Running Northwest (31 page)

“We might get ice cream or something but his mom’s gunna bring food,” the boy replied.

“Okay, well here is $20.00 bucks, whatever you don’t use bring back to me okay. And don’t go and buy a bunch of candy and stuff with it got it” Thomas said as he handed his son the money.

“I won’t Dad and thanks,” the boy said smiling as he jumped down and gave his dad a hug.

“Go out to the truck and grab your backpack and I’ll give you some bottled stuff from here to drink and a few snacks. But leave your laptop with me I don’t want you getting sand in it by accident” Thomas said as he handed his son the keys for their truck.

“Okay Dad, I’ll leave it in the truck” the boy replied as he turned and ran out the café’s back door and out to the truck and leaving Thomas and Tracie alone.

“He’s really excited Tommy
,
” Tracie said

“Yeah he
is, the kid is growing up babe” Thomas answered.

“You’re too cute, already worried about your little boy getting bigger” she said.

“Well these things happen” Thomas replied as he watched his son coming back into the shop thru the front door this time. Then he reached for Tracie’s hand pulled her closer to him and kissed her.

The boy walked in the door as Thomas and Tracie were kissing and said, “Couldn’t even wait for me to leave before you two got all kissy-kissy, could you?”

“Hey these things happen buddy” Thomas said as him and Tracie smiled.

“I know Dad but I don’t get the kissing thing. It seems gross
,
” the boy said then suddenly adding, “Tracie, does my dad put his tongue in your mouth when you kiss”

The last comment from the boy almost caused Thomas to spit out his coffee he had just taken a sip of; he looked over at Tracie and saw that her face was bright red. The boy was staring at them waiting for an answer.

“Um sometimes he does handsome but it’s only an accident, He don’t really mean too” Tracie replied not sure what else to say.

“Huh…yeah I bet it feels really weird. The whole idea kind of freaks me out a little” Daniel said

“So I’ve heard, well Danny I don’t think it’s anything you’re going to have to worry about for a while” Tracie said smiling.

“Thank goodness for that” Daniel said as he handed his dad his backpack.

Thomas set his son backpack on the counter and opened it up. Then he started loading some juice drinks and a 20oz soda into the bag along with some cereal bars and a few small bags of chips. Then Thomas handed it back to his son. A moment later, there was a honk of a horn as a black SUV pulled into the parking lot.

Daniel smiled and then said “they’re here Dad”

“Okay buddy lets go outside so I can talk too Stevie’s mom all right, hey do you have your cell phone?” Thomas asked.

“Yeah Dad I got it, it’s in my backpack” Daniel replied but Thomas already knew where the phone was but just wanted to check.

Thomas and his son headed out the café’s front door as Stevie and his mother were getting out of their SUV. Thomas had never really met Stevie; he had seen him at the kid’s school a few times but never talked to him much if at all. He had never met the boy’s mother before either whose name was Amy, so he spent a few minutes talking to her to feel her out. They talked for about ten minutes and after Amy agreed to get Daniel back no later than 8 pm, the beach bound friends got into Amy’s SUV and left. As Thomas stood there Tracie came out the front door of the shop and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, she looked and him and said “stop worrying so much stud, he will be fine. It’s a nice day to be out at the beach”

“Yeah I know he will, he will call me if there are any issues” Thomas answered.

“Of course he will and besides Tommy you know you are going to be checking the GPS locator on his phone every half hour or so just to make sure he is where he is supposed to be” Tracie said.

“You know me to well” Thomas replied.

“I know you well enough to know you’re going to watch out for your son and that’s another reason I think you’re sexy as hell” Tracie said smiling.

Thomas pulled her closer to him and kissed her again, this time for a little bit longer since his son was not around. The two of them went back inside so Tracie could get back to work. Thomas sat down and talked with one of regulars for a little while and then after saying goodbye to Tracie, he got in his truck and left
heading
over to The Whaleback to see if Derrick was still there. It had been a while since he had part of day all to himself and was not quite sure what to do with his time. Tracie had plans with a few of her friends for the night so if he did see her, it would not be until much later.

Her flight had gone smooth enough and she slept for a large portion of it. However, as soon as she landed at the Portland International Airport at around 10:45 am Pacific Time Stephanie’s nerves started to get the best of her and she called Karen for a quick pep talk. As Stephanie made her way through the airport to get her luggage and then to the rental car counter she felt tense and lonely. She had traveled light and only brought a small carry on piece of luggage and her laptop bag. The clothes she had decided to bring had giving her some issues when it came to packing for her trip. Oregon’s weather and specifically the coast could change frequently and she had spent the last two weeks watching the weather. She had decided on bringing three different changes of clothes and if she had to pick something up at a store while in Oregon, she would.

When she was making her reservations before the trip, she decided to splurge and rent a convertible while in Oregon, assuming during May the weather would be nice. However, when she landed in Portland it was raining and she briefly questioned that choice of vehicle for her trip. The nice older man at the car rental counter assured her the weather would clear up for the most part but also cautioned her that on the coast it would rain periodically regardless. Then he went off on
a
tangent about why Oregon had such varying weather patterns as you went around the state and the differing climate. Stephanie was polite and nodded as she pretended to listen but was not really listening much at all. After getting the keys and heading to her car, which turned out to be a Chrysler Sebring, she left the airport and slowly made her way to the highway.

