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Once we got going, I let Mia take the lead and let myself fall back. I’ve learned that having someone at the back of the group is important to prevent stragglers from getting lost. Ava is in the middle of the group, engrossed in conversation with one of the ladies. It doesn’t take long for Barb to fall back with me.
I feel a sense of dread and hope that Ava will think to check on me soon. Then I hear it. Mia’s piercing scream. “Dad! There’s a snake! It's a rattlesnake!”
“It’s okay, honey. Just stay still and calm,” I say as I make my way to the front of the group where Mia is. “Everyone stay still and calm.” I step in front of Mia and slowly push her behind me. I feel much more confident once she’s out of harm’s way.
“Is it, Dad? Is it a rattlesnake?” Mia asks.
“Yep, sure is. But don’t worry. She’s probably more scared of us than we are of her. Just wait a minute to see if she’ll be on her way.” Of course, the snake doesn’t move. I slowly stomp my feet, trying to scare her away without startling her. She rattles her tail, and the women behind me all scream. “Shh–” The snake lurches forward at me.
11
AVA
We return to the house for dinner; all anyone can talk about is how Travis saved us from the rattlesnake. I have to admit, it was pretty hot. He was quick, confident, and fearless. The snake lurched at him, and he kicked it! Kicked it! And then, while it was still disoriented from being kicked, he somehow picked it up and threw it far away from us. He was our true hero.
Everyone was pretty shaken up over the incident, so now they're clinging to Travis. It was scary for a minute until Travis came in and saved the day. Despite not liking female attention, I can tell Travis enjoys being the hero. He’s eating it up with a spoon.
Jealous girlfriend has never been my M.O., so I’m going to let him bask in the attention. It’s only a matter of time before one of the ladies takes it too far and makes him uncomfortable. Then, he’ll come running back to me. Plus, I’m not worried about these ladies–they’re hardly competition, given their age. And, of course, we’re just pretending to be in a relationship, so jealousy would be totally uncalled for.
I’ve always seen myself as an independent woman. I don’t need a man to come rushing in to save me from anything. But seeing Travis out there with the snake, wow–he was fearless and strong. I think I prefer a man who can handle his own out in nature. It’s a very different view than from a man in an office.
We finished eating dinner, which was delicious. Some ladies returned to their rooms. Others moved out to the porch; some stayed in the living room to play games and chat. I thought Travis might have sought me out by now, but he hasn’t, and I’m a little disappointed.
“Ava!” Mia calls out to me.
“Hey, Mia. How’s it going?”
“Great. I can’t believe we saw a rattlesnake on the hike! I’ve never seen one here!”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah, and Dad almost didn’t let me come.
“Really? Why?”
“Homework. He says school has to be my number one priority.” Mia rolls her eyes.
“Well, yeah, at your age, it should be. Did you finish your homework?”
“I was just about to do it. Want to help?”
“Sure, if you need it.”
“I can always use help on the useless, time-sucking thing called homework.”
“Ok, drama queen,” I say with a smile.
“I am not a drama queen.”
“Sure.” I sit down at a table and wait for her to pull out her homework. “What do you have?”
“Just this dumb crossword puzzle. It’s for our next vocabulary test.”
“Crosswords are so fun!”
“Yeah, ok.”
“Let’s see.” We get to work on the crossword.
