Falls Creek Lessons

Chapter 7

Dan took charge straight away. With an aside to me to make some coffee for Kelly, he made her sit and then proceeded to calm her down and extract the details from her.

It seems that while Garret was out with his latest girl, he had been attacked from behind. Kelly wasn’t sure, as she had the story third-hand from someone she knows who works at the medical centre, but it seemed that the guy had objected to Garret being with Serena. Whether it was her brother, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend really wasn’t relevant. What she did know was that the guy had been taken off the mountain in handcuffs.

Leonard, Kelly’s friend from the medical centre, told her that when he finished his shift, Garret was conscious, but in a lot of pain. Not being one of the medical staff, Leonard didn’t have much to do with Garret, but he did report that there was a lot of blood and he heard the doctor debating with someone on the phone about whether or not to try to transport him to one of the hospitals down the mountain. He thought the final decision was to keep him at the medical centre, but to monitor him through the night.

“Okay,” Dan said as he reached for his jacket, “I’ll be back as soon as I’ve seen how he is.”

“Don’t bother,” Kelly replied quickly. “They’re not letting any visitors in — I’ve already tried.”

Dan gritted his teeth. “Fine,” he said, frustrated, as he turned back away from the door, “I’ll try in the morning.”

“I’ll go with you, too,” Kelly said. She was calmer than when we first entered the room, but there was still an undercurrent of panic and concern in the way that she sat.

After a great time with Paul and Chris, the night finished on a depressed note. The happy buzz from being mildly drunk was gone. The only good news was the alcohol helped me to fall sleep quickly.

The next morning, I woke up to Dan and Kelly, already dressed in their lift company uniforms, finishing a quiet breakfast. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was still very early. They were talking softly, but from what I could catch, it was all about Garret.

I started to get up as well, when Dan noticed me stirring.

“You might as well stay in bed a bit longer, Greg. Kelly and I just wanted to try to see Garret before our shift starts,” he remarked.

When I looked quizzically at Kelly, she explained, “I’m working a double shift today, so I can have time off this weekend.”

“Okay, guys. I’ll catch you at the Frying Pan at lunchtime, Dan. Say hello to Garret for me,” I replied, lying back down. While I doubted I’d fall back to sleep, the bed was too comfortable for me to get up earlier than I needed to.

As the other two left the room, I thought about what had happened. I’ve known other promiscuous guys, though Garret was a bit of an extreme, but I don’t recall any of them ever being bashed. Of course, that was in Melbourne, where there are a lot more places for going out, and so less chance of meeting up with someone who may object.

Though I didn’t know if it was true, having never been to any gay venues, gays have a reputation of being promiscuous, too. Paul and Chris have been showing me that not all gays are like that, and I really liked what I saw between those two last night.

When I eventually came out, what was I going to be like? Would I go for the sex or go for a relationship?

I understand myself well enough to know that I really want a companion. I’m often shy when I’m in a new environment, and having the support of someone with me will often make all the difference.

Nodding to myself, I made a decision. When I’m ready to come out, I’m going to be looking for a boyfriend, not a fuck buddy. I wouldn’t want to pair up with someone who’s sleeping around, so that means I’m not going to either. I’m going to be picky about who I sleep with.

Lying in bed, I wondered why so many people think gays are bed-hoppers? Is it a case of a small number giving a reputation the rest, or is there an element of truth in it?

I suddenly laughed at myself. I had two people I could ask the question of, without giving myself away. I could just use Garret as an excuse for asking Chris and Paul about what it’s really like for gay guys.

Even though it was still early, I got up and started getting ready for another day of skiing. Looking out the window, the weather didn’t look appealing. The sky was completely overcast and it looked like there was a fair bit of wind out there. This was one of those days where the towies really earned their keep. Standing out for hours on end in weather like that wouldn’t be fun.

