Disclaimer: Not mine'
Helpless 14
Bridging the gap
"Have you ever crossed a suspension bridge?" Trunks asked her as the car sped across a wide bridge over the water.
"You mean like this one?" Marron asked, staring up at the high girders flashing by.
"No, I mean a footbridge. You've seen them in movies. A bridge that's held together by ropes and sways back and forth when you walk across it."
"Oh, that." Marron nodded. "We used to have something like that across a creek near our home in Aquarius. It was about ten feet across, made of ropes and planks, and it swung from side to side. You had to hold on to the rope to keep your balance or you fell into the creek. Is that what you meant?"
Trunks grinned. "Something like that."
Marron caught sight of twin mountains, their snow-capped peaks almost perfectly matched.
"Buffalo Peaks." Trunks told her, when she commented on them. "We've just crossed the Taurus' Gate Bridge. And the big mountain over there, that's Bull Mountain. We'll be eating dinner up there tonight."
"On a mountain?" Marron's stomach churned at the thought.
"Right at the top."
"How do we get up there?"
"You'll see. Trunks leaned forward. "Ah, here we are."
The car pulled onto a gravel parking lot and came to a stop. The first sight that met Marron's eyes was an enormous totem pole, covered in intricate carvings and painted in bright yellow, blue, red and white. Fascinated, she walked around it, staring up at the giant eagle's head that crowned it.
Trunks hopped over to her on his crutches. "Come on, there's something you should see."
She followed him, marveling at how well he managed with his crutches. He made it look so easy, yet she knew the effort it must cost him to get around.
"Where are we going?" She asked as he walked with him down the long winding path, past what appeared to be a native village. Lifelike figures dressed in colorful clothes peeked out from the entrance of a magnificent teepee, while costumed women stood at a wide, smoking barbecue.
The spicy smell of barbecued salmon and hamburgers mad Marron's mouth water. Since she'd skipped breakfast, her mouth begged for a taste of the fragrant food.
Reading her mind, Trunks grinned. "We'll have to lunch here and take a look at the gift shop. But there's something I want you to see first."
Turning her back on the enticing aromas, Marron walked with him to where a small box office sat next to some iron gates. Trunks paused to buy two tickets than held them up in front of her face. "Are you ready for the suspension bridge?" She was beginning to feel a little nervous. "It's not too high up, is it? I'm not very good with heights."
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."
She stood back to let him through the gate, holding it open for him. Then she followed him up to where people stood looking out at what appeared to be a canyon.
Trunks reached the group and looked back at her. "Okay, here we go."
She looked past him, and nearly shrieked. Stretching out in front of her was the longest rope bridge she'd ever seen. There were people walking on it, clinging to the frail handrails of the swaying structure.
She moved closer, almost afraid to look down. When she did, her head spun and her stomach felt as if it had turned a somersault. Far, far below her, water churned across jagged rocks in a torrent of white foam. "How far down is that?" She asked, not really wanting to know.
"About two hundred and thirty feet, give or take an inch," Trunks said cheerfully. "But if it bothers you, don't look down. Just look across. There's Courage Canyon down there, and the bridge spans the river. It's about four hundred and fifty across."
Marron felt sick. Four hundred and fifty feet of swaying, creaking bridge above certain death. This was not what she had in mind for a pleasant day of sightseeing.
"It's perfectly safe," Trunks assured her, turning to face the bridge. "It's steel cable and is tested every single day. Just hold on and take it one step at a time. You'll be just fine."
He swung forward onto the first step and Marron gasped. "You're not serious? You can't go out there on crutches."
"I'm not. I'm going out on one. I'll hold on with the other hand." Trunks propped one of his crutches against the railing. "Come on, it's fun."
This was crazy, Marron thought, watching Trunks swing onto the wooden planks. This was insane. She couldn't do it. She simply couldn't go out there alone. He could lose his balance and topple over. it didn't bear thinking about.
