“But we have to start from the very bottom,” said one man from Nate’s group.
“No!” declared Beatrice. “That’s where you’re dead wrong. You are all not starting from the bottom, but from the top, and you get to shape these young children’s futures one simple day at a time. Do you all know how long a day is when you’re surrounded by nature and not a care in the world—no traffic, no bosses, no deadlines or late nights? Do you? Well, I do, and it’s longer than you can imagine. So long it makes one lifetime feel like five, and that is what I pray for each and every one of you here. To find that simple magical day for yourselves and repeat it over and over until your bones get so stiff, you need help standing.”
We cheered her on as she waltzed around the room.
“It’s the getting started that’s hard,” she called out, spinning Veronica around.
* * * *
We spent the afternoon finishing the first greenhouse, minus the planting.
As promised, Ronna’s group passed us by without a second look.
Our group met after dinner briefly, with a plan to leave in two or three days.
“Our friends should be here tomorrow,” I told them, “but they have been held up for a few days already and shouldn’t need much of a break except to have Sheila and Vlad take a look at their truck and trailer.”
More than a few of our group were getting nervous about the trip.
It’s one thing, I thought, leaving town when you don’t have a choice, but quite another to leave a safe place you have called home for the last two weeks.
Either way, we were a group. And besides Tina staying—and hopefully not Mike and Sheila—the rest of us would be on our way.
I understood what Joy was talking to Mike about, and maybe I was selfish but we needed him and Sheila as much as anyone else, or even more, for this last leg of the trip.
* * * *
Joy and I got the call from Mark that our friends were at the junction on top of Raton Pass.
We gave them directions down the winding dirt road, with confirmation from Nate that the original ditch trap had been filled in, as he promised Joy.
“Be careful, because the bridge is out,” I told them. “I’ll meet you on your side of it. Take your time, but the roads should be clear and you should make it in about an hour.”
Hudson, Jax and Hendrix were excited about seeing their old friends again. They had spent so much time together over the past several years that they all felt like second cousins.
Talking with David, we agreed that as long as there were no people seen on the way in, we would keep my friends’ truck and Airstream trailer over on the other side where the bridge was and not attempt a river crossing, just to turn back around and do it again in a day or two.
Sheila and Vlad had been working on our vehicles and trailers, as well as David’s.
I didn’t need to ask David about Mike’s pending decision. Who would mind a great mechanic and Terminator-style fighter staying with their group?
If it were just up to Beatrice, I thought, he would stay for sure.
I decided to let God handle it and not ask any questions.
Honk! Honk! Honk! came the sound from across the river.
Joy and I, with the kids, made our way over to the edge of our side on four-wheelers.
“Hold tight, guys! We will be over to get you,” I called out loudly.
* * * *
David, back at camp, got a visit from a grumpy man of the mountain, carrying his pug under his arm.
“What’s all this racket over here?” he asked angrily. “It sounds like New York City at rush hour. Honk! Honk! Honk!”
David had to laugh. “Sir, you didn’t think all the shooting, helicopters and planes the other day were disturbing. But a couple of truck honks gets you upset?”
“That’s different, and you know it. Shooting is one thing, and this here is another,” the old man continued.
“Sir, we will try to keep the noise level down, and you’ll be happy to know that those men across the river are no more.”
“Well, at least that’s something,” he grumbled, walking away.
* * * *
We got everyone safely across the river.
“Hey, guys!” I said. “Man, it’s good to see you!”
“Me too!” added Joy.
The kids ran behind us and Adan’s son brought his soccer ball out.
“What’s going on here?” asked Kat, pointing to Joy’s ankle and my leg.
“It’s a long story,” said Joy, “but I’ll catch you ladies up on everything going on here. Follow me,” she told them, introducing them around camp.
“You said you lost two on the way?” I asked Shane.
“Yeah, a couple—some other friends you’ve never met. No kids thankfully, but those guys just panicked when we got in a bad spot and ran right into harm’s way.”
“Did the kids see it?” I asked.
“Yep, every bit of it, I’m sorry to report,” he said with a sigh.
“We’ve had our fair share of that as well,” I told him.
“I honestly can’t believe we’re here talking with you,” said Adan. “I never would have thought something like this would be so hard, and we’re only halfway.”
“That’s true,” I responded, “but we’re bigger now, more powerful, and most of all, we’re seasoned. There’s a lot to be said
