Rich and Suzy headed out early in the day for their adventure deep into the heart of Yellowstone. They found their way to Jenny Lake and boarded the ferry. The skies were a beautiful blue, lightly dotted with cirrus clouds and the lake was calm.

The ferry skimmed across the water for their brief boat ride. They pulled into the dock and offloaded with several others to find their way to the trails near by. Suzy took Rich to the side, letting the more experienced hikers head up and to allow them to have a little space before they tried to find their way to Inspiration Point and Hidden Waterfalls.

Slowly they made their way up the trail, well behind the throng of hikers. They took their time, not as skilled, carefully navigating some of the more moderate sections of the trail. It definitely was a more strenuous hike than those on the flat areas by the coast.

Suzy stopped to take photos along the way, appreciating the various vantage points. Rich caught up with her when she stopped and took in deep breaths of air, one of his habits she grew to appreciate through the years, although she wonders if he’s actually okay from time to time. Rich points out a view over Jenny Lake. It relaxes both of them before they carry on.

They reach Inspiration Point, but it was extremely crowded. Suzy was uncomfortable around the throng of bodies; she hoped people would have already moved on. She liked quiet walks, not tourist central sites. They enjoyed the view for a few moments and then moved on to find a small spot to enjoy lunch.

After the hike, they headed back to their cabin to freshen up and relax. Suzy found her way to the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit. She took a seat, facing their cabin, and began scrolling through her photos.

A shadow came overhead and a voice spoke up, “That’s a great shot.” Steve was behind her. He walked around her and sat down in the seat next to her. “How’ve you been?”

Suzy wasn’t sure how to react. She stared at her camera…it was a tie that bound them, at least in her mind. A shared interest from long ago. “Good. And you?” She managed to get out.

Her stomach still had butterflies for him, but they had gone different paths, built their families separately, moved on. When you love someone, sometimes you let them go and take the hit…that was how she felt. She had struggled to move on, but found a way.

“Good…good. Can I see your photos?” He extended his hand.

“They’re mostly junk, but sure.” She handed him her camera. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.” She pointed to the lenses of her glasses.

Steve scrolled through the images. He laughed at one which Rich had took of Suzy being silly. “You guys seem to have a lot of fun together,” Steve commented.

Suzy shook her head. “Most of the time, we do.” She smiled, looking over at their cabin. “He’s taking a nap right now.”

Steve handed her camera back to her. “Nice shots.” Then he looked toward the unlit fire pit. “I’m glad we bumped into each other.”

Suzy’s eyes drifted over to Steve. He was sitting there, elbows on knees, clasped hands, looking solemn. Some awkward time passed as they sat in the silence, with all the words they never said and may never be able to say to each other.

Sofia’s voice rang out from behind them as she walked up, “Dad!” Steve smiled as his eldest walked over. “Who’s this?”

Suzy smiled toward Sofia. She looked like her Dad so much. Suzy had seen pictures of her through the years, but now she was almost grown and around the age when Steve and Suzy first met, all those years ago.

Suzy introduced herself to Sofia, then continued, “Your Dad and I went to school together. Crazy how we bumped into each other after all these years!”

Sofia smiled at Suzy, “He’s mentioned your name before. Nice to meet you!” Then she turned to her Dad. “Lexi and I are going down to the camp store. Want anything?”

Steve shook his head no and soon Sofia was off with her kid sister.

“She’s a sweet girl, Steve.”

His face brightened up and he started sharing about watching the girls grow up. Suzy genuinely smiled as Steve talked. She couldn’t have kids of her own, but she was happy he got to have the family he wanted.

Slowly their conversation turned more comfortable and even lighter. The awkwardness dissipated and their friendship came back. They even shared a few laughs.

“Am I interrupting?” a man’s voice inquired. Rich had walked up to the ring of chairs.

Suzy looked up at him and smiled. It was a smile of true happiness. “Hey sweetie, this is Steve.”

Rich was happy to see she was no longer on edge. He stuck out his hand and exchanged greetings with Steve, then he took a look at the fire pit. “Hey, this is gas. Mind if I turn it on?”

Steve gave Rich a thumbs up. Suzy smiled, and was surprised how comfortable she was with both Rich and Steve being in the same place.

Rich took a seat on the other side of Suzy and the three of them stared into the fire as evening settled in. They chatted about the weather and the sites for a bit.

Steve then looked at his watch and suddenly stood up. “I should get back to the cabin and head out to dinner with the family. It was great to catch up with you!”

Suzy stood up and gave Steve a friendly hug. “Yes, it was.”

Steve headed back to his cabin and Suzy turned to Rich. “Dinner?” Rich smiled and shook his head yes.

Suzy and Rich settled in their cabin. She pulled her pack from the luggage and paused a moment and thought to herself, where did this go sideways? She reflected over emails and messages throughout the years. She was struggling with a big decision. He didn’t understand and misread it, maybe. Or maybe he read it perfectly. She always read too much into things and needed to let go. She pushed it to the back of her mind as she started to pack for tomorrow’s hike.

Rich came up and started flirting with her. He found it funny how she needed to plan for every eventuality when she’d pack her pack. He was more of a grab a few things and walk out the door with his pack kind of guy. “Can I get you the kitchen sink?” he teased.

She glared a moment, flipped him off, then tossed her water bladder to him. “No, but you can fill that with water.” Then she blew him a kiss. They bantered just like an old married couple, which at this point, they were. She folded up her sweater and rain jacket, stowing it towards the top of the pack, then pulled out the battery to the camera and plugged it in to charge. She left everything else sitting out on the bed. “I’ll finish this up later. What are we doing for dinner?”

