Oslo Overtures (13 page)

“Our days are in God’s hands. You know that. Every one of them. We could give up flying today and be knocked down by a car tomorrow. Or we could fly the skies together until we’re too old to climb into our wingsuits.”

He made such a good argument. If only she could allow her heart to fall for it.

“Come away with me to Kjerag. We’ll be there for a week, then in Stryn the next week.”

“I live in Stryn.”

“I know. We’ve spoken of it.” His smile was soft. “I could live there too…” He brushed his lips against hers and she longed for more. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Anjelica closed her eyes.

Me, too.
Her eyes flew open. No. What was she thinking? She slipped out of his arms, turned and ran across the grass.

“Angel. Stop. Wait.”

“I can’t. I just can’t…” Rather the loss now, in this way, than later in the worst way imaginable. If she ended things tonight, the pain would eventually ease. And if she told herself that enough, perhaps she’d start to believe it.

~*~

While Luke snored through the night, Kyle tossed and turned. He was losing sleep over this girl. He’d lose a whole lot more if he lost her. It hadn’t sounded good when she’d wanted to talk. How could he get through to her? Should he even try? He really wanted to, he just didn’t know how.

Her words mulled in his mind.
I can’t lose you
. How foolish of him to think she wasn’t prepared to let him go. What was that quote about setting what you love free? Oh yes, if it came back, it was yours. If not, it never was.

If he set Anjelica free, would she come back?

He had to trust the One who had brought them together in the first place.

14

Much as Kyle wanted to take the opportunity to sleep in, Luke wouldn’t let him.

“C’mon, Bro, the mountains of Kjerag await.” He shook Kyle’s shoulder again. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss our ride with the Norwegians. Then we’ll have to hire a car, and you know how I hate driving on the other side of the road.”

Kyle didn’t care. Anjelica had a car. He was certain he’d be able to convince her to come along with them. He’d told her he was falling for her, that he was staying. And deep in his heart he knew she was the angel God had sent him from heaven. With a good night’s rest behind her, she’d surely feel different this morning.

He turned onto his back and locked his hands behind his head. A smile washed across his face. He couldn’t wait for them to fly together just for fun, to lock hands with her in a freefall. The past week they’d had to conform to the flocking formation every time they hit the skies.

Kyle grabbed the pillow and pulled it over his head to drown out Luke’s incessant nagging.

“Is that how it’s going to be?” Luke bellowed.

A foot jammed in Kyle’s ribs. The next thing he knew, he was being shoved across the sheets to the edge of his bed. There was nothing he could do to stop from falling out and hitting the floor with a thud.

“Maskil!” Kyle hauled himself up and crossed his arms on top of the mattress. He peered over the rumpled bedding. Snatching his pillow from the floor, he flung it across the room. It hit Luke square in the face.

Luke fell back onto his bed with a groan, feigning a mortal wound.

Kyle hurried to his feet. “OK. I have dibs on the shower. We can find the Norwegians at breakfast.”

Despite being hungry, first thing he’d do once downstairs, was find his Angel. Showered and shaved, Kyle left the room. He stopped at Anjelica’s room on the way, knocked and waited. A few seconds later he tried again. No response. Perhaps she and Brandy had already gone for breakfast.

Kyle tried the dining room next and spotted Brandy. He walked to the table she shared with three male wingsuiters—another American, an Australian and an Italian. They all vied, without shame, for her attention. The Italian seemed to hold the upper hand.

Kyle cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Anjelica?” He directed his question at Brandy.

“I thought she was with you. She wasn’t in the room when I woke this morning.”

A sick feeling washed over Kyle.

Brandy’s eyes widened, as if having an epiphany. “Come to think of it, neither was her luggage.”

The nausea anchored in Kyle’s stomach. He ran outside to the parking lot. The space where her car had parked was now empty. He hurried back inside to the lobby.

“Miss Joergensen? She checked out already,” the receptionist said.

She’d gone? Without saying goodbye?

When he’d left New Zealand for Oslo, he knew he was travelling to one of the world’s most expensive cities. He just didn’t know it would cost him this much.

