A Decision Based On Love Page 17

  Chapter 17

  There is nothing in the world quite like an Arizona summer thunderstorm. Todd sat on his deck with a drink watching streaks of light blaze across the sky accompanied by the rolling rumble of thunder. Several colorful bolts of lightning lit up the sky at one time, each choosing their own zigzagging path to the earth. Todd loved thunderstorms and as Hershey whimpered in fright beside him, Todd reached out and scratched his ear comfortingly while he remembered past thunderstorms. He and Shari loved to sit on the back porch and watch the light show and often turned off the TV and computer and put down whatever else they were doing to enjoy a nice, long thunderstorm. The kids enjoyed them too, unless it was at night when they were little. Todd couldn't help but smile at the memory of his 3 little kids on stormy nights. The Arizona storms were rare enough that the thunder claps woke everyone up from a dead sleep, no matter the hour of the night. Todd and Shari would wake up first, usually with the lightening and then Todd would lay in bed and count, “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three.” He never made it past 3 before they could hear little footsteps running frantically down the hall and barreling into their bedroom. All three kids would ride out the storm on the king-sized bed snuggled up to their parents. As they got older, they would all march to the back patio and watch the storm roll through from there.

  Todd was so caught up in the memory he didn't realize Hershey had progressively gotten closer and closer to him on the lounge chair. At first his big head was resting in Todd's lap, and then shortly his two front paws were up on Todd's knees. Now, Todd suddenly found himself practically holding the giant dog entirely in his lap as he scooted closer and closer to Todd.

  Todd laughed and moved Hershey down as he started into the house. It was getting late and there was no reason to sit outside tonight. He could sleep through a thunderstorm most nights without any trouble. He let the frantic dog into the house with him and laid a blanket on the floor for him to curl up on, hoping he would calm down over the course of the night. He thought about his funny, loving big dog. Training had not gone as he had hoped. Hershey was more interested in playing than learning and Todd tried repeatedly to teach the dog to obey commands, but the playful dog would just leap around the yard barking at him. Todd finally had to come to the realization that, while Labradors are indeed intelligent dogs, that does not necessarily apply to all of them. What Hershey seemed to lack in intelligence, he more than made up for in unconditional love. That dog loved Todd with an adoration that was almost spooky.

  Todd was just nodding off to sleep when Hershey pushed open the door to the master bedroom and padded quietly in to sleep by the foot of Todd's bed. He was aware of it, but considering the thunderstorm, just let it slide. He woke up an hour later unable to move his feet and in his sleep-deprived state it took him a minute to realize the reason stemmed from a huge weight covering them. He pushed Hershey off and rolled to his side and fell back asleep. The next time he woke he was dreaming that he was fighting to breath. Someone was smothering him and he was slowly losing his ability to draw a deep breath. He woke with a start and realized that he WAS struggling to breath. A huge hairy dog was literally sleeping on his face. That was the last straw. Todd pushed the beast off of the bed and out of the room and shut and locked the door. Hershey acted like he had just been betrayed by his best friend and pouted by the closed door. Todd stomped back to the bed and tried to go back to sleep. His pillow smelled like wet dog. And there were dog hairs all over the sheets. He had just thrown a pillow at the door and uttered a few choice words when the hilarity of the situation hit him and he started to laugh. Sometimes a relatively funny situation strikes you as absolutely hilarious and you can't stop laughing. As tears came to Todd's eyes, he just knew Shari must be laughing at him from somewhere right now too.

  As the summer sun turned brutal, Todd looked for ways to leave the city and enjoy the mountain areas. He had several weeks of vacation every year and he had determined to use most of it enjoying his family. He had rediscovered how valuable those relationships were to him and he had the time and resources to make the very most of them.

  In early July he called Tyson up and asked his son to accompany him on a 3 day white water rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

  “I know you're busy Tyson, and you spend most of your vacation time with your family, but if you can fit it into your schedule I'd like to pay for the whole thing and just spend a few days with you,”

  Todd was unsure how Tyson would respond.

