engine.

“You’re a dick,” she chuckled, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. “It’s Tristan.”

“Right, well he seems alright so far I guess.”

“Maybe I’ll marry him one day, then you’ll feel silly. For standing in the way of true love.”

“You’re drunk Sarah,” I laughed.

“Very,” she agreed. “Hey,” She said, suddenly serious. “Thanks, for always looking out for me.”

I looked over at her, barely keeping her eyes open and her blonde hair a mess from dancing with Jen.

“Always,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze as she closed her eyes and let herself sleep.

Seperation and Reclaimation

“You could help you know,” Ryan grumbled to me as he loaded another cooler filled with what I could only assume was more alcohol into his RV.

 I looked up at him from my cushy lawn chair, parked in Ryan's rather spacious front yard and took another sip of my drink.

“With what?” I asked, unable to keep the smirk from creeping onto my face.

“Oh that’s cute Brad,” he said, wiping the sweat from his face as he went to grab another cooler from the seemingly endless supply of coolers that were stacked in the driveway. “You’re just gonna sit here on my lawn, drink my booze, and watch me bust my ass packing in the burning sun? That’s harsh my friend, real harsh”

“I guess it is, yes. But then how would you learn not to pack so much crap?”

“I am a slow learner, that's true,” he grinned. “I can't really blame you though, seeing as how you’re going to be here all by yourself working like a dog, while we are going to be having the whole lake as our own personal playground.” 

“Not just the lake,” Jennifer said, skipping out of the house with her suitcase dragging behind her. It was the first real piece of luggage I had seen go into the RV since I got here. “ This is a whole cross country road trip and I can’t believe you’re going to miss it.”

I sighed, her reminder hardly necessary. “It’s not like I didn’t try to get the time off Jen, seriously, but this summer is looking pretty busy.”

“You should just quit,” Ryan quipped.

“I don’t have loaded parents or a trust fund to pay for my degree, so no sorry man but I can’t just quit. Landscaping is good money.”

“You mean the degree you’ve been working on for the last like what...six years? Seriously by the time you get it you’re going to be going through a mid life crisis.”

“Don’t you have another cooler to load up jackass?”

Ryan laughed and went back to it; while Jen gave me the look she gives all of us when she wants to get her way. It works more often than not too, but unfortunately this was one of those ‘not’ times.

“For the last time, I can’t go,” I said, cutting off the puppy-dog eyes before they really got going.

“Fine,” she huffed. “We’ll send you pictures everywhere we go, just so you can see how much fun you’re missing.”

“Oh good,” I groaned. “Please do that. So where are the others?”

“They went to the store,” Ryan said, “They should be coming back soon though, they left just before you got here.”

“The store? Because you guys need more alcohol and Twinkies?”

“Brad Brad Brad, you’ve forgotten how to party.”

“Whatever,” I sighed and went back to my drink.

Jen and Ryan had been two of my closest friends since high school, which for us was about six years ago now. Along with Sarah, her boyfriend Tristan, and Dana, all of whom were at the store buying more junk apparently, the six of us had been pretty much inseparable. Ryan was kind of the ringleader, always making the plans and making sure everyone had a good time, but otherwise we were just happy to enjoy each other’s company.

This summer was a big deal for everyone though, and so Ryan had really outdone himself planning this trip. Jen had just finished a degree in education, and was likely going to be leaving for a teaching position next year, so this was our last big blowout together.

And I was stuck working.

“Hey,” Jen said, dropping down on the lawn beside me and helping herself to my drink. “Have you patched things up with Dana yet?”

I groaned. That was the other reason why I was in a bad mood today. “No, not yet.”

“Kind of cutting it a little close don’t you think?” She asked. “Once we leave it’s going to be tough to keep in touch.”

“I know I know,” I sighed. “I’ll talk to her when she gets here, I promise.”

Jen smiled. She and Dana had been best friends for a year or so now. An interesting development since they had met by getting into a brawl and trashing a houseparty but sometimes things work themselves out in strange ways. Jen had been pushing for us to get together for a while now, and while I had always been all for it, Dana was a more complicated matter, and this fight we had the other night had only made things between us more difficult.  

I thought about what I would say to her for a little while longer while Jen and Ryan loaded up the last of their luggage. Not long after I saw the others coming on their way back, their arms loaded with yet more food and booze.