After a leisurely breakfast, I took a suggestion Diane had given me the first weekend up here: wearing several layers of clothes. It made me a bit bulky, but when I stepped outside I stayed warm. All except for my face, which felt like it was being hit by a swarm of pinpricks as the wind struck.

Tightening my hood, and trying to keep my face away from the direction of the wind, I walked down the stairs. Putting on my skis, I glided down to the Nursery Poma. It would be easier to get to the Eagle Chairlift by skiing from the top of the Nursery Poma, plus I’d get a chance to have a quick chat with Dan.

“Sorry, mate. Only madmen and idiots are allowed to ski in this weather,” Dan joked as I pulled up next to him. There was no one else around.

“Well, I’m both. Does that mean I can ski for free?” I replied in the same vein.

“Hmmm,” he said, looking around, “Well, no one can see, so yeah, you can go on,” he finished, knowing full well that I already had a ticket for the day.

Before I grabbed the poma he held out for me, I asked, “How’s Garret?”

He quickly became serious. “Badly bruised, but nothing seems to be broken. Most of the blood was from a scalp wound, which looked worse than it really was. He should be back in the room later today. Someone’s promised to bring me word later this morning, so I’ll know more at lunchtime.”

“Okay, see you then, Dan!” I said, as I grabbed the poma, narrowly avoiding being yanked off my feet when it started to pull me up the hill. The last thing I wanted to do was to crash in front of Dan again. I’d already done that enough.

Arriving at the top of Eagle chairlift, I debated about having a warm-up run, but the biting wind made me chicken out. Instead, I skied carefully over to Cloud Nine to wait for my lesson. After checking my watch, I disappeared inside where it was warm. I had about ten minutes before the lesson started, and I didn’t want to be standing out there, slowly freezing, for that length of time.

With a few minutes to go, I headed over to where I had been told to line up the previous day. Russ was already waiting for me.

“Okay, you’re number one. That means I have to work, today,” he said with a grin, while staying crouched over with his back to the wind.

“Do they really make you work in all conditions?” I asked.

“Only if we have pupils to teach,” he replied. “We’re more likely to get time off in this sort of weather because no one can be bothered getting out of bed.”

“My roommate told me that only madmen and idiots ski in conditions like this,” I remarked, interested in what he’d say on the subject.

“Basically true. You have to be keen to be out in this,” he replied, waving an arm to take in the poor visibility and biting wind. “I was here once when the weather was a lot worse. A pair of young kids showed up, saying that their parents had told that they were going to learn to ski, regardless of the conditions. After discussing it with the head instructor, we sent them back with a message to tell their parents to get a life, or words to that effect.”

Looking around, he added, “This isn’t really too bad. For a beginner, it’s actually good to learn how to ski when it’s like this as you never know when you’ll get caught out.”

With a glance at his watch, he remarked, “It looks like you might get a private lesson, Greg!”

“Cool! Two hours by myself!”

“Sorry, no,” he apologised, “If the class contains only one or two students, it only goes for an hour, just like a normal private lesson. You still learn just as much, because it gets tailored to your abilities and skills, but it’s done in a shorter time.”

As it turned out, Owen and Rachel showed up literally seconds before Russ and I headed off. With three of us, we had the full two-hour lesson. We spent the entire time on the Towers run, as the trees along either side helped protect us from the wind.

As we joined the lift queue at the end of our first run down, I heard a familiar voice.

“You look after this one, Russ. He’s too pretty to get hurt,” Kelly called out.

“The word is handsome, Kelly. Only girls are pretty,” I retorted with a grin.

“How about we compromise with cute?” she offered as Russ stared at the two of us in shock.

“Guys are not cute!” I exclaimed in fake horror. Even Paul I wouldn’t call cute. That made it sound like he wasn’t masculine, something that could never apply to Paul.

“Okay, a good-looking porn star with a cute bum. That’s my last offer, Greg,” Kelly stated firmly, as I shuffled out onto the lift track next to Russ.