  “I'd love it!” Tyson's excitement was evident. Let me make sure Liz is ok with those dates and I'll call you back.”

  Liz had also realized the value of family relationships more and more over the past year and she was in favor of anything that strengthened bonds. By late that evening they had a week chosen and they started planning their trip.

  They took off in mid July and drove Todd's camper to a campground near the canyon. They left a pouting Hershey behind with Tyson's family, and brought very little except their waterproof cameras and a change of clothes.

  They camped together the first night and woke up early with excitement to start their day. They took a short hike to watch the sunrise over the canyon and stood together in awe, mesmerized by the majesty.

  A helicopter flew them down to the river, and the ride alone seemed worth the price of the whole trip to Todd. He loved flying and once again his lifelong desire to get his pilot's license surfaced. Now would be a great time to fulfill that entry on his bucket list. But first, he had 3 days of action, beauty and excitement to experience with one of his favorite people in the world to be with and he had no intention of daydreaming away a minute of it. He and Tyson were snapping pictures out of the open windows as they descended into the canyon.

  The rafts were ready to go when they landed and they loaded up their gear and strapped on their safety equipment. Then they took off. The shorter trips like this one dropped rafters right into the intense rapids rather than prepping them with a few days of calmer water. In no time, Tyson and his father were whooping with the rising swells and paddling away from spinning eddies and waterfalls. The guide shouted continued instructions at the paddlers as they tried to maintain their seats. Both of them were drenched in the first five minutes and they were laughing through the swells.

  Tyson had always been a little bit of an adrenaline junkie anyway and Todd was starting to see where he got it from. They spent most of the day riding waves and slipping over waterfalls. They stopped on a sandy shore for lunch and took some great pictures of the canyon wildlife.

  By the time the raft docked for the evening they were utterly exhausted. The rafting company provided an excellent meal, tents and sleeping bags but the weather was so beautiful that Tyson and Todd decided to lay their bags out under the stars and take their chances. Father and son lay together in the stillness and watched as the stars came out one by one as they talked.

  “Tyson, you're a great man and I'm sure proud of you. I love to watch you with your kids, I admire your work ethic, and I'm especially proud of the way you treat that beautiful wife of yours,” Todd's voice was husky.

  Tyson lightened the moment. “You know I learned from the best. You were a great example. Of course they say that when a man treats his wife like a princess it's proof that he was raised in the arms of a queen.”

  Todd hadn't heard that particular saying before but he smiled as he thought how much Shari would have loved it. “You certainly were Tyson. I'm just glad she took me along for the ride with her.”

  “Me too dad.”

  “I probably don't tell you enough Tyson, but I really do love you.” Todd thought it seemed like the right time to tell him.

  “I know dad. I love you too. Now let me get to sleep so I can keep up with you tomorrow.”

  Both men woke the following day with a loud groan and several smaller moans. There was a reason people didn't do this sort of thing every day. Every single muscle in their
bodies was screaming in protest. Yes, it was mostly the exertion of the day before but for two softies, sleeping on the ground did a share of damage too. It was almost too painful to get up and get going, but being left behind wasn't an option so they got up, ate and got ready to start another day.

  The second and third day was more intense than the first. The white water was faster and the waterfalls were bigger. It was an almost constant adrenaline rush and by the third day both men were well practiced at keeping the raft afloat. They could laugh and talk, even as they careened down the wild river. They ate like starving lumberjacks at meals and slept like the dead at night, and they each had a portfolio of breathtaking pictures to remember the adventure.

