Running Northwest (53 page)

As Stephanie looked out over a different body of water than what she had been looking at a week before. She wondered if Oregon was the reason she ran from Thomas almost six years ago, or at the very least part of it. She for as long as she had known him knew how much he loved Oregon and the coast. She along with his and their closest friends knew Thomas
’
going back to Oregon was inevitable; it was a matter of when not if. At that point, Stephanie was young and not ready to consider about leaving Michigan the state where she was born and raised. Did the fear of him leaving and either wanting her to go with him or leaving without her keep her from dating Thomas, from letting herself fall in love all the way. He might have stayed here in Michigan until she was ready; if that ever happened and she knew then Thomas would have always been unhappy being here even if he never said it. The sun was setting now and soon it would be time to leave. She did not know how to get this out of this funk she was in or if she ever could.

A while later after the sun had set and light became dark, and the stars began to appear Stephanie and Shadow walked up the sandy hill to her SUV, which was parked on the side of the road. They got in and drove back to the hotel they were staying at in town. As she drove she wondered what the future would bring, what it would be and knew something inside of her and in her heart had changed, she just did not know what it was saying yet. Her gut was telling her to do something that her mind was not ready to grasp yet.

.
             
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.

It was not too long before sunset and Thomas, Daniel and Ed strolled along the street of Cannon Beach. They had stopped and gotten ice cream for Daniel then coffee for Thomas and his father at Santos Café. They had spent a large portion of Saturday in Cannon Beach, walking the beach, going through shops and just enjoying the day together.

They slowly made their way back to the truck and decided to go to Ecola State park, which was slightly north of town. Ecola was a seaside park, surrounded by old growth forest. It was favorite spot for hikers and photographers. However, Thomas enjoyed the scenery and the view since the park sat up on high cliff overlooking the Pacific. It was cooler today and over cast but was not raining which was nice; a fine mist though seemed to hang in the air. Thomas thought it gave the coast a nice feel and look…a mysterious presence almost.

After making their way thru some residential streets and over a small creek they were driving through the winding roads that led into the state park. Ed was amazed at the size of some of the trees that were lining the side of the road and surprised at the size of some of the ground plants.

“I can’t believe how big those ferns are, I just saw one that looked like it was the size of a car. I wonder how they get so big
,
” Ed said wondering.

“I think it has something to do with the fact it doesn’t get super cold right here on the coast. This area has a pretty long growing season and we get a lot of moisture so that helps them grow bigger…but that’s just a guess” Thomas said.

As they drove, they could feel a raise in elevation and Ed said he felt more pressure in his ears. The forest around the road became covered more in the foggy mist that and gave the forest a dark and ominous feeling. Eventually they came to an open area and a parking lot that was for the most part empty except for two cars. The dogs were hopping around in the back of the truck and ready to stretch their legs and explore. Thomas parked his truck at the far end of the lot near the ocean. With dogs on leashes Thomas, Ed and Daniel made their way towards the ocean and the overlook. Below them, they could see the rocky walls with a small beach at the base. The waves were only moderately sized and for the most part gently rolled onto the shore. Big chunks of rocks were scattered in the water below and occasionally a wave would hit them and make a large splash.

A group of sea lions sat unbothered on some rocks and sand at the far end of the rock-enclosed beach below them to their left. The misty fog gave the grass in the park the surrounding trees a more intense color of green. As they made their way along a path which went wound its way around the park near the cliff Ed stopped, bent over and was looking at something.

“What do you see Grandpa” Daniel said walking over to join his grandfather.

“It’s some sort of hoof track buddy, biggest damn deer track I ever saw” Ed said.

As Daniel looked down studying the track, Thomas walked up and joined them.

“Grandpa that’s an elk track, not a deer track” Daniel said.

“Are you sure?” Ed asked.

“Positive, there is herd that is around this area they like hanging out in the park to hide from the hunters,” Daniel said.

Thomas looked at the track and agreed with his son said “yep Dad that’s an elk”.

“I didn’t know you had elk out here on the coast,” Ed said.

“We don’t have many, but there are some. Occasionally we see them walking down the roads but especially up in the mountains
,
” Thomas sad.

Ed smiled and was impressed at this discovery. He was also impressed at how smart his grandson was, some grown men could not tell one animal track from another.

They spent another hour or so wandering around the park, venturing down some hiking trails a little way and exploring the different views around them. They had briefly talked about going down the trail to one of the beaches but Thomas ended that idea. He explained that the trails were very wet, slippery and dangerous which got him a strange look from his son who had been down them before. The reality though is that they were very steep, especially going up and Ed would not be able to make it back up very well. Thomas’ dad was not a senior citizen yet but was not young either and the years were taking their toll on his body. Thomas winked at his son, a signal that he would explain it later. They walked back to truck slowly on the way Daniel stopped at the restroom. Thomas took the moment to light a cigarette and share it with his dad.

“It sure is nice here Tom, I understand why you like it out here so much. It’s real peaceful and quiet it seems” Ed said

“I like it always have, but you know that. Daniel and I do pretty well out here for ourselves,” Thomas said.

“So I suppose one day when I’m too damn old to take care of myself I’m gunna be coming out here to live with you and Daniel
?
” Ed asked.

Thomas looked at his father who was looking out over the ocean, his eyes tight and small, wrinkles at the edges. Thomas smiled and grabbed his dad on the shoulders and said “only when you’re ready Dad, only when you’re ready. You think you could deal with living out here someday
?
”

“Meh maybe, do I get free coffee at your coffee shop?” Ed asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well of course you do
, but you better tip!
” Thomas said laughing.