“I’ll take it!” I accepted quickly. She called me good-looking, which is the best I knew I’d get. I could live with her calling my arse cute.

“Where do you know Kelly from?” Russ asked as we were pulled up the lift.

“I’m staying with her for the week,” I explained.

“So you’re her elusive boyfriend!” Russ stated with a smile. “Very few people have ever gotten to see you. Now I can tell them what you look like!”

I laughed. “Sorry, Russ, but no I’m not. Her boyfriend is coming up this weekend. I’m just staying in the same room as her.”

He was silent for a few seconds.

“Are you a friend of Dan’s?” he asked eventually in a less excited tone than earlier.

“Yep,” I replied. “He offered me the spare bed in their room, which is how I met Kelly and Garret.”

“Oh, okay,” he replied neutrally. I think he must have been disappointed that he hadn’t met Kelly’s mystery boyfriend.

For the rest of the trip up, he talked about skiing and what I needed to work on. The lesson continued the same way. We would work on our exercises on the way down, and then Russ would ride up the lift with a different person each time so he could talk to them about their skiing.

It was a lot more intensive with only three in the class, and I learnt a lot. The wind dropped a little, though it was still bitterly cold. The clouds seemed to hang just above the mountain top, threatening to drop down at any moment.

When the class finished, I decided to do another run down Towers by myself. I also wanted to check if Kelly had heard anything more about Garret.

I felt as if I’d reached a milestone on that first run after the lesson. I managed to get almost to the end without falling down! It was only the steeper section at the end that messed me up. If I had skied straight down it, I would have made it, but I decided to try to do some turns on the way down and lost control when I panicked at the speed I started to move. The crash wasn’t spectacular, but I did have to walk the rest of the way to retrieve one of my errant skis.

The lift line was pretty short, as it seemed a lot of people didn’t like the weather. Rather than get on the lift, though, I stood off to the side and let the people behind me go first.

“Any word on Garret?” I asked Kelly, who was busy handing the T-bars to the skiers.

She looked up in surprise. “Oh, hi, Greg. I thought your lesson had finished.”

“It has. I thought I’d do another run, and check to see if you had heard anything.”

“Sorry, no. Dan is likely to hear first, since he’s working in the village. I’ll check up with him on the radio just before I break for lunch,” Kelly explained while continuing to work the lift.

“Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll check with Dan at lunchtime.”

“Oh, and thanks for asking about him,” Kelly said kindly as she handed me a T-bar.

“See you later!” I called back as I was dragged away.

I could tell that she was still upset by the way she didn’t offer any wisecracks. It was a little surprising, considering how rough-and-ready she normally is, but the violence done to Garret appears to have shaken her.

Given the weather, I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t find Chris and Paul outside Cloud Nine. We had agreed to meet up for lunch at the Frying Pan, but I half-expected to see them after my lesson. The conditions, however, would’ve made waiting outside a really stupid idea.

A hot drink before heading back down to the village was a good idea anyway, so I put my skis in the rack, and when inside.

There were lots more people there than I’d expected. I suppose it must have been the weather. A lot of people must have caught the lift up the mountain, and then decided to wait to see if the conditions would get better.

After a quick walk around the tables, I didn’t see the two guys, so I headed over to order a hot chocolate. It’s a drink that I’ve almost never had in Melbourne, but up here it’s become a staple. Somehow, it seems to go better with the snow and cold than coffee or tea.

Collecting my drink, I started to look for an empty spot, when I spotted Chris waving to me from a table near the window. Raising my spare hand to acknowledge that I’d seen him, I headed over.

“Lovely weather,” Chris remarked as I sat down.

“I’ve seen better,” I replied with a shrug. Now that I’ve gotten to know him, I quite like Chris. However, there are times when his habit of stating the bleeding obvious, or the exact opposite as in this case, really drives me nuts. There is nothing we can do about the weather, and it is painfully clear what it’s currently doing, so why mention it?

