~
Before Caledonia had time to think it through, they were headed out on the road, pulling away from Calvin’s house with his bag strapped securely onto the back of the motorcycle. They drove past the high school and the now familiar suburban streets. All at once, Calvin started taking a series of strange turns, and Caledonia wondered if he was lost. He finally pulled into a busy gas station and turned to speak in her ear.
“Don’t look up, but we’re being followed,” he said in a calm voice. “I’m going to need you to hold onto me really tight, okay?”
She nodded, and when he pulled back out he gunned the engine. She clung to him as they surged through the city streets, turning her head to see two big black cars weaving through traffic to keep up with them. She buried her face in Calvin’s back, putting all of her faith in him.
They made a sudden turn, cutting through a narrow alley that let out onto a dirt path meandering alongside a tall concrete wall. The road got bumpy, and Calvin turned into a little grove of trees that concealed a break in the wall just wide enough for a bike to slip through. The next thing Caledonia knew they were out on the freeway, with no sign of anyone following.
They traveled along at high speed for a while, finally taking an exit that led into a landscape of farms and orchards. Calvin pulled to a stop at a gas station attached to a little country store, taking off his helmet and turning to flash a cocky grin at her.
She couldn’t help but smile at how proud he was. “I suspect you’ve done that before.”
He dismounted, bending down to merge their smiles with a kiss. “Maybe once or twice, but back then I was only trying to get out of a speeding ticket.” He got up to fill the gas tank, going inside to pay and coming back out carrying a couple of bags. He handed her a sack, saying, “I got you a few things.”
She looked inside to see a new toothbrush, comb and hairbrush, along with a souvenir T-shirt. She smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. “Thanks.”
He straddled the bike, reaching back to squeeze her thigh. “Let’s go!”
They drove along the back roads for a few miles, meandering along in air scented with green leaves, dried grass and rich warm earth. Caledonia closed her eyes and breathed deeply, relaxed by the comforting scents of home. Calvin turned down an overgrown gravel road, pulling up to park in a little thicket of brush.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
He just smiled, taking her by the hand. “C’mon.” He led her down a dirt path that wound through a jungle of trees and blackberry bushes, holding back some overgrown branches for her to pass. All at once the trail opened up onto a small pebbled beach with a view of a wide lazy river. It was a gorgeous sight.
“What’s this place?” Caledonia asked.
“It’s my favorite swimming hole.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, looking around at the secluded little beach. “But what are we doing here?”
“We’re going to have a picnic,” he replied, pulling a towel out of his bag and spreading it out on the beach, gesturing for her to have a seat. He pulled a couple of sandwiches out of the bag, handing her one. “I hope turkey’s okay.”
She nodded, suddenly ravenous. They ate facing the river, and he told her all about how he and his brother had found this swimming hole on one of their trips out to see their grandparents. He pointed out the tree they used to tie a rope on, describing how they swung over the river and jumped, daring each other to see who could get the highest.
Caledonia imagined the two boys playing here, watching the sun’s reflection dancing on the shimmering water. The air was still, and an occasional fish jumped for the insects that swirled and dipped over the lazy river. The day was wearing on, and the hot breath of summer hung all around them.
“What’s it called?” she asked.
“The Russian River.”
She looked out at the water slowly rolling by. “It certainly isn’t rushing now.”
Calvin laughed, “No, Russian as in Roulette.”
She looked confused. “What?”
He smiled wryly, regarding her with warm eyes. “Like the country.”
There was no point in trying to explain trivia to her. Being with Caledonia was like being with a toddler or a space alien. She constantly made him explain himself, challenging his beliefs about everything. She made him see the whole world fresh and new.
After they ate she fell silent, lost in thought. She was worried about where they would spend the night, and if Calvin would come to regret his decision to accompany her. She wondered if she’d be able to find her little cabin in the woods, and if Calvin could stand to live there for more than a day or two. She looked up with a frown, only to meet his happily shining eyes.
He seemed lighthearted, like he wasn’t taking anything too seriously. Caledonia thought that he looked awfully cheerful for someone running from evil kidnappers.
“Don’t worry,” he told her, “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“How can you say that?” she said. “We don’t even know where we’re going to sleep tonight.”
“Trust me. I have a plan,” he said, leaning over to kiss her. “Besides, nothing matters as long as we’re together.”
She looked into his confident dark eyes and wanted very much to believe him. Her world had been thrown into chaos so many times in the past few weeks that she barely knew which way was up.
A fly buzzed around them in the dense, hot air, and Caledonia twisted her hair into a bun, pushing a twig through the thick mass of curls to hold it away from her neck.
“Are you hot?” There was happiness in his voice, “Let’s go skinny-dipping.” He got up and stripped off his shirt with a challenge in his smile. He shucked his jeans and plunged headfirst into the water, coming up to let out a whoop and disappear back underwater. When he didn’t surface right away she grew alarmed, coming up to the river’s edge to anxiously search the water for him.
His head finally broke the surface. “Come on in.” He grinned from ear to ear. “The water’s fine.”
Caledonia hesitated on the bank, the water deliciously cool around her ankles. Calvin watched her from the river as she wavered, pacing back and forth along the smooth pebbles, squinching up her face and looking cuter than he ever thought possible. He covered his eyes with his hands. “I won’t look!” he called out to her.
She glanced over her shoulder, wavering. “No peeking … promise?”
“I promise,” he called.
He could pinpoint the precise moment that she finally gave in to temptation, watching through his fingers as she hesitantly starting to lift her shirt over her head.
Some promises were impossible to keep.