Hiking

My lungs burned. My legs were on fire. Just one more lap, I cheered myself, and then you can stop. A burst of energy jolted through me like electricity and I sprinted the last lap and slowed to a jog, then a brisk walk, then a stroll. Hands resting on my head, I slowly walked a few more laps, enjoying the sun on my shoulders, and the glory of sweaty accomplishment.
I had begun running at this track close to my apartment a few months ago. My new roommate was a sports medicine major and had made me her project. I had also joined a women’s gym and was enjoying the effects of working out consistently. The only problem with the track is it gave me too much time to think. About *Paul. About Joe*. About Richard. I shook my head when an image of Richard, laughing and teasing about something, popped into my head. How could I think so much about someone I met once? It just felt pathetic.
I stopped near the bleachers where I had tossed my water bottle and keys and sat down to stretch. I told myself I was better off without another man, friend or not, to confuse my thoughts.
Things had finally been settled with Paul*. After two years I had finally found the strength to sever ties. It was clear to him that I wasn’t coming back. My new love was God. He was my strength, my song. I had walked away from Him for so long and it felt amazing to be resting in His grace.
Joe, on the other hand, was throwing confusion back into my life. Joe had been my friend for years. We had dated my first year of college, but when I came home the distance was too much. I was young and had a lot to discover in life. We remained friends and I spent one week a year with his mom at the beach where they lived. He had been a great encouragement to me and never judged. Lately, he had been whispering sweet nothings to me over the phone. He had asked if I would consider moving to the coast to live with his mom and see if we could have a relationship again. After all we had been through I was considering it. He was an amazing friend. And I did love him. But thoughts of Richard, a man I had met only once, would not leave my mind or heart. It just didn’t make sense.
With a sigh, I decided to go shower, then have dinner with my dad. Mom was out of town and I knew he would be a great distraction.
Later that evening, Heather called and invited me to go bowling with her, Carl* and some friends. I had stopped asking a few weeks before if Richard would join us. I knew he wouldn’t and I didn’t think I wanted him to. I was tired of thinking about him.
I walked into the bowling alley and found Heather immediately. We hugged and chatted for a few minutes. One great thing about meeting Richard was that Heather and I had spent more time together in recent weeks than we had in years. It was wonderful to have my friend back in everyday my life.
I decided not to bowl and sat down next to Carl* to watch Heather take her turn. The player before her looked familiar…my breath caught when the tall man with reddish hair pumped his arms in the air and turned around, rejoicing over his strike.
Richard.
I wanted to punch him right in the gut.
I didn’t.
I avoided him and played cool and casual. I laughed and enjoyed the rest of the group. Near the end of the game, the chair next to me was open and Richard plopped down into it. He watched me for a moment and I watched back.
“I have to fart,” he stated.
Um, ok. Not sure what to do I waved my hand out in front of me, “So fart.” I said.
“Ok,” he answered. And he did. Not sure what to do, I gave him a sarcastic high five. (This was Richard’s moment of: I’m going to marry this woman” – gross, I know, but it’s part of our story!)
We all went to McDonald’s afterwards and back to my place for more movies. Richard and I spent a great deal of the night talking. He had just been hired on with a police department in the area. He told me that was his dream. If he hadn’t been hired he was planning to move to Colorado to try departments there.
I can’t remember all that we talked about, but we talked a lot. We were both the babies in our families. Both a little tired of being the single sibling. Of feeling left out of the family. But both enjoying our 20s.
It was a fun night, but by now I was thinking of Joe and back to not being interested in guys.
Until the hike.
When I joined the women’s gym, I had to write a list of goals. The gym was amazing. Small and intimate, I knew all the workers and they knew me. They would encourage me in my progress and give me tips. My main goal was to hike. Simple, yes, but hiking had always been intimidating to me. At the camp where I spent my summers, there was a hike that everyone went on at night at least once during camp week. I went, sure, but was terrified and out of shape and miserable the entire time. I hated those memories and wanted to “conquer that mountain” so to speak.