  There was really only one close call. A woman on the trip had her camera slip out of her jacket pocket during one of the white water segments. She was too afraid to let go of the rope on the side to go after it. It was obviously going overboard so Tyson made the quick decision to reach for it as it slid across the raft. As soon as he let go, the raft hit a dip and flipped precariously to the side. They were able to keep it upright but without an anchor, Tyson was tossed into the icy water. Todd's first reaction was to panic and reach to help, but the guide had made it clear that they were to obey the rules at all times. Todd would have to trust that his son would be alright. He watched as Tyson bobbed to the surface and made his way slowly over to the shore, bouncing off of rocks as he went. Occasionally he sipped beneath the water, but he always resurfaced. He was wearing a protective helmet and life vest and he was a strong swimmer, so as long as he didn't panic he would be fine. By the time he got to the shore, he was soaked through and exhausted but they threw him a line, he pulled the raft over and climbed back on board. The sun warmed him and dried him off in no time. Todd sucked in a deep breath and just then realized he'd been holding his breath the whole time his son was in the water.

  The incident left Todd edgy and more nervous about the water. He kept thinking of the things that could go wrong and inevitably his thoughts turned to what he would tell Liz if anything happened. The thought literally made him sick to his stomach. He tried to enjoy the remainder of the rapids, but he kept glancing at Tyson to make sure he was secure. As much fun as they were having, he might have to rethink the high adventure trips he was planning for the future.

  The last night of the river trip the two men ate until they were stuffed, took pictures of the sunset on the water and sat by the fire visiting until they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer. Tyson was anxious to get back to his family and Todd was anxious to get back to a real bed.

  They left the river early the next morning and drove the camper home late that afternoon. Tyson called ahead so Kylee and Kenny were sitting on the front yard playing in a wading pool, waiting for him. Liz watched as Tyson practically leapt out of the truck. Several days on the river had left his muscles strong and his face and arms deeply tanned. He smiled at her and her stomach did a little flutter as she blew him a kiss full of promise. He had no time to respond because a dripping wet Kylee was barreling into him at cannonball speed. She raised her arms up and when he lifted her he nuzzled his unshaven face against her cheek. She squealed and protested loudly but then she planted her hands on either side of his face and lectured sternly, “Daddy, you were gone too long.”

  “I know sweetheart, but Grandpa wanted to spend time with me too,” he tried reasoning with her.

  “Then Grandpa can just come over here more. Me and mommy don't like it when you are gone,” Kylee spoke her mind as usual.

  Tyson changed the subject by nuzzling her cheek again, inducing another set of squeals. Then he noticed Kenny still splashing away in the pool. He was running a toy around the edges and completely ignoring his dad.

  “Hi Kenny, did you miss me?” Tyson crouched down low beside his son.

  Kenny moved his toy to the other side of the pool, turning his back on his dad with no comment.

  Tyson looked at his wife questioningly but she just shrugged in response. He walked over the other side of the little pool and tried again, crouching down, “I brought you something back from my trip.”

  The little boy threw his toy at his dad and hung his head. Tyson was about to tease him out of his ill humor, but he noticed the tears brimming in his big eyes before Kenny looked down. His heart warmed toward the scared little boy. It was always amazing to Tyson how much children understood what was going on. Kenny might not have known what white water rafting was, but he knew that his dad was gone and he probably felt some of his mother and sister's anxiety. He couldn't talk yet, and he couldn't really understand or express his emotions, but Tyson could tell he was struggling with them. He scooped up the protesting little boy and hugged him tightly.

  “I'm sorry I made you mad Kenny. You know I love you.”

  Kenny was having none of it. He pushed against his father's chest and reached for his mother. Then he promptly burst into tears and buried his head in the crook of Tyson's neck. He wouldn't look at his dad. Kenny was good and mad at him for leaving for several days and Tyson knew it may take a while to earn his forgiveness but he couldn't help but feel cherished and loved by the angry little boy. He thought for about the millionth time how grateful he was that he was still here to raise these two hellions. When Kylee climbed up his leg, he lifted her in his other arm and raised his eyes towards heaven and whispered, “Thanks mom.”