it was yesterday. It was the best thing in the world after the nightmare of a day."
"I'll bet." King leaned back and patted his stomach. "Speaking of a stomach gnawing itself with hunger. I think I'll head over to Steer Burger when we get back to the base. Wanna go?"
"Yeah, maybe. Let's first get down from this mountain before we start thinking about burgers, otherwise these next few miles are going to be torture."
"Let's move out," Mixx said as he heaved his backpack onto his shoulders.
It was almost harder putting the pack back on after a short rest. I grunted as I yanked it on. King made the same sound, only louder.
"Still don't get what made you think about Millie and her grilled cheese out here in the middle of a hot, dry trail," King said as we fell in line behind the others.
"Not sure," I said quietly. But I knew. King had brought up the memorial and that had triggered another memory, one that was so perfect every detail remained crystal clear in my head. Only thing was—it had no right being so damn perfect.
3
Two years earlier
I pulled my jeep into one of the last parking spots at the Morgan Lake Recreation Center. The early September sun pierced through the front windshield like a laser. It was going to be another flaming hot day. The first week of September had brought some unusual and unexpected rain, a reprieve for those of us who fought wilderness fires. The wet weather prompted the idea of having our end of summer party a little early. Our luck could change at any minute, with a long bout of hot, dry weather like this afternoon. The moisture that gave the hillsides a nice drink for several days would evaporate soon enough, and we'd be back in our Kevlar suits with our parachutes and our axes.
I wasn't one to dislike parties, but this afternoon, I couldn't have been in less of a mood to celebrate. And that mood was only darkened by the next few minutes and a string of shitty texts and phone calls.
"I've moved the last of my stuff out. Stay safe." Carly added a heart emoji at the end of the text. It seemed a little cheesy considering how much fighting we had done at the end. The rough patches in our two year relationship turned to jagged ditches and finally a bottomless pit of anger. We both knew it was over six months earlier, but for some dumb reason we kept trying to make it work. In between the occasional nice dinner and always great sex, we were picking at each other, wearing down each other's souls by staying together.
"You too." I texted back. No heart emoji.
The lake and beach were behind an opaque set of oak trees but the thick canopy didn't block the music. A base beat thrummed against the sides of the jeep, causing the whole car to vibrate.
"Where are you at?" Kingston texted. "This is our party, remember? Goodbye rookie-hood."
Kingston and I were officially done being the rookies on the team. It felt good to know we'd pulled it off. When we left our hot shot crews to try out for two of the coveted spots on the smokejumping crew, neither of us were sure we'd make it. The process was grueling, both physically and mentally. And, even after all the training, nothing prepared you for your first moment staring out the open side of a plane as you're about to jump into a burning hillside. It was a rush and scary as fuck, but we loved it. No regrets. No turning back.
"I'm just parking," I lied. It would give me a few quiet minutes to myself. The quiet was shorter than I'd hoped. My phone rang the second I sent the text.
"Hey, David, what's up?"
"Hey, Jack. Just checking in on my little bro. Heard Vick's surgery went all right."
"Not sure how any surgery that took out half your guts could be all right, but you know Vick. He's tough as nails." I stared out the window and watched as two kids dragged an inflatable raft, unwieldy and fighting them all the way, to the rinse off showers. They were giggling as the raft fought them at every turn and wind gust. Those kid days were far behind now, but I sure as hell missed them. Sometimes, it felt as if adulthood was just one smack down after another.
"What did the doctor say about his prognosis?" David's