Crashing Stephanie

4 Tom's Story

Everything hurts. After two days of walking, Steph's feet, legs, and back were all sore. Tom had told her a hot spot on her feet indicated she was developing a blister. When Steph told Tom she had a hot spot on her foot, Tom would tear off a strip of the silver tape he had wrapped around his flashlight and put it on Steph's hot spot. Now, her feet had more tape than skin showing. It seemed silly, but she did not have any blisters.

Dinner that night was a variety of berries and a bird Tom had caught. Boiled with the berries, the bird had an odd earthy taste, but Steph was glad to have it. Even with her half of the daily ration from the survival kit, her stomach still felt empty. They had passed a stream earlier and refilled their water containers, so at least they had plenty of water to drink.

As Steph rubbed her feet, she asked, "So what's your story, Tom? Why were you heading to one of the most exclusive resorts in Alaska?" Steph had wondered from the beginning how a run-of-the-mill guy like Tom could afford the very expensive resort.

Tom replied, "Honeymoon, or at least it was to be my honeymoon. Tickets were non-refundable, so I decided to go alone."

Steph responded, "Ouch! What happened? Did she catch you with another woman? The resort doesn't have an economy class. You must have saved for years to afford a honeymoon there. Or did her rich daddy pay the bills?"

Tom smiled and responded, "We had been sweethearts for as long as I can remember. But we drifted apart after school. A few years ago, I ran into her again in my mother's store. We got back together. She moved into my house and eventually started going with me on trips. It was great! I did some of my best work while she was with me."

Steph asked what kind of work Tom did, thinking with those big hands, he must be in the construction trades.

Tom said he was both a photographer and videographer. He had traveled all over the world. Tom took wildlife photos mostly, primarily with medium-format cameras. He also documented a scientific exhibition to the South Pole and an archeology expedition in Egypt. Other times, he would go someplace he thought would be interesting and take pictures of the people and the wildlife that inhabited that area.

He had published two books and had photo credits with several national magazines. To fill his time, he started making videos of the locations he was photographing. When a famous movie producer saw his videos, he purchased them for use by a movie CGI team. It is faster and less expensive to start with an actual video than to create the backgrounds in CGI from scratch.

Tom added, "As far as who paid for the honeymoon, that would be me. Photography pays the bills, but the movie work is extremely lucrative. I may not be in your league financially, but I never asked how much the resort cost. You know the old saying if you have to ask, you can't afford it."

Steph asked, "So what happened to the almost Mrs. Tom?"

Tom replied, "She stayed behind to coordinate the wedding while I was on assignment in Peru. Evidently, she had a change of heart. I returned to an empty home and a note saying she did not want to get married. Her leaving me without a word was hard to accept, but not much I could do, so I moved on. Last I heard, she was living near Denver."

Steph felt a little sorry for Tom. He acted like it had been no big deal, but she could tell Tom had been hurt deeply. Steph could sympathize with the fiancée, though. Steph thought the fiancée could have done better than Tom, which was probably why she left.

Steph said, "Still, going to the resort alone is a bold move. It couldn't be just because the tickets were non-refundable. Are you hoping to find the next Mrs. Tom?"

Tom laughed, then explained that his ex-fiancé had asked for the tickets, and there was no way he would let her have them. So, he went to make sure his ex-fiancé couldn't somehow claim the tickets were lost and get replacement tickets.

Steph was surprised at the thought of Tom being devious. She didn't think he had it in him. Steph said, "Sounds petty, like something I would do. Cudos, Tom." Steph was seeing a different side of Tom, or maybe she was seeing Tom without her usual filters and hastily made assumptions.

Steph realized she and his ex-fiancé likely had a lot in common. Perhaps Tom wasn't the bad guy in the relationship as Steph had assumed. Steph wasn't sure what that said about her as a person. Maybe Tom wasn't the problem in their current situation. As she rubbed her aching feet and sore legs, Steph, for the first time, took a look within and didn't like what she saw.

*****

Tom moving around woke Steph from a sound sleep. It was the first good night's sleep she had since the crash. As Steph rolled up her "blanket" and sleeping pad, her mind was calmer than it had been since the crash.

The chat she had with Tom the previous night had done much to help her mental state. She was no longer worried about being left behind, and maybe Tom wasn't just a "big-handed baffoon." Steph thought for a moment and decided maybe she was too quick to judge. She would have to work on that.

Now, they seemed to be settling into a routine. They would get up and pack up their things. Tom would go out and collect the snares. If they had any food for breakfast, they would eat, clean up, and then start walking.

When they passed drinkable water, they would stop, boil the water, and refill their water containers. Tom would collect any edible plants they passed, and before sunset, they would stop, collect firewood, and set the snares. After dark, they would eat, build up the fire, and then sleep.

Knowing there was a routine was comforting and allowed Steph to relax a little. It also allowed her to pay attention to other things, like what Tom was doing.

As they walked, Tom would see a particular plant, and he would stop and harvest what he could, including the berries, roots, or sometimes just the leaves. If he saw a group of birds, he might make a trap to try and catch one. Tom didn't explain what he was doing, and Steph was too scared to ask.

But this morning was different. Tom took the time to show Steph how to use his compass. First, he showed her how to orient his hand-drawn map, point the compass's Direction of Travel arrow in the direction she wanted to go, then rotate the compass dial until the needle was in the red cross-hatched area. Tom called the red cross-hatched area the orientation arrow, but when Steph said it looked like a birdcage. Tom replied, "Whatever works for you."

Steph was proud of herself when Tom asked her which way was west-southwest, and she had pointed in the right direction. Tom smiled and then said, "Today is your turn to lead. So lead the way, Steph." Steph picked out a hill in the distance so she would have a landmark and took her first step as leader for the day.

Each time they stopped, Steph would double-check that she was leading them in the right direction. She would ask Tom questions if unsure and found she enjoyed learning how to navigate.

Steph was disappointed that night when she turned the map and compass back over to Tom. Seeing her disappointment, Tom suggested she draw a map from his and use it on days when she was to lead. Tom also suggested she update her map with landmarks they passed in case they had to backtrack.

******

This day had been a good one for Steph. She had slept well, had learned to navigate, had led the way, and now she had a job - documenting their route. Half of their dwindling survival food, plus what Tom had collected, still left her hungry, but today, she didn't mind so much. It is incredible what a little bit of confidence will do.

As she lay down, Steph used her extra clothes for insulation, just as she had seen Tom do. Starting the next day, she would ask Tom about the plants he collected. There was so much more Steph wanted to learn, but that would be for tomorrow. Steph was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.

Sleep came slower for Tom. People often say it's good to talk about your troubles, but for Tom, talking about his personal life only brings up painful memories.

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