Above All Else by Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld

Author:Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2016-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

31

Back to Apache Lake

WE THREW A few things in the van and headed out. There wasn’t any particular reason I had come up with this plan and nothing specific I was after. I just didn’t want to be stuck in the house any longer, and going to the drop zone was too much for me to handle right then. I needed to get out from behind closed doors and hit the road. As soon as we were out of the traffic and on the open highway, almost immediately I was able to relax back and enjoy that feeling of total freedom—the freedom to go where we want, stop when we wanted, and stay until we felt like leaving.

I had driven the road to Apache Lake dozens of times, but never from the passenger’s seat. Even with the halo restricting my sight, I was able to enjoy the drive in ways I had never been able to before. I didn’t feel like I was looking through a small window at all. I could see everything.

Kristi pulled over as we broke through the mountains and had our first view of the lake. It was beautiful beyond belief, just like I remembered it. Like a person who had to swim through miles of rough water and had just made it to the shore, I was hit by a wonderful feeling of peace. I felt totally safe, totally secure there.

We drove down and parked in the campgrounds next to the lake and found a nice spot to sit while we had a little lunch. It was so good to be back. We sat together for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the colors it brought out in the mountains.

After a little while, we got up and took a walk. I was still using the cane, especially on rough terrain, but was starting to rely on it less and less.

The walk ended at the marina, so we decided to rent a small pontoon boat and go out on the water for a few hours. After successfully departing from the tie-downs and maneuvering away from the pier, there was no longer anything to run into, so I asked Kristi to let me take control of the boat. She was happy for the chance to finally be a passenger, and it felt great to me to be steering, to finally be allowed to be physically in control of something again.

Kristi sat in the front of the boat, leaning back, enjoying the sun, with her hair blowing in the breeze. She looked so beautiful, more relaxed than I’d seen her in a long time. I remembered our last trip to Apache Lake and how it was there that I realized I had fallen in love with her. But I loved her now more than ever.

That evening we watched as the sun set in slow motion. The length of the lake runs east and west. If you position yourself in the right spot, looking west, the water almost meets the sky and the canyon walls rise sharply on both sides.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.