March 2017

Shannon stretched his arms over his head as he sat up in bed. The sun was peeking through the blinds over his windows and he swung his legs over the edge. It was uncharacteristically bright for early March, but he hoped that it would put Callie in a good mood for the day. Her trip had extended twice since she had come to stay with him shortly after Valentine's Day. What had started as a week turned into another one, and then another. As much as he was enjoying having her around, he knew she'd have to go back to Los Angeles eventually.

So today, he was taking her out to Ocean Shores to visit a property he'd bought a few months back. It was mostly undeveloped so far, except for an Airstream trailer he'd parked there near a tiny run-down cabin. The cabin basically served as a water and electricity hook up and housed a few things he wanted to protect from the elements. The previous owner had bought the land with the hope of living off-grid, but realized that the sandy soil in the area was terrible for growing much of anything and the proximity to the tourist town ruined the whole "seclusion and self-reliance" feeling.

Shannon had been all too happy to snatch up the land, though at the time he was unsure of what to do with it. Initially he figured he'd keep it for a bit, use it as a way to escape the city and when it gained value as the tourist town around him grew, he'd sell it to the highest bidder to build vacation homes on it or something. But after a few trips to the property, it had grown on him as an artistic escape and he'd decided to hold on to it for a little while longer. There was a certain charm to the Airstream being the only thing on several acres of land.

He had packed his SUV up the night beforehand with all the essentials he didn't keep on the property, so all he had to do was rush Callie out the door and get on the road. He found her sitting at the island, casually flicking through Rolling Stone as she sipped a coffee.

"I'm gonna have something quick and then we can head out," he said, opening a box of cereal. "Sound good?"

The cereal echoed as it hit the porcelain bowl.

"Sure. I've already grabbed something," she said without looking at him.

"You know, you don't have to come," he said, sensing some boredom in her tone and feeling self-conscious.

She probably has better things to do that stay with you in a shitty Airstream in the woods, he thought.

She looked up and smiled. "Of course I want to come! Its your fucking birthday, Shannon. Why wouldn't I want to come celebrate it with you?"

He relaxed slightly. So she had remembered. "I don't know, you've been gone from L.A. for a long time. I thought you might need to go back."

She fixed him with a gaze that made him feel like she was looking straight into his soul. "I can't say I'm excited about spending several days in the wilderness, but its for your birthday and I didn't bring anything to give you. You've been so wonderful to me this whole time, surely I can suffer through this, just for you," she said with a teasing grin.

"I'm honored." he smirked back. "All packed?"

"Such as it is," she replied. "Its by the garage door."

"Great," he said.

He focused on his cereal and downed his coffee. By nine, they were loaded up in the car and on their way toward the coast. He blasted classic rock the whole drive down and Callie only complained once, but stopped when he reminded her it was his birthday. 

"You know, Aberdeen is where Kurt Cobain was from," he said as they came up on the Chehalis River. 

"That's funny," she remarked. "I wonder if they took their town motto from Nirvana."

He shrugged and they turned toward Hoquiam. Aberdeen was a fairly depressing city. Once a booming logging hub, it had died multiple deaths over the years. Many of the little bungalow houses looked vacant. The ones that showed signs of life were horribly run down. Just as soon as they passed into the old town, they left it, driving west on the 109. The road hugged the coast line of the North Bay, giving Callie fantastic views of the wetlands. 

The smell of saltwater filled the air as Shannon slowed to turn onto a gravel road that was shaded by a dense tree line. His SUV managed the ruts and bumps easily as it ascended a small hill. He stopped at a small clearing with a weather-worn wood clapboard shed on one side and a shiny Airstream trailer parked next to it. He got out of the SUV and walked around to the back to unload things. Callie walked around the site, taking everything in. 

"I thought you were close to the beach?" she asked. 

"We are," he replied. "Can't you smell it?" he asked, setting their bags in front of the trailer's door. "It's about a 2 minute drive up the road."

He dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the trailer's door. A slight musty scent hit his nose as he took their bags inside. He opened several windows to air the space out, in spite of the chilly air. He went back outside and caught Callie peering into the murky window of the shed. 

"What's in here?" she asked. 

He put a large Tupperware bin on the ground and walked over to her. "Its the water and electricity hook up and I keep a few basic things in there." He unlocked the door and waved his hand in front of his face to clear the dust that came out. 

"I'm getting serious flashbacks of camping trips with my dad as a teenager," she shuddered. "He'd make us all go on camping trips to give Mamie a break. It was a horrible experience."

"I'm having a hard time seeing Belle in the wilderness," Shannon chuckled. He pulled a long extension cord off a shelf in the shed and walked over to the other side of the trailer. "I'm going to get the trailer hooked up. Could you get the rest of the stuff from the car?"

Half an hour later, Shannon was opening an awning on the side of the trailer while Callie set up camping chairs around a fire ring. He started a fire and sank into a chair, fresh cigarette in his fingers. "So we can head over to the beach after lunch, when its warmest. Or we can wait and go tomorrow. Your choice."

"My choice? Shan, its your day. You pick," she replied. 

He was silent for several seconds. "You should bring Trio next time you come," he remarked. "I bet he'd love it. He could run up and down the beach like the lunatic he is."

Callie chuckled. "He'd probably knock people over because he's so crazy."

Shannon smiled at the image of the three-legged pit bull running up and down the beach like a maniac, crashing through sandcastles and knocking over beach umbrellas in his mad dash. 

"So other than dragging me into the wilderness for a whole weekend, what else do you want to do for your birthday?" Callie asked, warming her hands by the fire. 

He took a drag from his cigarette and stared at her over the flames. "Are you hungry? We could have lunch."

She stood up. "Sure. What can I make?"

"I put some burgers and hot dogs in the fridge. Or we could do sandwiches," he suggested. A gust of wind blew through the campsite and he saw Callie shiver through her jacket. "Why don't we just cook inside and get warm. Tonight we can sit by the fire."

"G - good id-d-dea," she said, her teeth chattering. 

They rushed inside, leaving the fire burning. The trailer wasn't any warmer, but it was at least out of the wind. 

"Here," he said, helping her sit on the sofa. "I'll get a blanket."

He rummaged around in the wardrobe at the other end of the trailer and returned with a thick blanket. She stopped shivering as he wrapped her in it. "I forgot how hard cold weather is for you," he said with a smile. 

"I don't get how you can do it," she replied. "You went from years in Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest and you seem happy about it."

"The temperature change is a hard thing to get used to. But when you dress appropriately, it doesn't really bother you," he said pointedly. 

"I didn't exactly come fully prepared," Callie said. 

Shannon stood up and began preparing food. The trailer warmed up with the heat from the stove as he grilled several hot dogs. Eventually, he joined Callie on the sofa and they flipped on a movie on the flat screen. By the time they were done, the sun had come out and the wind had blown the cloud cover away. It was still gusty and cold, but with two of Shannon's hoodies on under her cost, Callie seemed much more comfortable. 

"Let's drive to over. We can drive right onto the beach," he suggested. 

"You're the boss," she replied. 

They piled into his SUV and he drove them back down the gravel road and toward the beach. It was almost as if the beach materialized out of nowhere. A few houses and buildings lined the edge of the road, but the access road led them right onto the sand. The beach was mostly empty due to the chilly weather, but the view was breath taking. Nothing but the waves and the clear blue sky meeting on the horizon. He parked and they got out. 

Callie's hair was whipping around in the wind as she walked alongside him. They passed an older couple walking hand-in-hand. Shannon couldn't help but picture himself and Callie doing the same in a few decades' time. He shook his head and tried to focus on the moment, then and there. For the moment, he had her with him. For the moment, he could pretend that they were a couple out for a walk on the beach on a nice March afternoon. He could pretend they were living happily in a little cabin in the woods nearby, just the two of them, while the outside world passed them by.