Rich read from the campground literature. “They’ve got a weenie roast going tonight. How about that?”

Suzy shook her head no. “I’d rather not. Let’s go get something in town tonight.” She really was avoiding running into Steve and likely his family. “I wouldn’t mind checking out the area a little.”

Rich was an easy going guy unless he was tired and then he would normally insist. He shrugged his shoulders, “Okay, fine by me.”

Suzy could tell he really wanted to stay here, but she didn’t want to run into them. “I’m ready to go if you are.”

With that, they headed into town. The rain had lifted and the final moments of daylight filled the sky before the sun began to set behind the mountains.

The small town outside the park had a cute historic district. They found parking and wandered through a few of the stores, then spied a cute little pub tucked in among the shopping area.

Rich loved a beer now and then, and Suzy was more than willing to appease him tonight. She knew he’d ask about what happened at Cabin 17; it would go over better with him relaxed.

With his stout in hand, Rich drew a heavy breath as Suzy explained. Steve was from her past, and at one time, her best friend and love. She didn’t go into the day’s events, just that it was a shock to see him and it was upsetting. “I just want to avoid him, okay?”

Rich finished his beer and ordered another. Suzy knew that was going to be it for the night and that she’d be driving back. He handed the keys to her, they finished up their food and headed back. It was a quiet drive back to the cabin.

Rich walked back inside. Suzy decided to stay on the porch for a bit to relax and enjoy the night air, under the cloak of darkness.

She sat there staring into the sky above, watching the stars. She heard footsteps out on the road and a man and young girl laughing. She didn’t dare look down, she knew his voice. Her heart sank, how did they end up in the same place at the same time?

She gathered her thoughts, and slowly looked his way as their voices trailed off. He was hugging his daughter. She always knew he’d be a good dad and smiled, happy for him. She fought back a few tears then turned to go inside the cabin.

The wiper blades squealed across the windshield of their car. They didn’t have much choice when they landed at the airport following their 6-hour flight; at least it had four wheels, but not much more. The rain poured as they wound through the winding roads of the mountains. Finally, they arrived at the campgrounds, and a small break in the rain allowed them to check in with the main office.

Suzy was relieved they had booked a cabin instead of roughing it in a tent for the trip. With the keys in hand, they found their way to cabin 17, located on a roundabout. Inside the roundabout was a circle of chairs around a firepit. It looked to be a nice place to relax during their stay.

Rich parked the car and they hopped out and ran for the front entry, trying to avoid the raindrops. Suzy put the key into the lock, but it wouldn’t unlock. She looked at the keys, and frowned as she turned to Rich. “They gave us the keys to Cabin 11. Are you sure it’s supposed to be 17?”

Rich smiled, and emphatically said yes. He pulled out his cellphone, but couldn’t get a signal to call the office. “Wait here, I’ll go get this straightened out.”

Suzy smiled and kissed him on the cheek before he headed back to the car. “Don’t be long, it’s a little chilly.” She took a seat on one of the Adirondack chairs, rubbing her arms to keep warm, and let out a sigh as the rental car pulled away.

She looked out over the circle of cabins. Cabin 11 was just across the way. She laughed, thinking to herself that they probably are in 11 anyway. But, she stayed put.

Families and couples came through the area, donning various rain gear. Many were enjoying the sprinkling sky instead of avoiding the raindrops. Suzy watched a mother and child walking up the road, the little girl jumping in every puddle as they walked by. Suzy just smiled to herself over the scene.

Then, a man in a rain jacket turned the corner and started climbing up the stairs to the cabin where she sat without looking up.

Suzy spoke up, “Excuse me. Is this your cabin?”

He looked up at her, a shocked look came across his face as he removed the hood from his head.

She saw his face and froze, then stumbled over her own words. “Wow! Hi Steve. What are you doing here?”

Steve stared at her, hard to believe she was standing in front of him. “Well, we’re here on vacation. This is our cabin. How did you…”

Suzy interrupted him. “Rich apparently got our cabin number wrong. He thought we were in 17. He’s back at the office straightening it out.”

Suzy was visibly upset. She didn’t expect to run into Steve here. “Mind if I wait here out of the rain until he gets back? Then we’ll be off to the right cabin.”

“Sure, no problem. I have to get some things for the girls.” With that, Steve headed into the cabin, closing the door behind.

Suzy bit her fingernails. She wasn’t even a nail biter. She wasn’t ready to see Steve even after all these years. She paced back and forth on the porch, waiting for the rain to lift, or Rich to come back, or both. She wanted off that porch as quickly as possible. Finally, she saw the rental car round the corner. She made a beeline for the car, climbing in.

Rich looked at her. He realized she was shaken. “What’s wrong?”

She calmed herself. “Cabin 17 has other guests. Which cabin are we in?”

Rich didn’t believe that would cause her to be upset; he stared at her.

“I had a run in with one of them. Just,” she paused, “Just, let’s get to our cabin.”

Rich continued around the roundabout. They were in a cabin directly opposite from 17, in cabin 11. “Sorry I got the cabin number wrong. Are you going to be okay?”

Suzy wiped the rain off her cheek. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. We just should avoid the folks in 17, okay?”

Rich looked at her. “Do we know them?”

Suzy’s shoulders drooped. “I do.”

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