Fear - 14

Gene's car made it over the Divide, thanks, he was certain, to the new tires. When one of Max's mechanics has shown him the old ones, Gene had been surprised they hadn't blown out long before then.

"You gotta watch those things," Max had muttered. "You're the only decent doctor around here and that includes old Doc Nichols. Personally I'd hate having to deal with him if you went off a cliff."

"Well, your boys are supposed to be watching over my old girl," Gene had pointed out with a grin.

"How about you trade her in on something built after the beginning of the century?"

"I just might then sell this one to the car museum down in the city."

Not that he would. He loved his old girl, dents and all. He just hoped, as he eyed the roller-coaster looking slope leading down to the valley far below the peak of the Divide, that he wouldn't be adding any more dents.

"You'd think after spending half my life living in the mountains, I'd be used to this," he muttered under his breath while he tried not to ride his brakes all the way down. When he got to the bottom where the highway leveled out, he sighed in relief. Ten more miles and I can check into my motel and find somewhere to eat while I regain my shattered nerves

It was just after noon when he pulled up to the entrance of the motel. He registered, drove around to the back of the motel to park his car in the lot, and went up to his room, stopping on the walkway to look at the view of the river only a few hundred yards away. Oh yeah, this is just what I needed.

Twenty minutes later, choosing to walk instead of drive, he headed into town and to the restaurant the desk clerk had said was the best one in the area. The clerk hadn't steered him wrong. The food was excellent and by the time Gene headed back to the motel, he was more than glad he'd left the car behind so he could walk off his lunch.

After unpacking his fishing gear, he went down to the river, spending a lazy afternoon trolling for fish. He didn't even care that he hadn't caught any he decided, as it began to get dark and he returned to the motel. After all, what the hell would I do with them if I did? He smiled to himself. Fishing is just an excuse to sit back and enjoy the down time. Something I haven't done in God knows how long.

For the next three days, he alternated between relaxing by the river, pole in hand, and taking long hikes into the mountains on either side of town. Early on the morning of the fourth day, he decided to explore the town instead.