“How’s things?” Paul asked me.

“Apart from my nose threatening to freeze and drop off my face, pretty good,” I replied. “I need this hot chocolate before I go out again.”

The other guys smiled. “I can appreciate that,” Chris stated. “It’s bloody cold out there. That wind really cuts into you.”

While I finished my drink, they asked me a few questions about my lesson and how much progress I was making. I don’t think I overstated my achievements, but they seemed quite impressed.

All too soon, we headed outside. The wind wasn’t as strong as it was before, but the cloud cover was descending. The visibility wasn’t poor, but I couldn’t see the nearby mountain peaks anymore.

I quickly made what I considered to be a sensible decision: forget niceties and trying to ski properly and just get the hell down to the village as quickly as possible.

As soon as we reached the start of the home trail, it became a lot more pleasant. The trees either side provided a much needed windbreak, and the slowly descending cloud made it feel like we were skiing in a little private universe.

Just as we reached the turn off to the Frying Pan, it started to snow. Stopping at the exit, I just watched as the snowflakes gently drifted down amongst the trees. Slowly turning, I kept watching the white spots descending until I found myself looking at a pair of grinning fools.

“Well, what do you expect?” I asked defensively. “The only other time it’s been snowing was on the night we first arrived that weekend, and I wasn’t in the best condition to appreciate it.”

“Were we saying anything?” Paul asked rhetorically, a gentle laughter creeping into his voice.

“No, but I could tell what you were thinking,” I retorted.

“It is nice, here,” Chris conceded, “but back at the top of the mountain, the wind will be driving the snow into you, and that’s when you really feel it. If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s going to make the skiing great once it stops, I’d hate the stuff.”

“Come on, I’m getting hungry,” Paul stated. “You can ogle the snow later.”

“Ogle?” Chris asked in disbelief. “Where did that word come from?”

“I’m an educated man, I am,” Paul replied, playing up the dumb guy routine. “Me know lots of fancy words.”

Chris gave him a clip behind the ears as he skied past. I would have liked to do the same, but maybe with a full body tackle. Unfortunately, before I could start moving, Paul was already off after his boyfriend, laughing loudly.

Not surprisingly, when we arrived at the Frying Pan, it was packed. The outside tables were almost completely empty, with only a few hardy souls eating out in the cold. As we arrived I saw Dan still working, but his shift was due to finish shortly. He gave us a wave as we skied past, so he knew we’d be there to meet him when he came in for lunch.

This time, it took us a few minutes before we spotted a group leaving one of the tables. We grabbed it immediately, to the chagrin of another group of skiers who weren’t as quick off the mark and had to continue looking.

“Same as yesterday?” Paul asked me as he stood by the table.

“Yes, thanks. That’ll be fine,” I replied, digging out my wallet and handing over some money.

For a few seconds, I kept watching Paul as he headed off. A ski suit was not the most flattering of outfits, but I couldn’t help admiring how well he looked in it. To be honest, I think he would’ve looked great in almost anything, but as memories of his naked dash around the room the other weekend crept into my mind, I felt myself blushing. I struggled to push those thoughts away, but it was hard.

When I turned back, I was embarrassed to see Chris looking at me quizzically.

“What?” I asked abruptly. I was afraid I had just been caught out. I was almost ready to say something to them, but there was no way I was going to do it in the middle of a crowded room, and I certainly wasn’t going to start by saying I was lusting after Chris’ boyfriend!

“You’ve gone bright red, Greg,” he said as softly as he could in a noisy room.

I lowered my eyes to the table. How was I going to get out of this one? I decided to tell enough of the truth to explain.

“I was just remembering that afternoon when Dan and I had come back to the lodge to find you two alone,” I replied. “I’m sorry. It just snuck up on me.”

At the silence that followed, I looked up to see Chris looking away in embarrassment.

“Shall we just drop the subject?” I offered.