“Brad!” Tristan shouted,  quickly dropping his stuff in the RV and pulling me out of my chair. “What the hell man? Work? This is it, this is the biggest thing we’ve ever done, and you’re at work?”

I smiled despite myself. With the exception of Dana, Tristan was the newcomer, so to speak. We were already pretty established when he started dating Sarah three years ago, but he had just fit right in. More mellow than Ryan, more spontaneous than me, he had a balancing effect on the group, as well as a way of speaking that made everything seem way better than it was. Except for my situation, it would seem.

“Sorry Tristan, you’re just going to have to drink my share.”

He sighed, then pulled me close. “I'll do my best, but listen, remember what we talked about the other day?”

I nodded; it wasn’t a conversation I was going to forget anytime soon.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, which looked like it must have cost a fair bit considering how fancy it was.

“I’ve decided I’m going to go for it,” he said with a grin. “I’m going to propose on this trip. No one else knows but hopefully when we get back, we’ll be engaged.”

“That’s awesome Tristan,” I said, trying to hide my smile from the others.

“Hey,” he said, suddenly serious. “Thanks a lot for helping me figure this out. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”

“Of course you would,” I replied quickly. “ But you’re welcome. I know she’ll say yes, I’m really happy for you.”

“Say yes to what?”

Tristan froze, and jammed the little box back into his pocket faster than I could blink.

“Say yes to what?” Sarah asked again, all smiles and energy, as always. Sarah was our cheerleader, so to speak. Always making people feel good and keeping things upbeat. It was something she did very well.

“Tristan was gonna ask you if he could listen to your IPod on the trip,” I said, letting him catch his breath. “He forgot his.”

“Aw of course, actually I just put the latest Sebastian Jericho album on there,  and wow it is so good you guys...”

A collective groan from both of us cut her off, and she responded with a none too appropriate gesture of her own.

Nothing divided the group like Sebastian Jericho. The men hated him, the women loved him, and the battles were cruel and unforgiving. 

Tristan had recovered from his near heart attack as Sarah dragged him to the van to help with her luggage, chattering on about her new album.

“Brad, do you have a sec?”

I turned, and my heart fell. Dana. I was going to miss her most, and this was my last chance to make sure we parted on good terms.

“I realize everyone else has probably made you feel bad enough about not coming, but I really wish you’d reconsider.”

“Yeah?” I asked, surprised. “Even after the other night?”

She bristled at that. “I’m sorry I flipped on you,” she said. “I know things have been kind of weird between us lately and I guess I just got fed up with it.”

“I’m sorry too,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “You know you’re more to me than just some girl that needs fixing. I’ve never thought of you that way, it’s just...you’re right, things have been weird lately, and I guess I got a little fed up as well.”

She smiled at that. “It’s okay.”

I sighed, one weight lifted off my shoulders at least.

“So are you sure you can’t come with us?” She asked, already knowing the answer

“I’m sorry Dana,” I said. Saying no to her was always so much harder than the others.
    
“Always the responsible one,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Well, I’ll send you lots of pictures, and when I get back...” She trailed off, then said, “When I get back I want to talk to you, I want to finish the conversation we were having the other night, just without the yelling this time, so...”
    
I smiled, though I’m sure mine didn’t reach my eyes either. “I’m looking forward to it, I’ll be waiting right here,” I said.
    
“Good, I’ll hurry back.”
    
She leaned in gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. Innocent enough but it still made my heart skip a beat.
    
“Hurry up Dana!” Ryan called, breaking us out of our little world. “We’re all packed, and there’s even room for people in here!”
    
I laughed and we walked to the RV. I took a good look at the group I would be doing without for the next month or so for the first time in six years.
    
“Hey,” I found myself calling. “Let me get a picture of all you guys first.”
    
They laughed and obliged me, shuffling into some sort of pose in front of the RV and I held up my phone. Everyone’s personality was shining through; everything I loved about each of them had never been more obvious as I took that picture.    

We all said one last good bye as I watched them pile into the RV.
  
I watched them drive away, and despite the pit that was forming in my stomach, I kept telling myself that it was only a month.    

I really believed that. I had no idea at the time how long I would be without them.
   
I had no idea what I would have to go through to get them back.