(AU/AU) Ennis and Jack meet during a summer job in 2012. This story covers the events of those three months, and takes place in a small California town in the High Sierra.
Chapter 1
Ennis gave the door a light shove with his shoulder. He took a deep breath of the crisp, early morning air and looked into the distance at the steep, snow covered mountains. The step creaked in protest as he lowered his weight onto the rusty piece of metal. With his coffee mug in hand, he leaned over to secure the door to the side of his trailer. Many years of wear and tear had left the catch dented and corroded, requiring extra effort.
The trailer had been far from new when Ennis acquired it nearly ten years before. He slammed the tattered screen door shut and leaned on the side of his humble home. He propped his boot against the dingy white aluminum and took an eager swallow of his strong, black coffee. His eyes closed briefly and he sighed. The murmur of the nearby creek was soothing, the chirping birds and occasional chatter of squirrels, reassuring. The pines blocked the view of the occasional vehicle passing by on the highway, so his mind chose to tune out that sound.
These first few weeks of his seasonal job were the best. He reveled in the tranquility and quiet, but all too soon it would end. He gazed fifty feet from where he stood at the large, bleak building which was referred to as the barracks. Come evening, rather than standing deserted and silent, voices would filter from the windows, energetic young summer workers would be moving about, and Ennis' private little world would be private no more. He was thankful for his little twenty-one foot trailer, such as it was. No way would he ever consider living under the same roof with a bunch of noisy strangers. Lucky for him there was a utility hook up nestled under the pines which he'd taken advantage of the first summer he'd worked there, and every summer since. He often thought about trying to spruce up the trailer, but never quite managed to motivate himself. The tires were good, enabling it to be towed to and from K.E.'s, which was the most important thing anyway.
Ennis' thoughts were interrupted by an approaching vehicle. By the time the familiar black SUV pulled up next to him, the dust was settling thanks to the pine needles lining the ground.
"Morning, Ennis," came the friendly voice from the driver's side window.
"Hey, Don. Running late aren't you?"
"Lureen's opening for me, so I'm right on time. Summer hires won't be arriving till after lunch anyway."
"Yeah," Ennis muttered. He kicked at the ground with the toe of his boot.
"Well, I hope you won't blow them over with friendliness and enthusiasm," Don teased.
"I'll try not to," Ennis said with a crooked smile.
"Just thought I'd stop on my way by and make sure the problem in the barracks bathroom is fixed."
"It's good to go," Ennis said. "No pun intended."
That brought a chuckle from the man with the salt and pepper hair and easy smile. "How's the mice population?"
"Catching a few here and there."
"That's good...or bad, depending on how you look at it."
Ennis smiled. "Hope the mice don't scare the new tenants away."
"Yeah, I'll bet."
Ennis cleared his throat. "I can heat you up a cup of coffee."
"I'll pass, but thanks anyway. Got some maps to get busy on, so I'll get going."
"Okay, well, I'll see you down there."
Don rolled his window up, turned the SUV around, and left the same way he came.
Ennis' mood had lifted somewhat. Don had taken over as boss a couple of years after Ennis started at the Visitor's Center. He'd been transferred from Reno and had some knowledge of the region. Ennis, having been born and raised in the area, helped fill in the gaps. Don and his wife had lost their only son to cancer, and Ennis had lost his folks in a car crash, so they filled a void in each other's life and had become close from the start.
Ennis hurriedly went inside to grab the lunch he'd packed and set his empty mug in his tiny sink. He then climbed into his Chevy Silverado to drive the five miles to his job. The door to his home remained unlocked, but he figured that might have to change after the others arrived if any of them were deemed untrustworthy. It wasn't like he had much that anyone would want to take anyway.
...
Ennis slowed his pickup down as he reached the friendly high Sierra community on scenic Highway 395. Blink and you'd miss it. Not one stop light in the entire town, and only one crosswalk. The population was listed as three hundred fifty, but he figured that was overestimated by at least a hundred if one were talking actual residents. When the town was full of tourists, the total far exceeded the number on the sign.
He stopped to allow Mr. Baker, the owner of the market, to hobble across the street. If you could make due with the limited selection, and didn't mind spending double or triple, the little red market was the place to go. He tried to do most of his shopping at the Von's Supermarket in Mammoth, thirty miles south. That required making a plan and a list, so he usually stopped in at the market a couple times a week for one thing or another. He acknowledged Mr. Baker with a smile and wave.
The first of June wasn't quite the height of tourist season, but there were a fair number of out-of-towners walking in the early morning sunshine.
Continuing on his way, he drove past three gas stations, four motels, and four cafes. The little Frosty was the last business at the far side of town. Not quite in the same league as McDonald's, Wendy's, or Burger King, but it served the townspeople and tourists quite adequately.
