My Everything

A Man's Duty (Brad's Perspective)

As Ms. Russo spoke, I envisioned standing outside the meeting door with Rose. I couldn’t help but think how rested Ms. Russo has appeared to be in such a short time. Vacation looked good on her but I knew that as soon as Rose brought her up to date along with the upcoming strategic meetings, she would become a bit thin again. I watched her miss many meals to late hours and I didn’t envy her. If I was to be any good at my job, I had to keep my strength up. The separation of the meeting door between Rose, Ms. Russo and me made me reminiscent of hunting in Notaridge and the time Ms. Russo spent with Diane. It is inert for a man to be protector and when we fall short of this we cannot eat or sleep. The door was the deep forest that left me powerless. Once again, I could not be sure of Ms. Russo’s safety.

      The silent nod she gave me was simultaneous with that of the one a few days prior. A moment I recalled at which, I had lost her to the chirps of the birds that drowned out her footsteps in the depth of the forest. The mere thought, questioned my integrity as a bodyguard, she was in Diane’s care now. I knew that as we went further into the forest in opposite directions she would be harder to find but it was my duty to keep her safe. Her one wish was to remain incognito for a few days and get a taste of the civilian lifestyle. One mistake could jeopardize the entire operation and I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

     I failed to concentrate on the hunt and my chest became increasingly tight. As I walked through the forest, I struggled to keep a grip on my rifle through my sweaty palms. My thoughts started to race.  What could she be doing, had she caught anything, was she safe, who was Diane, how trustworthy was she? In this state, the slightest movement could have triggered a reaction, I was a protector, yet I felt like nothing more than a hypocrite!

      As I progressively got deeper into the forest, the sound of crackling leaves and a gentle rustle alerted me. I tensed my body and searched for the animal but as I shifted my head, I saw Rose’s reflection in the distance.

“You startled me!”

“Sorry… We won’t find any deer over here, there’s no food and the trees have been cut down.”

“Figured if I kept walking, sooner or later, I’d find some, nothing beats perseverance.”

“True but it’s getting late, we need to get to safety before it gets too dark.”

“You’re right, the others must be worried, but I don’t know if we’ll make it before dark. We can try to get as close to camp as possible so we don’t have far to go if we have to take a break.”

As Rose and me got closer to the camp base there was no sign of Diane and Barba. My heart skipped a beat, I looked down at my phone acknowledging the message from Barba. I started to type but none of my messages went through. I was unsettled and noticed the concern Rose wore on her face from my gaze. I exclaimed; “I lost her! Where could she be, how’s she going to survive out there?”

“Calm down Brad, let’s get some rest and we’ll search for them in the morning. Remember, we are the visitors here, besides Barba is not alone, she’s with Diane.”

Rose’s consoling voice soothed my mind that was like a racing pulse. Yet still, I wondered what they were doing out there and why Barba was unreachable. I nodded in agreement with Rose to search in the morning but my mind was consumed by my thoughts. Here I was a grown man, headed back to safety, leaving two women alone exposed to the elements.

                                                                                     ***

That night, I tossed and turned as Barba’s vulnerability ate away at me. The unknown has a way of consuming your sanity. Eventually my mind gave into the mental fatigue as I drifted off. We barely made it back to the cabin that night. I was grateful because fulltime city life had not prepared me for this weather.

    At dawn, the aroma of strong coffee caught my nose. Rose was rustling up breakfast, which consisted of peanut butter crackers, two packaged muffins, an apple and a tangerine.

“Good Morning Brad, Care for some coffee?”

I extended my arm still groggy from poor sleep and accepted the mug. “Thank you, Rose.”

“You’re welcome; we need to get an early start if we are to get those ladies to safety before too late. Let’s get something to eat and map out our day.”

I raised the cup of Joe to my lips and sipped it. Despite making me cough, it gave me a buzz. “What’s this Rose, it’s really strong!”

Rose chuckled before responding, “it’s Brazilian instant coffee, I always travel with my own, I like the quality. Hurry we need to get a move on.”

I completed eating and quickly freshened up. Rose handed me two granola bars and a Powerade to keep my strength up. Once my phone was charged I set out to look for Barba and Diane. Rose and me had agreed to separate to get more done. She would get our stuff together to head back to the hotel. While I searched for the ladies. Then we would meet up later.

I didn’t have to walk far before I found Diana and Barba. They were shocked to see me but to my surprise despite seeming cold, they didn’t appear to be hungry or at all dehydrated. Barba told me about her experience with the bear but I was almost certain that there was more to her time hunting. After catching up we all headed back to the range. Nothing I said to Barba seemed to sit well that morning, I thought to myself as we returned to range. Lisa greeted us and I watched the ladies return to their cabins before going to meet Rose.

   As I entered the room, Rose’s eyes met mine. “Get ready; we’re going out on the town before returning to the hotel.”

