She turned to face Lisa and her reply bore raw truth. “Oh my God, that smells divine, Lisa! I would love a piece. Thank you.”
“Sure. I made it myself, straight from my great grandmother's recipe book. Handwritten and all, so it was kind of an ode to her to make a pan of these,” the girl with the nerdy glasses explained.
Other than her poor choice of eye wear, Lisa was a drop-dead gorgeous young lady who could give any Polish supermodel a good run. With some toil she managed to load a slice onto the lid of the lunch tin she was storing it in and passed it over the seat to Joanne, who eagerly received it. Only halfway through her first bite of the delicious confectionery, Joanne had to swallow quickly to deal with the barrage of questions from the teenager about the trip, about Joanne's brand of cell phone, what music she enjoyed, and why she was still single.
Vexed that she could not consume the delicious pastry with the slow veneration it deserved, Joanne finally cut Lisa short. “Listen, love, I didn’t arrange this trip and, quite honestly, I’m enjoying this little bit of peace while everyone is knocked out.”
“I get it. Sorry, ma'am,” Lisa apologized, instantly making Joanne feel terribly guilty for her tone. She hadn’t been outwardly rude, but just the fact that she’d basically told the friendly teen to shut up felt a bit harsh. “It’s okay, really, Miss Earle. No worries. I was just making conversation to stay awake.”
“Why would you want to stay awake? This is one boring bus ride,” Joanne smiled, grateful for the chance to make up for her snappy comment.
Lisa looked a bit embarrassed, reluctant to answer at first. “I don't know how to say this, but I’ve been having bad dreams and if I sleep on the bus I might wake up screaming.”
“I have nightmares often too, love,” Joanne comforted her, as Lisa rested her arms on the back of her teacher's seat to prop her chin on. She sighed hopelessly and her eyes examined Joanne's keenly.
“But mine come true.”
Chapter 5 — Nothing Remains Buried
The second day on the bus was about all Joanne could take of the joys of a road trip. Although the kids were no burden and the noise levels remained relatively low throughout most of it, she was getting tired of sitting on her plump ass, waiting for adventure.
“Where is The Rock today? He didn't eat with us last night. All I saw of him was his Landy parked in front of the motel. But no sign of him…”
“He told the bus driver that he was going to skip dinner with us and get an early night because he wasn't feeling well,” Pam gossiped quietly. “I bet he wanted to get some quality time in with some cable porn, right?” She chuckled and winked, rousing Joanne's mean sense of humor that she so willingly flaunted when certain individuals peeved her.
“A bit of alone time is good for everyone every now and again,” Joanne jested with glee. When the two childish thirty-odd-year-old spinsters were done having a laugh at Jacques Spence’s expense, Joanne asked, “But we haven't seen him driving behind the bus since about two hours ago.”
“I know,” Pam replied rather morosely. “Maybe he pulled over, or God forbid, something happened to his car. Shall I give him a buzz, you think?”
“Rather, just to make sure, I think,” Joanne affirmed.
“We’re here, people!” the bus driver exclaimed, stirring up a bustle of remarks and cheer from the teenagers. They all leaned over to the windows to see and started packing up their phones and snacks.
Happy Valley — Goose Bay was more than Joanne could have hoped for. While enduring the road there from Churchill Falls, she’d envisioned a rundown old ghost town with a few fishing bait shops and huts along a single main road where the locals sat on the stoop and stared. But she was in awe of what the small town really looked like when the bus finally halted to let them get their feet on a motionless floor.
Pam and Joanne stepped off the bus, taking in their surroundings with a sense of tranquility neither had expected. Pam rested her hand on Joanne's shoulder. “Look at that scenery!”
“I know, right?” Joanne smiled. “I hate to be wrong, as you know, but I’m elated to be wrong this time. Coming out here on this camp was worth it a million times over.”
“Then I will reserve my need to say I told you so,” Pam winked before she exclaimed to the dispersing and curious teenagers. “Guys, stick together please! Don't wander off too far. We’re just waiting for Mr. Spence and then we’ll carry on to the cabins.”
The two ladies marveled at the pretty little town, a tourist paradise they intended to enjoy over the weekend. Rightly so, too. As teachers responsible for the physical welfare of their students, they’d spent an enormous amount of extra time lecturing on good sports nutrition and volunteering for extramural activities and gymnasium instruction, even when they were not expected to. This field trip was the last on the list for the year, and the reason Pam had implored the principal to allocate funds for this particular area around Goose Bay.
Past the welcome sign at the entrance of the town there was an ocean of trees, tall and dark green, populating the rise and fall of the hills and meadows. The close vicinity to the coast gave it a spatial air that the group did not have in Labrador City inland. Eventually, after fifteen minutes that felt like a mere forty-five seconds, the banged up, dark blue Land Rover belonging to the ailing swimming coach showed up. He drove past the bus and the congregation of teens at a very slow speed, his window rolled down, and his swarthy, muscular arm dangling from it.
“Just follow me, guys!” he smiled, making sure to slow down even more so they had time to get into the bus before they lost sight of him.
“Get in! Get in!” Joanne cried, and all the students made their way to their seats in time to follow Mr. Spence's vehicle towards the scenic Lac Seul, where they would spend the next two days of the long weekend. Joanne was finally excited about it, but as they drove off into the beauteous wilderness she could not help but feel that same breath of dread she’d been suppressing even after young Lisa shared the same sentiment the night before.
The two vehicles roared down the meandering road and were swallowed up by the dark trees on their way to the lake where their cabins awaited. By now the engines were running hot and the gasoline was running low, but this didn’t trouble the group, as they were scheduled to go on a light hike as soon as they had moved their light luggage into their respective rooms. That was the part Joanne and Pam looked forward to the most. It would be good to get some leg stretching done after a two-day road trip to reach the Canadian gem huddled by the mysterious guard of giant firs and pines.
“Just be careful,” Mr. Spence reminded everyone after they’d arrived. “It’s bear hunting season.”
“It’s always bear hunting season, sir,” the rambunctious and comical Nathan exclaimed from the small group of students. “Bears hunt all year round. I don't think they got the e-mail that told them when the season ends.”
Joanne and Pam laughed at the boy's creative twist on a very serious announcement. His classmates giggled and shoved him around, but Mr. Spence paid no attention as he continued, “And none of you are allowed to venture off without the entire group. And I mean none of you.” His beady dark eyes peeked out from under his overdeveloped brow, leering straight at the two female teachers. “We all move, accompanied by at least four others at all times. There are hunters in the woods, wild animals are everywhere and trust me, none of you can outrun them!” Clasping his great hands together, he smiled at last, “Other than that, enjoy yourselves and relax this weekend. You have all earned it and I will be happy to take you guys out on the lake sometime tomorrow for some fishing or swimming, alright?”