Page 27 of Big & Lily

“That’s very cool, the drink for landing in the drink policy,” I say to him. “Makes people feel less like idiots. And I sure feel like an idiot right now. I’m sorry I’m already the comic relief of the trip.” I can’t help but think it’s all part of my sister’s MO. “Brick must buy a lot cocktails.”

“Nah, you’re doing aces,” he lies. “This thing, yeah, he’s never done that before. It’s a new one on me.”

“But, he said—”

Jace stops me with a shrug. “We’d better get cracking, yeah. Nearly there.”

One last blast to my poor screaming lungs, over more scree and through a patch of snow—just sitting there in the middle of nowhere on a June day—and we are indeedthere. Most of the group is waiting, sitting with their backs against the sunny side of an enormous boulder. Their heads swiveling to take in the picture-perfect view. Mimi and Luna wander out from behind another large rock off a way from everyone. The ladies’ room, I’m guessing. Jace finally steps ahead of me, having herded in the last cat, and starts to set up some low folding camping chairs he’s been hiding in his large pack.

I plop, sinceplopis the only word I can think of that fully describes my action, down into one of the chairs and wrap my arms around myself. It’s a lot colder up here—hence the snow—and my soggy clothes are giving me a chill. When I come down with pneumonia because of Lily, she’s going to hear it from me...

Still, Brick wasn’t wrong. It’s beautiful up here. The closer mountains seem to slide into one another. Farther out, green rolls across the land, stopping at a river in the distance. Behind it, the towering range, steely and snowcapped, touches the cottony clouds. Brick points to them and shows Xavier the volcano, which looks to me the same as the other ominous peaks. It is breathtaking.

I close my eyes, for a second, just to catch my breath, and I can hear the wind picking up and a plane engine in the distance. And something buzzing. It takes me a moment to realize it’s my phone. We finally have service—all the way up here!

I pull my cell out of my backpack and see Xavier doing the same.

“Not here, buddy,” says his father. “Try to enjoy the view. Your phone will be there when we get back to camp.”

“But we have no service at camp,” Xavier whines.

“Zave.” Ian’s voice is stern. Zave stomps his foot but slides his phone into his pocket.

Not wanting the boy to feel worse than he does, I opt for privacy, I shove my phone in a pocket and head for the Ladies’ Room Rock. “Off to the little girls’,” I sing.

“You are not?” chirps my sister. “You’re going to pee outside. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Well, nature calls.”

“Hold up, I’ll come with you.”

“No, I gotta go by myself, if you catch my drift.” I need to check my messages, and I don’t need to hear about it from my sister.

“Eww, TMI.”

I turn red at the thought of everyone thinking they know what I’m about to do. Of course, admitting I was checking in at home whilst communing with this spectacular nature would be almost equally as embarrassing.

Behind the rock I squat—no, not for that—and open my phone. Twenty-three messages from Tim, Cam, Annie, and my mother. Three missed calls. My first thought is:So, they do need me.I’m flooded with relief and vindication.Perfectly fine without me, my ass. I start to gloat. Then I quickly switch to worry. Twenty-three message means trouble. Instead of finding out by reading them, I call home. I start with Tim. If it is in fact bad news, he’s the one to hear it from. Now is not the time for Annie’s hyperbole, Cameron’s monosyllabic responses, or my mother’s imaginative interpretations.

My husband picks up on the first ring. “Bridge, Jesus. Are you okay?”

Me first. “Areyouokay? What’s going on?”

“Is that Mom?” I hear Annie say. “Let me talk to her.”

“Tim, answer me.”

“I’m talking to her now. You can have a turn when I’m done.”

“Tell my daughter that I’ve been late for water aerobics twice already, through no fault of my own.”

“Okay, so we’ve established that my mother is still alive.”

“For now.”

“Dad, ask Mom where the spare set of car keys is?”

“Cam, I told you I’m handling it.”