~*~

By the time Anjelica reached Ralf’s door, her eyes were swollen and her nose blocked. She fell into her brother’s arms. Leaving without saying goodbye had expended the energy of ten flights. But if she’d seen Kyle, she would’ve changed her mind. And she couldn’t do that. Rather the heartache now, than years of mourning later.

Our days are in God’s hands.
Kyle’s words had assailed her all the way from the hotel into Oslo city center.
We could fly the skies together until we’re too old to climb into our wingsuits.
What a beautiful thought to grow old with him.

Come away with me…
She should’ve stayed.

Seated on the couch, Anjelica fought for composure, while Ralf made coffee. She grabbed another tissue from her bag, dried her eyes, and blew her nose. What a mess she was.

Ralf returned to the lounge with two steaming cups in his hand. He passed one to her, then took a sip from his own.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on?”

Anjelica shook her head. She needed more time. Maybe after she’d finished her coffee. Maybe not. She walked to the window. Gazing through the glass across the fjord, she shivered. The fateful lighthouse event, just three days ago, had brought her to this place of resolution.

She turned. “Can I stay here with you for awhile?”

“Of course.” Ralf joined her at the window.

They sipped their coffee and stared across the fjord, saying nothing.

Eventually, Ralf broke the silence. “What time do you need to leave?”

“Leave? I’m not leaving today. I said I needed to stay for awhile.”

“Oh. I misunderstood. For how long, then?”

“Around two weeks.”

Ralf’s eyes widened. “T−two weeks?”

Yes.
She couldn’t go back home until Kyle had been to Stryn and left. “Too long?”

“Of course not. But what do Mamma and Pappa say about this?”

“They don’t know yet.”

Ralf’s look told her she’d better let their parents know about her change of plans. “Well, if you’re staying, we’d best get your suitcases upstairs. And then you’re going to tell me everything. I’m not offering you my shoulder without knowing why.”

~*~

Anjelica only wanted a place to hide for the fortnight, not a two-week counselling session. Ralph always meant well by offering his opinion at every sentence, but it was the reason for her reluctance to unburden herself to him.

Yet, as she recounted the week’s events, Ralf kept unusually quiet. She stared at him, waiting for guidance, some words of wisdom from her older brother.

As if sensing her desire, he spoke. “You should have a talk with my pastor’s wife. They have a love story they love to tell. She, too, fell for someone she swore she never would. A missionary. She despised missionaries. Landed up marrying him soon after, and I’ve never seen two people more in love than Adam and Eveliina.” Ralf took Anjelica’s cup. “More?”

She nodded. At this rate she’d never get to sleep tonight. What was worse—being awake or asleep? Kyle consumed her thoughts during her waking hours, and in her slumber, he filled her dreams.

“Anjelica, if someone is your soul mate—God’s choice for you—you cannot fight it. No matter how much you try to run away, He’ll work it out.”

She shrugged her shoulders. It would have to be a miracle, because Kyle had no idea where to find her. And by the time she returned to Stryn, he’d be gone, winging his way back to New Zealand.

“Maybe I’ll talk with Eveliina tomorrow.”

~*~

They filled the sky. Kyle, Luke, and the Norwegians they’d hitched a ride to Kjerag with. Western Norway’s skies had been even more tantalizing as those in Oslo, the flights breathtaking. But, despite the amazing experience, an emptiness made itself uncomfortably at home in Kyle. With each passing day, Anjelica’s absence weighed more on him. Where was she? What was she doing? Had she missed him, too?

Each new day brought expectancy. Soon he’d be in Stryn, and he’d find her. In that small town, how many restaurants along the banks of the Nordfjorden could there be with the most beautiful blonde in the world working inside? Perhaps Erick would tell him which one belonged to her family.

Kyle couldn’t help hoping the week apart had given her time to reflect. Had she struggled to function without him as he had without her? Was her every thought consumed with memories of his touch, his kiss?

When he found her, he’d tell her—no, he’d show her—how much he loved her.