“I thought we were here to work.”

“What do you think we’re doing, we can’t let these two out of sight again. Wear something comfortable, it’s going to be a long day.”

We stopped at the diner where Diane and Barba were eating first for something warm. It wasn’t our usual crowd but it had been a while since our last meal. We sat in the distance at an angle, which allowed for visibility of the two women. I ordered two orders of eggs and hash browns, a pot of black tea and some OJ. While waiting on the food, I kept my eyes fixated on the two women while Rose worked on her phone.

Once the food arrived Rose ate quickly, by contrast I found it hard to complete my meal, as I was engrossed in the activities in the distance. There seemed to be some commotion over there. Everyone appeared to be monitoring the table. My fork slid out of my hand dropping to the table with a loud bang. I saw Diane sweating and the waiter hoovering the table right after she ate the burger. The sound of the fork hitting the table alarmed Rose.

“I’ll be right back!”

“Ok.”

I felt helpless and prayed silently in my head that it wasn’t food poisoning. I breathed a sigh of relief as Rose returned to the table to fill me in. “Barba is stable but we have to leave immediately, I think we’re gonna have to tail them. I didn’t get everything they were saying.”

We left the diner a few seconds after them and drove off immediately behind them. I recall passing a few dilapidated building that bore no relevance on me; I had to focus on the road. We drove for a bit until we reached a large park. Rose and I didn’t get out but I watched them from the car. I really didn’t know where we were and I didn’t want to risk losing them or getting caught by getting out of the car. Rose pulled up an electronic map on her phone and checked to see what stored were nearby.

“They must be headed to the superstore, it’s about ten to fifteen minutes walking. If we leave now, we can get a head start and get some supplies for later. I already made a list, it’s  really simple, we can split up. I’ll get the food stuff and you can get the extras. This way we can have a seamless execution and maximize our surveillance. We can also meet up at intervals to cross check the list. “

I agreed and followed the directions to a large orange building that added a much-needed pop of color to the town. Rose and I jumped out of the car after parking and headed directly for the store. We noticed the restaurant first on entrance but we were still full from breakfast. I therefore suggested that we order something from the To-Go menu as the day was not over.

After ordering, we proceeded to the store to start shopping. It felt good shopping with Rose and working as a team. At least I was able to do something right. The façade of grocery shopping allowed us to monitor Barba and Diane without blowing our cover, interval checks made maneuvering the store easy. We left the supermarket and returned to the restaurant to check on our meal but it wasn’t ready. Rose and I therefore decided to share some nachos and grab some smoothies by the bar while we waited.  As we were sitting Diane Barba came in. Despite it being only around lunchtime I had arranged to take Rose back to the hotel before heading to the farm to look out. There was still so much to pack before we left and we couldn’t afford to lose our handle on the situation. I knew that even if we had to leave early I would be able to find the two women again. The smoothie really quenched my thirst. I took one last loud slurp, and looked away a bit embarrassed in the direction of the two women.

Rose chuckled with crumbs all over her, “Brad wa---.”

“Here’s your order guys, hope you enjoy.”

Her question was left incomplete with the waiter’s interruption but I knew exactly what she was going to say.

“Ok Rose, let’s head back to the hotel. There’s still a lot left to do before our flight.”

Rose hopped out of the chair leaving a few nachos in the bowl and I grabbed the food. We left at once for the hotel after which I headed directly to the farm. My conscience was clear and I was able to focus, as I knew Rose was safe and she would take care of things back at the hotel.

                                                                            ***

On arrival at the farm, I changed my clothes to blend in with the environment. I then found a good spot to get a direct view of the window. It was cold out there and kept in contact with Rose. I could see shadows moving around inside but I couldn’t make out what they were doing, it looked like dinner or something. After what felt like ages and the frustration of not being able to make out what was going on, I called Rose.

“Hey Brad!”

“How much longer out here, it’s getting really cold and I’m running out of food and time.”

“Don’t panic, I’ll call Barba right now and call you back.”

I glanced at my phone and waited a few moment more for Rose to call as the intensity of the biting wind grew. I couldn’t take it anymore, I started to dial Rose’s number as my phone rang.

“ Hey Brad, I just spoke to Barba and arranged to meet up with her at the car rental company. Can you meet me in the hotel lobby for check-out in about forty-five minutes?”

“I’m on my way, but what about Diane’s luggage?”

“ I’ve already packed it, we’ll leave it at front desk for her and meet back up with her on the airport shuttle at the car rental company. “

“Ok.”

I could see Ms. Russo’s lips moving but I couldn’t hear a word of what she was saying ; as I was still consumed by the details of the trip. Rose nudged me, “Brad, did you get any of that, Ms. Russo asked you a question. Is everything ok?”

 “Yes, can you please repeat.”