“I suppose I’ll be fine out here if needs be, but don’t be expecting me to move out here anytime soon
,
” Ed said.

Thomas smiled and at that moment, Daniel came walking towards them. Ed tossed the cigarette in his hand before the boy saw. Daniel was saying he was starving and wanted to eat, Ed and Thomas agreed. They piled in the truck, headed back into the downtown area of Cannon Beach, and found a place to eat. After dinner, they took one last walk down the beach but this time they drove down by haystack rock so they could get up close with less of a walk. As they meandered along the wet sand and avoiding the water rolling in, Thomas looked over and realized they were right in front of the cottage where that woman had been standing. The woman had been watching him and Daniel while they were on the beach. He again got that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach again and looked up at the cottage curiously, nothing and no one was there however.

“What are you looking at Dad?” Daniel asked noticing his father’s gaze.

“Oh nothing I guess buddy” Thomas answered then noticed his dad was giving him a weird look.

“I’m fine Dad,” Thomas said.

They continued walking for a while then went back to the truck and headed home and packed it in for the night. They were all tired and it had been a long and busy day.

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Stephanie awoke to the sound of Shadow growling at the end of the bed in her hotel room. There were people in the hall way and she realized that they must of scared her dog.

“Come here big girl, it’s just people it will be okay,” she said to the dog then petting Shadow’s face and ears to calm her down. The dog made a few circles on the bed then lay down next to Stephanie who ran her fingers through the dog’s thick fur.

She had not slept well at all since she had returned from Oregon. Her house, her home did not feel comfortable to her, it was part of the reason she left town and stayed in a hotel room for the night. She hoped that she would be able to sleep and so far, it had worked even though Shadow was less than thrilled about the noises. She knew she could not keep doing this, staying in a hotel a few nights a week was not an option. She had to figure something out, what needed to be changed about her life and about her… she knew something did. She talked to Ann earlier who said sometimes “we have times in our life that define who we are and who we are going to be” and she thought Stephanie was getting that point of time in her life right now. Hearing the old lady’s voice made her relax a little bit, took some of the edge off. Stephanie eventually fell back asleep, her mind entering into dreams and secret desires.

The weekend came and went faster than expected on the Oregon Coast. After a busy Sunday of driving up and down the coast, sitting in Sunset Café with his father and hiking on other beaches along the Pacific it was already Monday. They left
the
cottage about midmorning and drove towards Portland. Before going to the airport Thomas, Ed and Daniel stopped off at Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River east of the city.

Ed’s plane did not leave until five in the evening so it gave them plenty of time to drive around and show the old man other parts of Oregon. They walked around the falls, took pictures, and bought souvenirs from the gift shop in the bottom of the stone and wood building. They had an early lunch in the restaurant, which was on the top floor of the building and had a nice view of the river. More than once Ed would say he wanted a cabin like this.

They drove up into the Cascade Mountains so Ed and Daniel could get a better view of the large volcano that towered behind the Portland area they saw when driving from the coast. Ed had never been this close and Thomas had to reassure his father it would not explode. The skies were clear inland and as they got up into the higher elevations, they could see Mt. Saint Helens in the distance on the other side of the river.

“Dad next time Grandpa comes can we take him to see Saint Helens up close” Daniel asked.

I think we can manage that buddy, I’ve been telling your Grandpa Ed I wanted to take him there for years and years” Thomas said then adding as he looked at his father “I guess it depends on when your grandpa is going to come and visit us again”

“Oh I don’t think it will be too long maybe next spring I’ll come back out since you guy are coming to Michigan for Christmas this year” Ed said.

“That’ll be great,” Daniel said.

Eventually they headed back down towards the river and into town, making their way to the airport. After parking Thomas, Daniel and Ed walked inside and got him checked in with the airline. He had a one way flight to Grand Rapids, which did cost more. However, both Thomas and his sister were worried their father would get lost in another airport if he had a layover.

They walked towards the security checkpoint and said their goodbyes. Daniel began crying; as little boys have tendency to do when their grandfathers leave from visiting. Thomas and his dad did something they rarely did and hugged goodbye.

“Amanda will be at the airport waiting for you when you get back to Michigan okay,” Thomas said. He noticed his father appeared nervous abou
t flying again. Then also said
, “I’ll call Amanda and let her know when your plane takes off”

“Okay, I’ll be fine
,
” Ed said quietly.

“You don’t gotta be worried Grandpa it’s just a plane ride, you will be okay
,
” Daniel said smiling.

Thomas shook his dads hand and passed him some pills for the old man to take on the plane.

“What are these?” Ed asked quietly.

“They will help you relax on the plane Dad, and then you can try and sleep and not be worried. Don’t take them until you take off though they work fast” Thomas said not telling his dad they were the same pills he gave the dogs when they had to fly
.

“Okay thanks
,
” his dad said smiling. Then Ed bent down, hugged his grandson one more time, whispering something into the boy’s ear, turned, and walked towards the security area. After going through the production of airport security, he talked to a man in a uniform about directions then waved one more time to Thomas and Daniel. Then Ed was out of sight and off to find his flight. Thomas and Daniel walked around the airport for a while until Ed called Thomas and let him know he was getting ready to get on his plane. Thomas and Daniel then headed back out to their pickup truck. They had parked on the top of the parking ramp, which sort of overlooked the airport and gave a nice view of the area around it, the mountains and volcano to one side, the Columbia River to the other. Thomas and his son sat on the tailgate of the truck and waited for Ed’s plane to take off. They were looking for a plane with a picture of a bobcat on its tail according to what Ed had told them.