"Ken? Ken, are you out there?" Came a cry from inside the tent.
"I'm right here, Kim,β I responded.
"I yelled a few minutes ago and you didn't answer."
"I'm sorry. I went down to get some water. I figured you were still sleeping."
Kim's head emerged through the tent entrance with one eye open and a very messy head of hair. Boy, she looked good even after waking up, I thought to myself.
"How's your ankle feel this morning?" I asked.
"It feels fine right now but I won't really know 'til I stand on it."
"Well, we better get packed up. I want to get started as soon as possible. There's a plastic bag in there next to my camera. Just throw the towels and your t-shirt along with anything else that needs to be washed. My red shirt is in there too. You can wear it on the way out. Your shorts and socks are dry.
Kim packed up everything inside while I folded the tarp. Within half an hour we were ready to head down the trail.
"Letβs have a look at that ankle." I said. "Thereβs not a lot of swelling, but I'll put this ace bandage on it. That, hopefully, will give you more support."
I wrapped her foot and carefully slipped her sock over it. She laced her boot on her own, as not to turn her ankle the wrong way.
"Sorry about your towel." She cringed. "It got a little messy."
I looked her square in the eye, "Well, I'm not sorry at all."
She gave me a smile that would melt the bark off a tree. What was it about this girl? She had everything..........At least everything that interested me. Looks, personality, and seemed very mature for her age.... Ah, her age. The college- and I, for that matter, have strict rules about student/staff relationships. Though she wasn't a student, she was only 18. I had just turned 30.
I put it all out of my head. "C'mon, letβs get out of here." I said, and with that we started out and down the overgrown trail. We stopped for a few minutes while I got some pictures of the chestnut trees about 30 yards off the trail. On the way back, I saw Kim staring up at the treetops and took a few candid shots of her before helping her to her feet and continuing our trek.
She did quite well on her bad ankle, but I could see, after an hour or so, it was becoming more painful. We rested often. I would inquire about the pain, but she never complained. "It'll be alright," She would say. I would tell her stories, jokes, and try to engage in some conversation hoping to take her mind off her injury. We were about two hours on the trail; Kim was telling me about her family.
"I remember on my birthday my mom would.............."
"Shhhhh," I cut her off and stopped.
"What's the matter?" She said with a frightened tone in her voice.
"Did you hear that? .............There it is again."
"What is it?" She whispered.