Cursing her employer for his recklessness, Marron stepped onto the bridge. It didn't feel too bad, though for a moment she felt queasy as the wide wooden planks moved slightly beneath her feet.
Trunks was ahead of her, moving deftly one hop at a time. Determined to catch up wit him, Marron gamely stepped out. The further she went, the more the bridge swayed.
Terrified to look down, she kept her gaze firmly on Trunks. He reached the canter of the bridge, then paused, turning back to watch her progress.
She gritted her teeth and kept moving, her fingers gripping the cable barrier until her fingers ached. She was almost up to Trunks when her foot caught against one of the wooden planks. Already unsure of her balance, she tripped forward.
Marron yelped, and Trunks moved at the same time, letting go of his crutch to grab her. His arms closed around her and together they flopped in an inelegant heap onto the swaying floor.
Marron's heart thumped so hard and fast she was sure she was having a heart attack. She didn't know it if was fright, or the fact that she was lying face down on top of her employer with his arms firmly clasped around her waist.
She couldn't see his face as it was buried in her chest, but she could feel his body shaking beneath her as she struggled vainly to get up off him. "Mr. Briefs," she said, her thundering heartbeat making her voice breathless, "you can let go of me now."
His grip relaxed and she scrambled onto her knees, her anxiety for him overriding her embarrassment. "Are you all right? Did you hurt your ankle again?"
He shook his head, but he'd clamped his lips tightly together and squeezed his eyes shut.
Certain that he must be in agony, she shook his shoulder hard. "Where are you hurting? Is it your ankle? Shall I go for help?"
Again he shook his head, but she looked up to where several people were watching them from a distance. She was about to open her mouth to shout for help when Trunks made an odd sound. She looked down again, just in time to see him explode into helpless laughter.
She scowled at him, cross with him for scaring her that way. But he only roared louder, lying on his back, his deep voice echoing across the canyon until finally out of breath, his hearty gusts of laughter died away.
She waited, grim-faced, while he struggled into a sitting position.
"I'm sorry," he said, apparently struggling to keep a straight face. "I knew you were scared, but if you could have seen your expression."
"You could have fallen right over that railing." She stood, none too steadily, and grabbed hold of the cable. "You might have a death wish, Mr. Briefs, but I'd just as soon not witness its fulfillment."
He sobered at once. "You're right, and I'm sorry. But it is perfectly safe. You'd have to practically climb over the side to fall off."
She looked at the fragile barrier between her and the sheer drop below and shuddered. It didn't help when she bent to retrieve his crutch and caught sight of the river beneath her. If this was Trunks' idea of having fun, she wanted no part of it.
Her knees trembled so badly on the way back she was afraid they wouldn't hold her up. She didn't think she'd be able to eat the barbecued salmon she ordered for lunch, but it tasted so good she managed after all and gradually her panic subsided.
Trunks insisted on hobbling around the Trading Post before they left. The vast array of native art, handcrafted leathers and unusual gifts fascinated her, and she spent a long time making up her mind between a beautiful but impractical glass figurine of a dolphin, or a soft, expensive, decorative hand-knitted sweater.
She finally decided on a pair of silver earrings, then spent another half hour buying souvenirs to send home to her family.
Happy with her purchases, she went back to where Trunks waited for her, resting on a chair near the door.
He'd done some shopping too, she noticed, and she picked up the large bag to carry it back to the car for him. He waited until they were once more on the toad before dumping the bag in her lap, saying, "These are for you."
Warily, she opened it, and pulled out the sweater she'd admired, the glass dolphin, and a gorgeous black leather vest embroidered in bright emerald green, pink and yellow across the front. It wasn't something she would have chosen, but she knew instantly that it would look fantastic with her long floral skirts.
She looked up at him, too overwhelmed to say anything.
"To make up for scaring you," Trunks said gently. "Sometimes I forget that there are nice, sane, normal people in the world who know better than to take unnecessary risks."
She smiled, feeling ridiculously close to tears. "Thank you. But it really wasn't necessary. I'm just not very good with heights."
