Free Journal of a Lifetime (Journals of Love) by Lisa M. Wolfe Page B

this?” She couldn’t help feeling angry now. “Have I offended you in some way?”
    “Whoa. Calm down, girly. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “What did you call me?” She couldn’t believe how offensive this man was being. “I am a passenger on your bus. I have paid for your time, your knowledge, and your consideration. If you continue to mistreat me, I will call your boss and complain.”
    Don laughed. “I don’t think so. Because when he calls me, I will have to explain to him that Steve has crossed the line with a passenger. That is most definitely grounds for being fired.”
    Lindsey was shocked. She hadn’t thought of that before. She didn’t know how to respond, so she just walked away.
    Martha and Joyce were making their way across the parking lot and saw that Lindsey was upset. Martha pulled Lindsey to the side.
    “What’s the matter honey?”
    “Don is being rude and insensitive. I don’t know what his problem is with me.”
    “We noticed he’s not leaving you and Steve alone. Honey, he’s just jealous that you’re taking his best friend away.”
    “But it really seems to be more than that. I can understand being threatened and jealous, but he’s being downright nasty.” She paused and then growled in frustration. “Grrrr, I just don’t need this right now! This trip was my chance to find something I’d lost, and I’m being distracted on all sides.”
    Martha and Joyce told her they would be on the lookout for anything inappropriate and would try and protect her as best they could, but Lindsey told them she could handle things. She didn’t want to ruin their vacation with worries about her.
    When they returned to the bus, Lindsey remained quiet and didn’t dare look in Don’s direction.
    “We hope you enjoyed the lake today. We are now on our way to the Hoo Doos,” Steve began. “The Hoo Doos are rock formations that were formed by thousands of years of erosion. The Blackfoot Indians believed the Hoo Doos were sacred, and home to spirits.” He finished and took his seat next to Lindsey.
    The mood on the bus was quiet as if the passengers could feel the tension between the three of them. Usually the passengers chatted and asked Steve questions, but after the lake, they all seemed lost in their own thoughts. Maybe it was the calm from the lake, or the tension they felt, but it was unsettling and disrupted the rhythm they had all fallen into.
    Steve and Lindsey usually sat with their knees touching, but after the challenging emotional events of the morning, that small intimacy had disappeared. The two faced away from each other. Lindsey looked out the window to the left of her, and Steve looked out the front window, as if in preparation for the next events to come.



Thirteen
    T HE PASSENGERS ARRIVED at the Hoo Doos with their instructions that they were allowed thirty minutes to walk around and take photographs before Don and Steve served lunch.
    Lindsey was thankful the men were busy, and she could have some time for herself. She had been warned not to touch the formations, so she took a lot of pictures instead. The feeling near the rocks was one of strength and adaptation at the same time. She knew the land shifts here happened so gradually that one would hardly be able to see them over the years, but there were definitely changes, mostly on the surface that didn’t affect the foundation. She wondered if that was life, or if life was in the reverse. Did most changes happen internally without affecting the outward appearance? Or did the aging process of wrinkles and gray hair not change the youthful person within?
    In her Nana’s case, she believed it was the latter. She knew Nana felt young and vibrant until near the end. Lindsey prayed that she would be as fortunate to live a full life as her Nana had done.
    She looked toward Steve where he was setting up the food. He noticed her and waved. She waved back and continued on to find a quieter place for her current reflective