Flight Risk

31 - Pisew Falls and Paint Lake

After another hour of driving, we saw signs of civilization again. Although some were abandoned gas stations and restaurants. We picked up fuel in the small community of Wabowden then carried on toward Pisew Falls.

Despite how much water we had in the province, the relatively flat nature of most of the land meant we had somewhat underwhelming waterfalls if they existed at all. However, Pisew Falls was one of the more impressive falls. If we had time for a 22-kilometre return hike, we could see the highest falls in the province, Kwasitchewan, at a whopping 14 metres, one more than Pisew. I had seen plenty of spectacular waterfalls in Southeast Asia, so I was fine with a quick visit to Pisew and dedicating our time to enjoying Paint Lake instead.

The rev of an engine broke me out of my driving trance as a blue SUV rushed past us. Ahead, a large pickup truck approached in the opposite lane of the two-lane highway. I took my foot off the gas to hit the brakes as my heart raced. The SUV sneaked in front of me seconds away from causing a collision. Caleb reached over and laid on the horn aggressively, his jaw set in a rigid line. He rolled down the window and yelled out.

"Slow down, you fuckwits!"

It was the first time I'd seen him this tense from anger.

"Sadly, we have idiot drivers out here too."

The SUV continued to whiz away well above the 100-kilometre-per-hour speed limit.

Caleb's ragged breaths had as much intensity as when he'd laid on the horn. "He could have killed us or them!"

"Thankfully, he's gone now. Let him get a ticket and demerits."

Caleb gritted his teeth. "It's more than that, Audrey. What if he had collided head-on or if you hadn't slowed down? It's selfish and reckless, and it ruins lives."

I reached over to stroke his balled-up fist. "It's over now. Everyone's alright."

He didn't speak, just stared out the front windshield at the speck of blue racing down the road. I swore from the corner of my vision a sheen of glossiness shimmered in his eyes.

Shit, that had been the wrong thing to say. His sister wasn't alright and my words were a reminder of that fact, not to mention the main reason he'd get so upset was if he had a personal connection to a car accident. Lily's accident.

Way to go, Clarke.

Apologizing would only make it worse, as he didn't want to talk about it.

My hands were still shaky from both the shock and Caleb's nature. I shifted one to his back, where his muscles were as taut as they looked. My actions had little impact on him this time, and I returned my hand to the wheel a minute later.

Silence hung between us as I fought every urge to reassure him. I wanted to pull over and hold him in my arms and make all the fears and anxiety that the reckless driver had stirred vanish. But Caleb would push me away, just like he was keeping his distance by avoiding my gaze now.

The signs came up for the falls soon after, which made me sigh as we'd get temporary relief from this stuffy car and the stress of other drivers.

Pisew Falls had a big parking lot for an attraction this far north, although it only contained four other cars, thankfully not the SUV. Picnic tables sat in the bush area lining the parking lot. After guzzling my water in the car, I was grateful to see the washrooms, even if they were outhouses.

Once I'd returned from the facilities, Caleb carried a tightness still in his stance. To lessen it, I took his hand and cuddled into him, but again, it had no effect.

"Are you upset about that SUV?"

He pulled away. "How can you not be?"

I swallowed to give myself a moment to respond. It wasn't my first time being cut off in traffic, and while it had been reckless on the other driver's part, it wasn't that close of a call.