Chris nodded his head. He looked as red as I felt.

Paul arrived back soon after that with our lunches. I’m glad he had no idea of what Chris and I had been thinking.

“Here you are, Greg,” he said, putting a plate down in front of me.

Slipping into the seat on the other side of the table, he joined Chris and got ready to start eating.

“Good timing, I see,” Dan said at that moment, as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be back soon with mine.”

I gave Paul a quick glance as Dan walked away. I was disappointed to see him staring after Dan with narrowed eyes. The great time we’d all had last night had obviously not been enough to allay his concerns. Averting my eyes, I concentrated on my food for the moment.

When he came back, I slid over so he could sit down next to me. I waited until he was sitting before I spoke.

“Any word on Garret?” I asked.

“He’s a lot better,” Dan told me with a smile. “He’s back in the room now, resting. I was planning on dropping in to see him before we headed out this afternoon.”

“What’s wrong?” Paul asked, concerned.

As I reviewed our conversations earlier today, I realised that I hadn’t mentioned Garret.

“Do you remember Dan’s roommate, Garret? The one we met at that lodge the other night?” I asked.

“The one with all the girlfriends?” Chris responded with a half-smile.

“That’s him,” I said with a grin before wiping it off and becoming serious again. “He was attacked last night and beaten up pretty badly. They kept him in the medical centre overnight. The guy who did it was taken off the mountain in handcuffs.”

Turning back to Dan, I asked, “What’s the latest?”

“He’s badly bruised, but he doesn’t appear to have any broken bones. He had a few cuts, including one above his eye that was the source of most of the blood. That one required a few stitches. It also seems that he was kicked in the groin several times.”

Everyone winced at that. If there is one thing we guys all understand, it’s the pain of a kick to the balls.

“He’s having trouble walking because his testicles have swollen. The doctor’s ordered a few days of bed rest,” Dan continued. “The doctor then added, quite firmly, that it was to be in his own bed and alone. Garret’s reputation precedes him,” he added with a laugh.

“Do you know why he was attacked?” Paul asked.

“No, but the consensus seems to be that it was someone who took objection to him being with his latest girlfriend.”

I saw a flash of pain cross Paul’s face as his eyes lost focus. I glanced quickly over to Chris but he didn’t appear to notice. I think Paul was remembering something from his own experience of being attacked, and if the last time was anything to go by, it would not be a good idea for him to continue to think about it for too long.

“What are the plans for tonight, then?” I asked brightly, trying to change the mood of the table. “The next instalment of Star Wars is on. Shall we meet up at the Snoweagle to watch it?”

I was watching Paul as I said it, and it was with relief that I saw him shake himself out of whatever it was he was remembering. He gave me a grin, so it looks like he realised what I’d done.

“Sounds good to me,” Paul said cheerfully. “Same time as yesterday?”

“Okay, but I think it’s our turn to bring the beers,” Dan replied.

“Good. That means we get something decent to eat,” Chris remarked.

“Hey, what was wrong with my popcorn?” I asked indignantly.

“Nothing, if you like that stuff,” Chris replied, “but I thought we could eat healthy tonight. Seaweed rolls, celery with hummus dip and dried figs.”

“That sounds great, Chris,” Paul said enthusiastically. “And I’ll buy the rubbish for the rest of us. Are chocolates, popcorn and assorted unhealthy stuff okay with you guys?”

“That’s fine with me,” I replied with a grin.

“Me, too!” Dan added.

“Fine! Be that way,” Chris said haughtily. “I try to help everyone eat well, and that’s the thanks I get.”

“Chris,” Paul said soothingly. “That was very kind, but none of us need any help. Us real workers burn off the excess calories we eat. Unlike certain desk jockeys I could name…”

He grunted, as Chris elbowed him in the stomach.

“Are you okay, Paul? Did something you eat disagree with you?” Chris asked in a mock solicitous manner. “I’m sure I can get some revolting tasting medicine for you, if you need any.”