On the north end of town, Ennis turned onto Visitor's Center Drive. He was used to the sight of the majestic, ancient lake with the eerie looking tufa towers rising above the surface, but today he had a new appreciation for it. Five new summer workers who hadn't seen it in person would arrive later, and he wondered what impression they would have. Following the road to the end, he reached the Visitor's Center sitting proudly atop a hill overlooking the lake with the Mono craters looming in the background.
Ennis pulled into his normal parking space and then headed towards the center while the seagulls squawked overhead. When he neared the side of the building he noticed Clark, the project specialist, bent down picking up trash. He was tall and lanky with red, wavy hair. Ennis had heard some of the townsfolk use the nickname, Nerd, when referring to him. He was a whiz on the computer and knew just about everything there was to know about camera equipment.
"Hey, Clark," Ennis called out.
"Morning, Ennis, how's it going?"
"I'm good, but what the hell happened to the trash can?"
Clark stood upright and adjusted his cap. "I guess a raccoon or two musta got in it."
When Ennis reached the trashcan he tilted his head to get a better look. "Sure it wasn't a bear?" he joked.
"Don't think so. Looks more like the work of raccoons."
"Who was supposed to empty the trash last night?"
"Uh, that'd be me," Clark said sheepishly.
Ennis chuckled. "Guess you won't forget next time it's your turn."
"I guess you're right," Clark said as he bent down again to continue his clean up.
Ennis walked on toward the entrance. "I'd help, but I wouldn't want to horn in on your fun."
Clark grimaced. "That's okay, Ennis. I've got it," he said, not bothering to look up from his task.
"See you inside then."
From the front desk, Lureen looked up from the computer and smiled when Ennis walked through the front doors. "Good morning. How are you today?"
"So far, so good," Ennis muttered. Even he could tell that he sounded like a grouch and regretted it immediately, especially taking notice of Lureen's cheerful, smiling face. It seemed she had gone to extra trouble to look nice that morning. Even though they all wore drab, forest service green uniforms, he noticed she had on a fancy turquoise green necklace with matching earrings. She usually wore her shoulder length dark hair in a pony tail, but it was different, with only part of it pulled up and the rest down. He assumed it was because of the new people coming to start work and she wanted to make a good impression.
He tried to change his tone. "Well, my day's starting out better than Clark's anyway."
"Clark? What happened to Clark?"
"Oh, it's not that important. You know him." Ennis chuckled. "You look real nice today, Lureen," he managed to say.
She looked flattered. "Thanks. Nice of you to say."
Ennis turned to head up the stairs. "Well, I gotta get my lunch put in the refrigerator. I'll be back in a second."
Just then a family of four came through the doors, and the workday had officially begun.
Ennis and Lureen, with Clark's help, managed very efficiently to take care of the needs of each visitor who stopped in that morning. As information specialists, there was seldom a question that Ennis or Lureen couldn't answer. Helen, the manager of the bookstore located inside the center, was kept busy as well. When lunch time rolled around, Ennis told Lureen to take her lunch first. He was on the duty roster to clean the bathrooms, so he wanted to get that done. Clark said he'd cover the front desk. When Ennis was about half done with the men's room, he was surprised to see Clark join him with a mop and bucket.
"What's up?" Ennis asked.
"Just thought you could use some help. Don said he'd watch the desk."
"Well, that's awfully nice of you...especially after I harassed you this morning about the trash and all."
"I deserved it, don't worry about it. Anyway, another reason is so we can get this done and our lunch eaten before the newbies get here."
"Oh, yeah...you had to remind me."
Clark laughed and proceeded to begin mopping. "If you do the toilets, I'll mop," he grinned.
...
After lunch, when Helen wasn't busy with a bookstore customer, she'd wander out to make sure none of the new people had arrived without her knowledge.
"Anxious to meet them, huh?" Lureen asked.
"Yes, I must say I am. I'm looking forward to seeing just who I'll be training. I hope whoever it is will be a fast learner because I'm really looking forward to taking a lot of time off this summer."
"Your grandkids are coming out, aren't they?" asked Lureen.
"They sure are. I'll bring them down while they're here so you can see them. They've grown a lot since they were here the last time."
"I'll look forward to it," Lureen said.
They were in a lull as far as visitors stopping in. Clark had several people in the media room viewing films of how the area formed. Several folks were out on the patio getting a fabulous view of the lake. Helen had retreated back to the bookstore to help customers.
As the minutes ticked by, Ennis became more anxious. He didn't like meeting new people, and especially people who would be living so close to his little piece of the forest. He picked up the resumes to read again.
Don soon came up beside him and peered at the paperwork. "The married couple should be here any minute I'd think."
