Crashing Stephanie

8 The Mountains

Something changed in Steph when she realized Tom was giving her most of the food. She had always been okay with being concerned only with herself. But this was life and death. How could she not have noticed?

Tom always finished eating well before she did. He always seemed hungry, and his clothes had been hanging on him for days. He slept restlessly at night, and she often heard his stomach growling. Again, she thought, how could she not have noticed before last night?

Tom had been right. This was all her fault. She had been doing everything she could to attract the pilot's attention. She was being selfish, and Jim was dead because of her. After the crash, instead of being helpful, she pouted and complained about things she knew Tom had no control over. "Dear GOD," Steph thought, "Am I that bad of a person?"

Steph turned to Tom and said, "I am so very sorry, Tom. You were right, and this is all my fault. The crash, being such a bitch, causing you more trouble than you deserve. I am very sorry. And last night, I had no reason to speak to you that way. I don't know what happened. Maybe I just realized what a terrible person I was, and your suffering for my sake was more than I could bear."

Tom replied, "Jim is dead because of Jim. Period. You can't take responsibility for his actions. You should not have been in the co-pilot seat - that was Jim's idea. Accepting his offer didn't waive his responsibility for making a safe flight. Getting us to our destination safely was his job, not yours. Jim suggested taking the scenic route, not you. Jim failed to maintain a safe distance from the ground. He was flying the plane, not you. Jim is dead because he was a bad pilot and an irresponsible jerk trying to score with a woman passenger. I don't ever want to hear you say it was your fault. I regret saying that to you in the first place."

Steph said, "I was only thinking of myself, and I bear some responsibility." Steph tilted her head and added, "You didn't say anything about the being a bitch part."

Tom smiled and said, "Who am I to argue with a lady? I am sorry about the food. I was trying to be 'the guy' and should not have put us in a situation where I was so weak, which seems much improved, thanks to your impressive naked fishing skills. I wonder if Bill Dance has ever tried fishing naked?"

Steph asked, "Bill Dance?"

Tom responded, "From TV, a famous freshwater fisherman."

Steph said, "I'm not a fan of fishing shows. Besides, I was only partially naked when fishing." Tom told her he was a terrible fisherman, clothed or naked, and she had done more in one day for their survival than he did in the last week.

Tom asked if he got to sleep close to the fire tonight. Steph indicated she would let him have the full "Steph" treatment one more night but not to get any ideas, and she was still thinking up ways to murder him for being such a jerk.

Both Steph and Tom slept warm and well that night.

Early the next morning, they were packed up and moving out. Staying another day was out of the question. That morning, when Tom went to relieve himself, he saw several fresh wolf tracks. The bear had been scary, but wolves were a more serious problem. They needed to get as far away as they could, as fast as they could.

As Steph led them away, they both knew the dynamics had shifted. It wasn't Tom leading helpless little Stephanie out of the wilderness. They were partners in their survival now. Working together, they might have a chance. Steph looked back over her shoulder. Tom was keeping up. She said, "One step at a time."

* * * * *

Diary Day 28: Still in the mountains. Colder now as we go higher. We are sticking to the valley floors and avoiding steep slopes as much as possible. There is some food available. We've eaten all the fish I caught. There were several mice in the traps last night. Snares empty. Tom is getting better.