“No, that’s okay,” Paul responded, a little short of breath. “I’ll be fine once I have a chance to get someone alone for a few minutes.”

“That doesn’t sound like you, Paul,” Chris continued with a worried look. “Only a few minutes? I think there must be something wrong. I’ll have to check you out when we get back to the lodge to see if there is anything amiss.”

“Time out, guys!” I called out with a laugh. “We’re not in private here.”

“Hmmm, you’re right,” Chris conceded as he looked across the table at me, “but I’m still worried about Paul. With the weather setting in, I don’t think he should be out skiing. I’ll take him back to the lodge after we finish lunch and make sure he stays in bed for the afternoon. I want to make sure he’s okay for when you come around tonight.”

I struggled to keep a straight face at that, but Dan didn’t bother.

“Just make sure you set the alarm first. You both need to be up before we get there,” he laughed.

Pausing to reflect for a moment, Dan added, “Make that you both need to be out of bed and dressed. I don’t want to know if you’re up or not.”

Paul and Chris both blushed at that. Chris flicked me an apologetic glance, as he remembered our conversation from only a few minutes earlier. Paul just looked down and concentrated on the food in front of him, trying to pretend that he hadn’t heard the previous comments.

After a short silence while we all ate our lunch, we started chatting on other, safer topics. It wasn’t long before Chris and Paul left, and Dan and I headed over to see Garret.

Entering the room, we found Garret lying on his bed, reading a book.

As we took off our jackets, Dan remarked loudly, “Miracles do happen. Garret’s alone and reading a book!”

Garret looked up. His face was swollen and bruised. His wince at that small movement indicated that a lot of the rest of his body was in a similar way.

“I had company earlier, but it was too painful, so I sent her away. I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed one of your books, as I don’t have any of my own here,” he replied with a small grin, before wincing again.

“No problem. Feel free to borrow any of them, mate. I’ve read all of them, after all,” Dan replied as he hung up his jacket and walked over to his roommate. “Which one are you reading?”

“A Morbid Taste for Bones,” Garret replied. “I don’t know how long I’ll be forced to stay here, and it looked like the start of a long series.”

“The Brother Cadfael series,” Dan remarked, as he checked out the cover of the book. “Most of them are great, so if you like murder mysteries it’s a good series.”

“Do you know who did it?” I asked as I sat down on the edge of Dan’s bed.

“No,” Garret said with regret. “I can remember walking along with Serena and the next think I knew was when I woke up at the medical centre.”

“Have you seen her since?” Dan asked, as he headed over to the kitchen. “Coffee or tea, anyone?”

“I’ll have a coffee,” I replied.

“Tea for me,” Garret called out. “I got a message from her, but no, I haven’t seen her. She won’t be coming around — that was part of the message.”

“That’s rough,” Dan stated with sympathy as he busied himself in the kitchen.

Garret tried to shrug philosophically, but gave a grunt of pain instead as his movement aggravated some of his injuries.

“These things happen. She’s a nice girl, and it wasn’t her fault,” he answered. It was clear that this wasn’t just being polite; he really meant it.

Dan came over and handed me my coffee on his way to handing Garret his cup of tea. When he got there, it was clear that Garret needed help. He needed to be sitting up more before he could drink his tea, but he was too sore to get himself into position.

I put my coffee on the ground and went over to help, as Dan put the cup he was holding down as well.

Between us, we had Garret sitting more upright without too many yelps of pain from the patient.

As he sipped his tea in appreciation, Garret looked over to the kitchen where Dan was making himself a cup of coffee.

“I really think I need a full time nurse to help me out, Dan. Can you please find me one?” he asked.

Dan paused in what he was doing and looked over at Garret thoughtfully. As a slow smile crept across Dan’s face, Garret suddenly looked panicky.

“Young and female!” he quickly added.

Dan smirked. “I thought the doctor had said you needed bed rest, alone.”

