Montana

23 DAYS

RIIINNNGGG! The shrill ringing of the telephone caused Annabelle Parker to stir from a peaceful sleep. She fumbled around, searching for the handset she knew was on her nightstand. “Hello?” she asked groggily. Holding the phone out in front of her, Anna stared at it, cursing its ability to wake her.

“Good morning, sunshine!” sang back the voice of her best friend and cousin. Anna groaned audibly into the receiver. “I knew you wouldn’t be up. Come on, I’m picking you up in an hour. Wake up!”

“Julie,” Anna sighed. “I’m up, I’m up.” Swinging her pale legs over the side of the bed, Anna slowly peeled back the thin sheets. “An hour? I’ll be ready. I promise!”

“You better be! It’s an eight and a half hour drive to Montana and I want to get there before it gets dark,” came Julie’s voice.  “I’ll see you in an hour.”

Anna dragged herself out of bed. She looked over at the pile of clothes she had put on top of her dresser. “Why didn’t I finish packing last night?” she said to herself. She sauntered into the one other room of the small apartment. Pulling her suitcase into her bedroom, she begrudgingly finished her packing just in time to hear knuckles rapping on the front door. “I’m ready! Hold on, I’ll be out in a minute!” she yelled at the door.

Outside the door Chris Marshall shrugged his shoulders and headed back to the minivan Julie was borrowing from her parents. “She’s coming I guess,” he muttered to Julie and climbed into the backseat. His six foot seven frame barely fit as he struggled to get to get comfortable. By the time Julie came down the stairs from her apartment, Chris was asleep and Evan Mitchell had secured the passenger seat next to Julie.

As soon as she saw them, Anna dropped her bags. “What is going on Julie? You didn’t tell me we were having company!”

Julie quickly got out of the car and came to open the back of the van. “It’s only Chris and Evan! They aren’t strangers or anything,” Julie said with a guilty but mischievous smile on her lips. “Load ‘er up!”

Julie was right. Chris was a bartender and Evan was the kitchen manager in the Seattle restaurant where Anna and Julie worked. “Just think how much better we’ll be eating and drinking!” Julie said with a laugh. “Get in. We need to get going if we’re going to make it by dark.”

“With your driving I don’t think it will be a problem,” Julie groaned as she sat down in the middle row of seats. Leaning up against the window, she draped her arm around the headrest of the seat next to her and quickly fell back into slumber.

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Anna woke as she felt the van slow in Spokane traffic. “Lovely, traffic.”

“Oh good! You’re awake,” Julie said cheerfully from the driver’s seat. Looking around Anna realized her and Julie were the only ones awake at the moment. It didn’t take long to realize the other reason she had woken. Her stomach grumbled and Anna knew she hadn’t eaten all morning. As if reading her mind, Julie soon announced loudly, “We’re stopping for lunch!”

Chris and Evan soon roused and began looking out their windows. “We’re in Spokane,” Julie said as if stating the obvious. Both Julie and Chris yawned simultaneously. Julie took the next exit and they had soon pulled up to a fast food restaurant where they got out and ate lunch. The boys had eaten at a table outside but Anna’s fair complexion forced her to remain indoors. “Why in the world would you think it would be alright to bring them along and not tell me?” Anna questioned.

“Why not Anna? It will be fun to have them around,” Julie replied. “Besides, how long has it been since Mark?” Anna began to interrupt her, but Julie cut her off. “23 days, I know. You need to get back out there and,” she paused, “who knows. This could be the perfect opportunity. We’ll be alone for five days together, no other girls around…” Julie began.

“I will not, hear me, not date a coworker! It’s far too messy if we ever break up. I don’t want to deal with that!” Anna exclaimed. “Besides, they’re both six years older. I doubt that either of them would be interested in me.”

“You just wait and see. Don’t judge them too quickly Anna.” Anna just rolled her eyes at her cousin’s matchmaking tendencies and placed both hands on the table before pushing herself to her feet.

Anna brushed off the table and made her way towards the door. “I think I know them pretty well by now.” As she pushed open the door, she was greeted by the smell of cigarette smoke. Anna groaned as she remembered the disgusting addiction of many of the restaurant’s employees. A slightly sweeter smoke filled her nostrils and she looked to find that Evan, the younger of the two, was puffing on a miniature flavored cigar. “How many times has he quit?” Anna thought to herself with a smile. His addiction had become a long running joke among employees. It was obvious that he was a social smoker. 

“Will you please put that poison out and get back in the car. Julie, our time Nazi, is claiming we won’t make it if we don’t leave right this instant,” Anna said as she climbed into the front seat of the van.

“That’s my seat!” Evan shouted. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m tired of listening to your music. If I sit in front, I can play what I want,” Anna calmly explained as she began to read through the books of CDs that they had brought with them. At first she had been delighted when she found out that Chris and Evan had only brought two CDs, but had soon regretted that thought. Both CDs were played until Anna knew even the backup harmonies of the songs. She put into the player a mixed CD of soft, modern country songs.

The remaining hours on the trip went by quickly. Julie drove crazily through the mountains and along the many rivers of Montana until they reached the small town of St. Regis. The turn was marked by a telltale salmon with “Dondale Flats” painted across its wooden belly. The dirt road required much slower driving and Anna’s knuckles finally regained their color. After just a few minutes more they pulled into the driveway of a beautiful log cabin. Its green metal roofing and light colored wood made it stand out from the forest of pines surrounding it. Julie retrieved the key from the pump house stairs as Evan, Chris, and Anna began unloading their bags out of the back of the van.

“Got it!” Julie shouted before jogging back down the gently sloping hill to the stone porch that surrounded the cabin. The door swung open and Anna sighed as memories flooded back from years of helping build the cabin and making memories.


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This is an unfinished work that I am still in the process of writing. All comments are greatly appreciated and any title suggestions are requested. Last update July 16th, 2007