"I know. Which is why we have a change of plans for this afternoon. I was going to suggest a helicopter ride over the canyon, but after this morning, I think a nice leisurely cruise across the harbor would be better."
She nodded, feeling miserable for having spoiled his fun, but forced to agree with him. The thought o getting into a helicopter made her ill. "I'd like that."
"As for dinner on the mountain, I'm going to let you make the decision about that."
Her first instinct was to tell him no way, but she still felt guilty about missing the helicopter ride. "How would we get up there?"
"Cable car. It's really not that steep and it's perfectly safe, I promise you."
She took a deep breath. "I'd like to go."
He gave her a look of approval that warmed her enough to melt away her anxiety. "Good girl. You'll enjoy it, I promise you."
Much to her surprise, she really did enjoy the trip. The cable car was bigger and much more secure than she'd imagined, and the view from the top of Bull Mountain took her breath away.
Seated at a window table, with the light of the city spread out below them, the candlelight casting a soft glow across the table, Marron began to relax. A glass of wine really helped, and soon she was making Trunks laugh with some of her anecdotes about her family.
"This is wonderful," she said when the plates had been cleared away and they sat enjoying a cup of fragrant coffee. "I had a really great time today."
Trunks' eyes crinkled as he smiled at her across the table. "You forgive me for scaring you so badly this morning?"
She shrugged. "I scared myself. Silly, I guess."
"No, it's not silly." He reached out and patted her hand, and she knew she'd feel the touch of his fingers all night long. "Don't ever apologize for who you are, Marron. You are unique, and quite special. I can't remember when I've had a better time than I had today."
More smooth phrases, she told herself, but try as she might, she could not forget the warm sincerity in his eyes when he'd spoken those words. And she was right. She felt the touch of his fingers on her and all nightlong.
All too soon they were once more driving back in the rain toward Pisces. Marron felt exhausted, and a little depressed. She had fallen in love with the beautiful city of Taurus and it was hard to leave.
But it was more than that. She felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction with herself, as if she had let herself down somehow, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the constant reminder of how ill equipped she was to deal with Trunks' lifestyle. The vast difference between their two worlds had never been more evident than in the past two days.
Even Trunks was quiet on the way home. He was probably tired, Marron thought, glancing at him with concern. It must have been an ordeal for him hobbling around on one foot, though he never let it slow him down.
"Are you okay?" She asked after a particularly long silence had her worried.
"I'm fine. How about you? Did you really have a good time?"
"I had a wonderful time. Thank you. It was the best trip I've ever had. Though I feel guilty that we didn't get any work done."
Trunks smiled. "Your job was to keep me company. And you did it very well. I should be thanking you."
"I don't think Mrs. Morris would agree with you."
"To hell with Mrs. Morris."
Marron let out a shocked gasp, but she couldn't help smiling.
When they finally reached the River Rat's mooring, she was so tired she could hardly see. She helped carry Trunks' bags up to the ramp for him, then stood awkwardly waiting while he unlocked the door.
"Just go home," he said, as the door swung open. "You must be exhausted. You can take the car back in the morning."
She dropped the bag inside the kitchen, then backed out onto the porch. "Well, thank you again, Mr. Briefs. I really had a wonderful time."
He stood in the doorway, balanced easily on his one good foot. His expression was hard to define, but she thought his eyes held a hint of sadness. "Trunks," he said softly. "Ah, sweet Marron, my day will be truly perfect when you can call me Trunks, instead of stuffy old Mr. Briefs."
She had learned to accept his compliments as nothing but polite, empty phrases. Even so, as she gazed up at his smiling face, she felt a nagging ache deep inside that had nothing to do with missing Pisces. It went much deeper than that.
It was the ache of loss, or rather, what could never be.
For the first time in her life, she cursed the family genes that had dealt her a different hand than those of her sisters.
"Good night, Trunks," she whispered, and fled down the ramp before she let him see how much she had learned to care for a black-hearted rebel without a conscience.
The End
Would you truly hate me if it ended here? Tell me what you think.