"Yeah, unless they had car trouble or something," Ennis said.
"I hope nothing like that happened," Don said. "The girls who flew into Reno should be here any minute too. Both their flights were getting in early this morning. They were going to meet up and then take the bus down."
Ennis grunted, still staring at the papers.
"It's the guy from L.A. you're concerned with, isn't it?" Don stated.
Ennis let out a breath. "I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."
"After the guy from Los Angeles a couple years ago, I don't blame you for being skeptical. I thought that summer would never end." Don and Ennis shared a laugh. Don continued, "But I think this guy will be completely different. Don't hold it against him just because he's from the city."
Ennis was quiet. Don continued. "He looks great on paper, Ennis. Citrus College has an excellent program in forestry. He must be serious to be going for his bachelor's degree."
"We'll see," Ennis said. After a moment he went on. "It's kinda strange though; don't you think...he's twenty eight and still working on his degree?"
"I was curious too, and asked him about that during his phone interview."
Ennis listened attentively as Don explained. "He said he'd taken a few years off after high school before signing up with the California Conservation Corp. He spent a year there, then was vague about what came next. He alluded to some sort of family matter that kept him busy for awhile...then it finally worked out for him to start college."
Ennis tried not to let his boss know how wary he felt as he processed the new information. It obviously wasn't working because Don went on. "I did wonder, but didn't want to pry. His job qualifications, grades, and phone interview made me put that aside and I went with my gut. He came across as very articulate, and I could tell he'd be perfect on nature talks as well as the front desk. He actually impressed me the most of the five. We're gonna be glad to have him, as well as the others. Our first tour buses are expected next week. You won't care where he's from when we're in the middle of that mess."
Ennis tried not to look for trouble where there might not be any, and moved on. "I hope they know their stuff, and what they don't know they'll learn fast."
Lureen had appeared impatient about the arrivals, and had stepped outside several moments before. At that point she appeared with two young ladies carrying hefty duffle bags. They were smiling even though they looked tired.
"Look who I found," Lureen said in a cheerful voice.
Ennis and Don stepped out from behind the front desk to greet the first arrivals.
Lureen made introductions. "Don and Ennis, this is Liz Jones from Colorado, and Alma Beers from Idaho. Liz and Alma, meet Don Wroe and Ennis Del Mar. Don is our very charming boss, and Ennis is our senior information specialist." They all shook hands and shared some small talk.
Both girls were in their mid twenties. Liz was taller than Alma by several inches. She was curvy and busty and looked like the outdoorsey type with her tanned skin and super short golden blonde hair. Alma was pretty and petite with light brown hair caressing her shoulders. Ennis noticed her fair skin and silently hoped that there was a lot of sun block in her duffle bag.
"Would you girls care for a drink and something to eat?" Lureen asked.
"I'm fine," Liz said.
"I could go for a drink of water," Alma said.
"Follow me and I'll get that for you, and show you where to leave your bags."
"Sounds good," the girls said in unison.
Ennis heard Lureen telling Liz and Alma that she'd introduce them to the bookstore manager and project specialist while waiting for the others to arrive. He was grateful for her social skills. Got him off the hook, at least for now. He'd have to step up later on.
"That went well, didn't it? Two down, three to go," Don said as he patted Ennis on the back. "I'll tag along and help show them around," he said.
Ennis and Clark took care of customers, giving Lureen and Don a chance to get to know the girls. It wasn't long before Rob and April, the married couple who'd driven in from Oregon, arrived. Introductions were made, and Helen offered to show them around. "What a cute young couple you make," she could be heard saying as she headed them toward the bookstore.
"They seemed nice," Clark said.
"Yeah. Looks like Rob does a lot of working out. Did you notice the muscles on him?" Ennis commented.
"I guess I was too busy checking out his wife. Sure had on some short cut-offs, didn't she?"
"She did? Guess I was looking more at her face. Noticed she was wearing a lot of make-up. Kind of bright lip stick." Ennis grimaced.
Clark laughed.
"Guys, will you quit with the fashion critique?" Lureen said, walking up to the desk and giving them a stern look.
Ennis felt a little embarrassed, so quickly changed the subject. "Well, the one with the shortest distance to travel gets here last."
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Lureen said.
"No reason he couldn't have been here by now. What is it, a six hour drive?" Ennis complained.
"I'm starting to wonder where he is," Don said as he joined them.
Ennis continued to feel stressed as the seconds ticked by. "They'll want to stop at the market on the way home, get settled and unpacked before too long. It's getting close to five, almost closing time."
"If he's not here by four thirty I'll call his cell," Don said.
"I hope Jack Twist is worth the wait," Ennis muttered.
To Be Continued...