Page 6 of Saved By the Soldier

"I don't want to just stand here looking at you while you cook."

He turns to me and nods toward the fridge.

"Grab a bottle of wine and two glasses, then sit down and I'll sit down too when it's cooking on its own.”

I sit at the small table with my cold glass of white wine in my hand. What a strange day it's been. Not what I was expecting this morning when I woke up in the cold tent.

I don't know if I can leave this cozy home. It will feel even colder out there after being in here.

4

LUKE

I lookover and she’s sitting with her wine and for once it feels nice to have company that isn't my dad. I was frustrated by the fact she was out here on her own, looking for mythical wolves in a snowstorm. After putting the stew to simmer, I tidy up the kitchen and sit down opposite her at the table. I take a sip of the wine and savor the taste of it.

"So, as a photographer do you travel a lot? What kind of pictures do you prefer taking?" If I’m going to spend the night with this woman, I might as well try to get to know her a little. I watch her over the top of my glass as she takes a sip and then swallows.

"I travel all over the world. I like wildlife photography, but I have taken photos of so many different things. I've been in precarious positions, which is challenging, but those are my favorite. I like the adrenaline of getting the photos that normal photographers don't want to risk getting. I've made a lot of money over the years with my photos." She takes another sip.

"Interesting. What is your favorite photo that you've ever taken?"

"Oh, delving deep in the get to know you questions." She laughs. It feels good to have some noise in here. I'm usually here on my own and all I do is read and sit in front of the fire. I didn't know that I missed laughter as much as I do right now.

I laugh. "Well, it's going to be a long couple of days if we don't find out more about each other."

"There was one time I went to India to Lakshmi Tatma, she's the girl who was born with eight limbs. The extra limbs were from rare parasitic conjoined twin, and it could kill her. She comes from a very poor background, and I wanted to photograph her with her parents and in her home town. She was amazing, I had a translator with me and she said that she's used to living the way she is and that she will be sad when her other limbs are removed. She was scheduled for surgery when I was there. She had the surgery, she survived but faces many health issues. I went back to photograph her years after her surgery, and she looked like she’d never walk or be able to do much. She said she didn't feel whole anymore."

"Wow, I remember reading about her and I think that there is a documentary about her. She was a happy young girl. She has to get used to a whole load of new obstacles with only four limbs. She will have been used to having the other limbs there. Wait, did you sell those to National Geographic? I saw those pictures and they were amazing."

"Yes, that's me." She blushes, which I don't expect. Since I walked in here, she's been hard and to the point. But she clearly doesn't take compliments well. Interesting.

"I like to get in with the unusual things in life and also the animals. I don't mind being in danger, in fact I prefer it."

"I see that. How did this trip come about? Who wants to walk in these mountains in the snowy season?" I pour us both another glass of wine.

"Thanks. I'm always looking for different things to take pictures of and I've been following the information about the Blue Wolves for as long as I can remember. It's interesting and finding out whether it's true or a myth is what I'm all about. I did altitude training to come here. I have all the gear. I'm not just a woman who wandered off the path and ended up on the side of a mountain. I came prepared."

"I see that. You were carrying a heavy bag with you." I stand and turn the stew off. Then I bring it over to the table and put it on the coaster and say, "Tuck in, I hope you like it." Do I really? Do I really want her to like what I made her? I was making it for myself anyway, right?

"Thank you." We both put some into our bowls and the cabin is silent while we eat. I look at her once or twice just to take her in. She is one of the most beautiful women I've seen in a long time. I don't always live up on the mountain and I'm not celibate, but no one has caught my attention. I don't want the bimbos or the ones that are looking for just a one-night stand. Well, I've had a few of those, but they make you feel cheap, and I hate that feeling.

We both have a second helping of the stew. "Oh my god, Luke this is so tasty, I must get the recipe off you."

"It's easy really, but I'm happy to give you the recipe. It’s my mom's. It's been handed down through the generations. Mom wanted to pass it down to the next girl in the family, but they only had me so she passed it onto me and made sure I could cook it. She showed me a lot about cooking. I didn't get much chance to do it when I was in the military as we were always deployed. I only have my parents, so made sure I came home as often as I could, but I always took the extra deployments. So, I never got the chance to cook. That's why I always bring food up with me so that I can try different things." She's smiling at me.

"That’s so beautiful. I don't see much of my parents, so I was never handed down any recipes or anything. I learned how to throw things into a pan and watch them boil. I'm a ramen noodle kind of a gal."

"That's a shame, maybe I can show you." What am I suggesting? Do I really think I'll see her again when we leave here? Do I want to? I think so, but things could change.

"That would be great." She looks at me as she takes a sip of wine. Interesting.

We clear the dishes and take another glass of wine and sit on the only two chairs in the cabin. It's small, remember. I put more wood on the fire.

"Do you cut that yourself?" She nods at the woodpile in the corner.

"Yes, it's the first thing I always do when I get up here. I knew that I needed enough for a few days, so chopped a lot. But with another person in here, I think I'll have to cut some more up tomorrow. I don't normally have it this warm."

"I'm sorry. If I could go down the mountain then I would. But look it's terrible." She looks over to the window, where the snow is falling heavily and building up against it.