Under the Northern Lights(67)

Billy grunted as he clasped my palm. “You don’t listen to him . . . I’m not old. I’m just experienced.” He smiled at me. “It’s nice to see someone taking care of Michael. The missus and I worry about him out there in the woods all alone.”

Michael cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “Yes, well, anyway . . . it’s good to see you again, Billy. Tell Judith I said hello.”

Billy waved. “Will do. You take care, Michael . . . Mallory.” He winked at me after he said my name, and I gave him a broad smile as I waved goodbye.

Oh my God . . . people cared about Michael, and he cared in return. He wasn’t completely shut off. He hadn’t given up. There was still hope.

The next stop was the general store, where Michael stocked up on all the commodities he couldn’t make for himself. Much like Billy, the clerk behind the counter knew Michael, had been expecting him. They chitchatted for several minutes while he rang up Michael’s purchases, and I watched the exchange in awe.

I was seeing a completely different side of Michael. I was seeing society Michael . . . Dr. Michael. I’d only known the hurt and broken recluse. It was strange and exhilarating to see him how he must have been . . . before. And it made me realize that he could do this, could reintegrate into civilization. He was already doing it, if only on a smaller scale and for a shorter amount of time. Michael just didn’t realize that he was doing it.

The last stop on our list was Gary’s—the mechanic where Michael got parts for his plane. Gary looked to be around Michael’s age, maybe a few years older, and had grease in every nook and cranny. Like everywhere else we’d been today, Gary was happy to see Michael and surprised he hadn’t seen him sooner. “Michael, so good to see you up here. I was worried when you didn’t show up a few days after your delivery. I thought maybe the part didn’t work out for you.”

Michael waved off his concern with a smile. “I was having . . . other problems.”

He flashed a glance over at me, and Gary’s smile widened. “Ah, I see. Name’s Gary. Nice to meet you.”

“Mallory,” I said with a smile.

Gary shook his head as he looked back at Michael. “I don’t know where you found a woman in the woods, but I’m happy for you, man.”

“I didn’t . . . she’s not . . .” With a sigh, Michael stopped trying to explain what we were. Or weren’t. “I need to stock up on spark plugs, belts, oil . . . the usual. Hopefully nothing else major will go out. Getting here without a plane was brutal.”

My gaze snapped to him as my jaw dropped. “How did you get here without a . . . ? Wait, did you walk here? From the cabin?” I couldn’t even imagine how long that had taken him.

Michael shrugged. “Like I said before, I don’t have a phone. My plane wouldn’t start, so I did what I had to do.”

Gary cringed. “I’m sorry we had to order it in for you. I hate not having every part on hand, but you know how it goes.”

With a friendly smile, Michael told him, “I’m just glad I was right about what part it needed. Making that trip twice . . . probably would have killed me.”

He laughed after he said it, but I didn’t laugh with him. His comment had too much truth to it. God . . . what if his plane broke again? And he had to make that hike again? What if he failed next time . . . ? He’d die alone in the woods . . . and I’d never know.

As we were leaving Gary’s, my mood turned even more melancholy than this morning. Not only was I leaving him, but it suddenly felt like I was leaving him to die.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, studying me as we loaded the van.

Pausing, I told him, “You walked . . . over a hundred miles, over mountain passes, through wilderness teeming with wildlife. You could have been . . .”

Michael smiled at me. “It was early fall and still relatively warm. It wasn’t as bad as you’re thinking it was.”

“And the next time your plane won’t start?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

His lips curled into a frown. “Then I’ll do it again. It’s part of my life out here, and I’ve accepted that.”

“I don’t think I have,” I whispered.

His voice was soft when he answered me. “I know. That’s why you’re going home.”

A tremor of hope fluttered through me as I remembered the many people Michael had connected with here. If he could do it here, couldn’t he do it anywhere? “Michael . . . you know . . . you know you’re not as much of a recluse as you think you are, right?”

He tilted his head at me like he didn’t understand. “I’ve never really thought of myself as a recluse, but what do you mean?”

I swung my arm out to indicate the town. “Here, these people . . . you like them, and they like you. You have community here.”

Michael’s face hardened, and he shook his head. “I know what you’re thinking, but this is different. People here . . . they look out for each other.”

“It’s not just here,” I said, clutching his arm. “Back home, people are just like this. Almost to the point of being busybodies, but still . . . they care. There are pockets of goodness everywhere; you just have to look for them.”

A small smile cracked his hard facade. “Forever the optimist.”