“That won’t be necessary,” Mike responded. “His parents live in Calgary. Besides, I’ve already talked to his father. He has yelled at me on and off throughout the entire weekend.”
“Do any of the flight attendants’ families live near San Francisco?”
“Yes, but I’ve already scheduled a meeting for tomorrow with the mother of the flight attendant Susan Olsen.”
“Is she the one who sent the text message to her husband?”
“No, that’s Elisabeth McAllister,” Mike said, and sounded even more annoyed.
George felt embarrassed since he realized he should’ve known her name by now. George always had a hard time remembering people’s names.
“Elisabeth’s family lives in Alaska,” Mike added. “Her husband has been on just about every news channel there is.”
“That text message really helped us.”
“What do you mean?” Mike’s eyes narrowing.
“Now the press is focusing on the terror angle. If not for the text message, the crash could have been an accident, and then the press would be all over us, instead of blaming the rest of the world,” George explained.
It didn’t seem as Mike Williams cared for George’s analysis.
“Susan Olsen is a twenty-six-year-old single mom. No siblings, and her father passed away last year—and it was her first day on the job,” Mike said in a sharp tone.
Her first day? George felt a tension in his chest.
17 HUNGER
Monday morning
The sunlight broke through the dark silhouette of the forest and illuminated the lake’s surface. At the same time, the wind ruffled the water, breaking up the sun’s hypnotic radiance.
Julie woke, blinked several times, and then squinted across the shoreline. Kevin walked fast and determinedly toward the mountain. Jack tried to catch up with him, and when he finally did, he put his arms on Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin then lashed out with his right arm in Jack’s direction.
“Get away from me!” Kevin roared, and then picked up the pace.
“Jack!” Julie shouted.
Jack stopped, and looked toward Julie with a startled expression.
“Is everything all right between you two?”
“We’re heading for the mountain. We’ll be back before sunset,” Jack said loudly. “Take good care of Nancy. Make sure she doesn’t run away.”
“Are you on bad terms with Kevin?”
“It’s nothing, Julie. Everything is fine.”
Jack ran fast to intercept Kevin, and then the two of them disappeared into the woods. Eventually, Julie turned her attention toward the lake, and then suddenly, she burst into tears, covering her face with the palm of her hands.
“This can’t be happening,” she mumbled.
“Are you all right, Julie?” Andrew asked in a groggy morning voice.
Julie jolted and quickly wiped the tears away. “I was just thinking of all the people who died in the crash. It’s so sad.”
“Did you know any of the other passengers?”
“No, it was just me.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s tragic too, but at the same time, people are dying every day.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, I didn’t know any of the passengers. They were all strangers to me,” Andrew said. “Thousands of people die each day, but I don’t feel sorry for them, because I didn’t know any of them.”
“Children are waiting in vain for their parents to return, and you don’t find that sad?” Julie stared at Andrew. “What a selfish and careless thing to say.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Julie. I think it’s sad, but I don’t find it sadder than knowing that unknown people are dying across the country as we speak, or across the world for that matter. I’m not selfish. I’m only human, and I’m glad it wasn’t me who died in the crash.”
“You’re glad? Seriously, Andrew?”
“You’re telling me you don’t feel relieved to be alive?”
“No, I feel nothing of the kind. I’m not like you, Andrew. Do you even hear yourself? Can’t you hear, how wrong it sounds?”
Andrew got up, and walked in the direction of the hillside, and toward the tree where he’d spent the first night.
“Where are you going?” Julie yelled.
“I’m going to take a piss!”
“Don’t walk too far. You need to be close to Nancy!”
Just then, Nancy woke up, and the two women went the opposite way of Andrew, but with the same purpose. Before they returned to the Chanterelle tree (which they had referred to as home) they drank plenty of water from the lake. Andrew was already “home.”
“What did you mean when you said that you’re not like me?”
“I just pointed out that we’re different from one another,” Julie said.
“So, you think you’re better than me?”
Julie rolled her eyes. “No, I didn’t say that. I just pointed out that we’re different. If you take offense, then it’s due to your own perception of yourself. I imagine a person with high self-esteem would probably take that as a compliment. So, the real question you should be asking is why you have such a low opinion of yourself?”
Andrew looked uncomfortable and never answered Julie’s question.
“And when, or if, you ever find the answer to that question, then, you can change your ways and become a different person,” Julie added.
“So, you’re a psychologist all the sudden.” Andrew smirked. “I thought you were a cleaning woman?”
“Yes, I’m a cleaning woman. Thank you for pointing that out. It makes all the difference,” Julie said, and rolled her eyes again. “But I’m also a human being. You wouldn’t happen to know what that’s like, do you, Andy?”
“Stop calling me Andy. My name is Andrew.”
“Why did Kevin push you to the ground yesterday Andrew?”
Andrew seemed startled by the sudden question. “It was just two guys blowing off steam. We’re all hungry and frustrated.”
“What do you mean by that? Did you argue about food?”
“I don’t have any food,” Andrew responded quickly.
“What was the argument about, then?”
“I made a comment about his size, and he took offense.” Andrew shrugged.
Julie shook her head. “Jack wouldn’t have teased Kevin about his size.”
“Jack…” Andrew frowned. “What’s he got to do with anything?”
“They got into an argument this morning. Jack grabbed Kevin by his shoulder. Then Kevin lashed out at him, and Kevin looked really upset.”
“Maybe Jack wanted to borrow his jacket.” Andrew shrugged. “Can’t blame Jack for being pissed off at Kevin for hogging the jacket.”
“But it’s his jacket,” Julie said hesitantly. “Besides, it’s just a blazer.”
“Jack is just wearing a shirt. A blazer would make a huge difference.”
“I asked him if he wanted to borrow my sweater, but he didn’t seem eager at all.”
“That’s because your sweater would look like a handkerchief on him,” Andrew said. “But Kevin is almost as big as Jack. That blazer would fit Jack perfectly.”
“Did you notice Jack boarding the plane?”
“No, I only noticed Nancy.”
“I bet you did.” Julie sighed.
“Okay, what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re using every chance you get to look at Nancy’s breasts. Must you do that?” Julie asked. “All the time?”
“I’m a man.” Andrew shrugged.
Julie looked Andrew up and down a few times. “Are you sure about that?”
“It’s not my fault I was born a man. It’s not as though I had a choice.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”