If not for the built in GPS unit in the car she would have been lost and confused for sure on Portland’s totally foreign highway system. She remembered hearing Thomas talk about the traffic in Portland and how much he hated it. Now as Stephanie drove she completely understood why. Even with the help of the built in GPS, she almost missed two exits to merge onto other highways to go the direction she had to. The driving style of people in Portland was erratic and unpredictable and made her nervous; she was cut off several times along with being honked at. It was lunchtime and construction season and it took her nearly an hour just get out of the general Portland area. While sitting in traffic she debated on which way to go to get to Cannon Beach. She briefly considered going through Tillamook than up the coast but decided against it.

Eventually she made her way west down a stretch of road called The Sunset Highway, or Highway 26, which was where she was now. A few minutes earlier, she had passed the exit for Tillamook and as she continued towards Cannon Beach she was happy she didn’t allow herself to get too eager just yet. The rain had ended for the time being so she stopped at a drive-thru coffee stand to get something to drink and put the convertible top down on her rental car. When she got back on the road, the fresh air and wind in her hair felt wonderful to her. As she drove further, she noticed the air even smelled different
.
She tried to look and notice everything and could see the coastal mountain range getting closer and closer. Everything seemed greener to her in Oregon, and in many ways better for some reason. The trees were bigger and taller than she had ever seen in her life and as she went down the road, she felt small.

Back home Stephanie was used to the mowed grassy medians on the roads and with exception of a few roads in the northern part of Michigan they seemed dingy and boring. However, in Oregon even the trees that had fallen over on the side of the road seemed green and interesting. She laughed as she passed a sign that said “elk crossing” something she you never see back in Michigan. As she drove, the road got narrower and she could feel the rising altitude causing her ears to pop. The road eventually began to make curves that are more substantial and she felt like the forest around her was going to swallow her whole.

After going around yet another curve, she saw an open gravel area on the left side of the road and decided to stop and stretch her legs. When she stopped her car and got out, she saw a waterfall about 20 yards into the trees. Somewhere inside of her, she felt a sudden gush of happiness and peace that she could not explain. She had seen a few waterfalls before but never like this, and never this close. The fact that she was here in Oregon felt like a dream to her still and maybe that’s why seeing this waterfall meant so much and made her feel the way it did. She walked closer to it and after going down a worn path, she was just feet away from the cascading water, cool droplets hitting her skin. She looked up to the top of the hill, as the water seemed to appear out of nowhere. Above her she could see the remains of a tree that fell, it looked bigger than anything she had ever seen in person. The sun was peeking through the tops of the trees when it was not hidden behind the clouds, and the way the light filtered through was like looking at a painting. The light bounced off water sitting on the leaves on the trees and the huge ferns were mesmerizing to her, it seemed almost hypnotic. She reached her hand towards the falling water and let it hit her hand; she had heard about mountain water and wanted to taste it. Stephanie heard a noise and looked up to see a deer, a doe looking down at her from the rise above her. It was munching on some sort of plant, stared at Stephanie, and did not seem too concerned with this human being there; a moment later it turned and bounded off the way it had come. Stephanie looked at her cell phone and decided it was time to leave, she was extremely happy she had decided to stop at this spot.

While Stephanie was at the little waterfall hidden off the side of the road she noticed that the sky was staring to cloud up the way she was heading. She headed back towards the rental car when she felt tiny drops of rain hitting the back of her neck and arms. When she got in the car she put the convertible top back up and then head west again towards the coast. As she drove, she could see the tall mountains that lined the coast through breaks in the trees all around her. Her mind started wandering to things that may or may not happen while she was on the coast for the next few days as she drove. She had a plan, but she silently wondered if that plan would work out the way she thought it would back in Michigan. She wished she was on better terms with Derrick and she thought maybe not letting him know that she was coming out there was a mistake. She was excited but also felt lonely all at the same time. Stephanie wondered if this was how Thomas felt when he came back to Oregon after she broke his heart.

Stephanie’s back was hurting and she was tired of driving so she was elated when she saw the exit sign for Cannon Beach. The GPS unit had been getting on her nerves so she turned the volume down earlier, but now nearing the exit, she turned it back up. As she pulled off on the exit, she followed the demanding female voice of the GPS unit. After getting off the exit and a turn to the left, she headed south for a short ways. She followed the GPS’s orders and a few minutes later, she was driving into the small resort town of Cannon Beach.

As she drove into the little town she instantly fell in love, she had never seen anything like this place. The little shops that lined both sides of the road caught her eye, and she was excited to explore them all. They all seemed to have the same outer design and grayish color and as she drove, she was surprised there were not any “chain” stores, not even a Starbucks. Even though it was a Wednesday, there was still a fair amount of people walking up and down the sidewalks. She saw older and younger couples, people with kids and a lot of people with dogs that made her miss her own dog Shadow quite a bit. Stephanie caught brief glimpse of the Pacific Ocean to her right as she drove slowly through the business district and eventually she made her way to a more residential area. She followed the directions the GPS unit was giving her and a few moments later pulled into the small driveway of the house she was renting for her trip. It sat in a group of small houses right off the beach. Stephanie got out of her car, stretched her legs. She was caught off guard by the views all around her.

The small house was on a hill overlooking the beach, the outside was light grey or blue and she could see a small deck facing the ocean. There only seemed to be a few other houses between her and the beach was only a short walk away just as the owners told her. Stephanie saw an extremely large rock right off the beach that towered above the water, the people in front of it seemed like ants. The wind was picking up and it was lightly raining but she did not mind at all. A big smile grew on her face and she felt less nervous and just happy to be where she was. The waves that were hitting the beach were amazing and just as beautiful as Thomas had always told her. As she stood there looking out over a part of the world she had never seen before she got lost in her own mind when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She quickly spun around to see a woman who looked to be in her 60’s smiling at her. Stephanie was very happy she did not punch the woman in the face, which was her gut instinct when touched from behind.