Stryn was almost as beautiful as Anjelica. High mountains capped in snow surrounded lakes the color of her eyes. Verdant spruce blanketed their lower reaches, and in between the forests, grassy slopes in shades far lighter, rolled down to the water’s edge. Wooden farmhouses with turf roofs dotted the surrounds.

He could live here.

Keen to wingsuit from the mountains of Stryn with Kyle and Luke, the Norwegians had offered to drive them north. After checking into their hotel, the others sought the mountaintops, while Kyle took to the streets, determined to find the Joergensen family restaurant. In a town with only a few thousand residents, and a handful of restaurants, he didn’t have to look far. As he entered the first restaurant, Kyle knew he had the right place the moment he spotted the proprietress. The middle-aged woman held the same beauty and elegance as her daughter.

He hadn’t thought what he’d say, how he’d ask about Anjelica. He couldn’t very well open with, “Hi there, I’m a wingsuiter, and I’ve fallen in love with your daughter. When will she be at work, or do you know where I can find her? She ran out on me.”

He’d order an early dinner. A good place to start. Perhaps Anjelica’s mother would strike up a conversation with him. But what if her mother didn’t speak English? He’d heard some strange dialects in this country already.

Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.

Mrs. Joergensen placed a menu down on the table in front of Kyle and smiled. “
God kveld
.”

Kyle returned the smile she offered. “Uh, hello.”

“Ah, a foreigner? Pardon my mother-tongue greeting.”

A pang of regret stabbed him. If only his first encounter with Anjelica had been this cordial.

“What can I get for you? Something to eat? Something to drink?”

“I’ll look at the menu for a moment, but water would be great.”

“You’re not a drinking man? No beer?”

Kyle shook his head.

“That is good. Still or sparkling?”

Another pang—the first time he’d sat down and spoken to Anjelica, the first time he’d kissed her. “Still, please.”

With a nod, she left, returning soon with a bottle and a glass. “Where are you from?”

“New Zealand.”

“You
are
a far way from home. What brings you to Stryn? Summer skiing? River rafting? Slopeflying? The glaciers?”

Many things…only one mattered. But now was not the time to tell her.

“Wingsuit flying. You have the most beautiful mountains and fjords.”

“We do. You were here for the bigway in Oslo? We have been inundated with fliers from all over the world this past week.”

Kyle nodded. “Yes, I was. We were in Kjerag last week.” He sipped his water. His nerves had dried his mouth. He’d not expected the conversation to turn in his favor this fast.

“My daughter is a wingsuiter, too. She flew lead in the Oslo bigway. Perhaps you met her? Anjelica Joergensen?”

Kyle took a deep breath and smiled wide.

15

Kyle filled the hours that week in Stryn with flying. When he wasn’t flying, he searched for work. With the prospect of no sponsorship looming for possibly two years, he needed to supplement his income if he was to remain in Norway. Four days had passed, and nothing. Two days left in Stryn didn’t leave much time to find employment.

He still had no idea where Anjelica was, and her parents weren’t saying a word. For all he knew, she was right under his nose, hiding at home.

But he trusted God to find him work and the woman he loved.

His nights had been spent in the Joergensens’s restaurant with Luke, Erick, and the Kjerag wingsuiters. Each night, after the others left, he stayed to chat with Anjelica’s parents. He’d help clean in the kitchen and prep for breakfast the following day. Seemed they hadn’t been prepared for Anjelica’s extended absence.

Trailed by his usual entourage of high fliers, Kyle stepped inside the restaurant for his fifth dinner in as many days. Anjelica’s mother stood at the door to welcome them.

“
God kveld
, Mrs. Joergensen,” Kyle greeted.

“Mrs. J!” Luke held his hand up to give her a high-five. She’d learned what was expected of her when Luke greeted. She slapped her palm to Luke’s in the air.

“Kyle. Luke. It’s good to see you…again.” She grabbed a handful of menus, greeting the Norwegians in their own language, and followed them to the table they always occupied. She slid a menu in front of them each and armed herself with pen and paper, ready to take their drinks order. “And how was the flying today?”

“It was fantastic, as always,” Kyle replied.

A guffaw blasted out from Luke. “That’s because you landed amongst your favorite fleecy friends today, Sheppard.”