Heather invited me to go hiking and camping the next weekend with her, Carl*, Dickie, and another guy. I immediately felt apprehensive and wanted to refuse. But my desire to fulfill my goal outweighed my fear. I agreed and told her she better warn all the other happy campers that I was a complete newbie in this area.
Early Saturday morning, we all gathered at Heather’s house. I had zero camping or hiking supplies, so they all scrounged from their stuff and let me carry the lightest load. This lit a fire in me. I wanted to be seen as strong and capable and was determined to not let them see once ounce of fear or apprehension.
The plan was to hike into camp near a stream, camp there overnight, hike a bit more and come home the next day.
That was the plan.
Unfortunately whoever was our guide for the trip had mixed something up and the water wasn’t accessible. After a couple hours of comfortable hiking, we reached a valley of boulders on the side of a mountain. We needed to get across them. As we scrambled our way through, I became increasingly aware (and uncomfortable) that Richard was bringing up the rear. He was right behind me the entire hike. I appreciated it and was impressed with what a gentleman he was, but seriously. I didn’t need this guy watching my every clumsy move. I found out later he was “checking out my can”. I focused on Heather, right in front of me, as she hoofed it up and around a rather large boulder. Once her second foot was on it, the rock slid. With Heather perched on top, it began to slide down the mountain and we both screamed. Richard still insists that it hardly moved, but Heather was on it and I watched from close behind. It more than slid. It was about to tumble down and start a major disaster for us. Terror began to take hold of me as headlines flashed through my mind:
“Five hikers lost…”
”Lost hikers found crushed to death from rock slide…”
My heart cried out to the Lord for safety and the rock came to a halt. Seriously. Just like that.
My next memory of this hiking trip is sitting on a few large rocks with the other guy and Richard, baking like lizards while Heather and Carl* argued a little further up the mountain. We sat for hours. Joking. Grumbling. Being goofy to try to lighten the lovebirds up.
I leaned back and raised my face toward the sun. At least we were sitting still for a bit. A dark shadow passed in front of me and I squinted up where the sun used to be. It was now hidden by a threatening thundercloud. I didn’t know much about hiking or camping, but I did know that if it was going to rain, we were not in a good spot. The headlines were back:
“Woman on weekend camping trip struck by lightening…”
“Missing hikers from last spring found in river…”
”Flash floods swept hikers through rock valley. Undetermined whether they drowned or were crushed to death by heavy boulders…”
Fortunately, Richard took charge and let the quarrelers know we needed to head back. Once we reached our cars, the boys in one and Heather and I in mine, I couldn’t believe how comfortable I had been the whole time. Heather and I talked about what an anxious soul I am. I had never been so relaxed around a man that I was attracted to. I joked with her that if I married Richard my signature would be: “B. Riehl” since I only sign my first initial and last name. She teased me for already doing the silly girl thing and testing his last name. I was shocked at myself. And annoyed that I was being “such a girl”.
We all decided to go back to my place once again and just set up a camping trip there.
We bought snacks, laid out blankets and watched movies. Richard kissed me that night while we lay talking in the dark. Wow that sounds bad! We were all crammed together in my living room so nothing indecent could take place, I assure you. Richard and I, with my back right up against Heather, talked about his new job. Apparently he had already lost a few friends over his decision to be a police officer. He asked me if his new profession bothered me. I assured him it didn’t. He kissed me at some point after that. It was a quick nervous kiss. One that caught me completely off guard. I have always hated that memory. I wasn’t ready and wasn’t sure I wanted to be kissed at that point in time.
He asked me if I would wait for him to come back from Academy. It was said with all the dramatic flair of a man asking a woman to wait for him to return from war. I asked where Academy was. It was in town, he said. We laughed. So much for dramatics. I didn’t answer him. I really didn’t want to be falling so hard for this man.
Or to face the fact that I needed to talk to Joe, who was in Mexico and unable to call for a week, about all that had happened in that weekend…

This is almost exactly what Richard looked like that day. He wore this shirt, I borrowed that water pack he's sucking on. He just wore a green bandanna on his head.