“What do doctors know, anyway? A loving nurse will help me get better a lot quicker than moping around by myself,” Garret replied.

“Wouldn’t being by yourself give you more motivation to get better quickly,” I asked.

“You stay out of it!” Garret growled, before giving me a wink.

Dan just laughed. “Sorry, Garret. Doctor’s orders!”

As he finished his cup of tea, Garret became nervous.

“Uh, guys? I hate to ask this, but can one of you help me to the toilet? I might be able to walk there by myself, but it’ll be a lot easier with some help.”

“Sure, Garret,” I replied as I rose to my feet. “It’s not a problem.”

“Do you need me as well?” Dan asked.

I looked down at Garret. It was really his call.

“I don’t think so, but don’t go running off yet,” he replied hesitantly.

I reached down and put an arm behind Garret’s back. Pulling him up towards me, I got Garret to his feet. As I supported him, he hobbled towards the door to the toilet. From the frequent grimaces of pain, and the exaggerated width he was maintaining between his legs, it was evident that he wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry.

As I took him to the toilet and lowered him down, I looked at him nervously.

“I hope you don’t need any help getting your pants down,” I stated. “There are limits, after all.”

While under other circumstances I wouldn’t have minded helping him get his pants off, the condition he was in and where he was sitting thoroughly killed any sexual thoughts I might’ve had.

“No, I think I’ll be fine. Thanks, Greg,” he said with honest appreciation.

I grinned and left, closing the door behind me. It wasn’t locked, but I don’t think anyone else was likely to try to barge in while he was still there.

Coming back to the main room, I found Dan busy getting out of his uniform and into casual ski clothes.

“Normally, I wouldn’t try skiing in this sort of weather,” he remarked as he got changed, “but it’s good for you to know what to do and where to go in conditions like this.”

After pausing to put a skivvy over the top of his T-shirt, he continued. “The first thing to do is to find a good bar…”

I gave a short chuckle at his attempt at humour. It wasn’t really that funny, but I knew he wanted a sign that I was paying attention.

“Seriously, there are a number of things I want to show you, just in case you get caught in conditions like this at some stage in the future. They’re pretty simple, but it’s a lot easier to show you than to try to explain them.”

He was about to say something more, when we heard a string of loud curses coming from the toilet. We both sped over to see what the problem was.

“Are you okay?” Dan asked through the closed door. I could’ve told him what the answer was going to be, but it just seems standard human behaviour to ask dumb questions like that.

“No, I’m fucking not!” Garret yelled back. “My fucking arms and ribs are so fucking bruised and swollen that I can’t wipe my fucking bum!”

Dan and I looked at each other, both of us struggling to keep from laughing.

“It’s not really that funny,” I said quietly, as a chuckle escaped my lips. “One of us is going to have to go in there and wipe it for him. Toss a coin for who the lucky person will be?”

Dan was still struggling to keep a smirk from his face. He was losing that fight pretty damn quick.

“No, I’ll do it. He’s my roommate, after all. He’s going to owe me big time, though,” Dan replied softly. “Why don’t you wait outside for me? I don’t think Garret is going to want both us around when he comes out.”

“Okay.”

As I headed out, I heard another string of curses escape the toilet. This time, with the door open, it was a lot louder. I’m not sure, but I think Garret is tri-lingual, in swearing at least.

The wind was not as strong as it had been first thing that morning, but the visibility was almost down to zero. I couldn’t even make out the start of the stairs down, which I knew were only a few yards away.

I waited patiently for Dan to show up. Unless there was something truly amazing about skiing when you can’t see, I didn’t think we’d be out for too long. I can’t see how it was going to be much fun.

Dan joined me a few minutes later.

“Shut the fucking door,” I heard Garret cry out, “You’re letting in all the cold air!”

“How is he?” I asked as Dan closed the door behind him.

“I’ve put him back to bed. He’s certainly not going to be going very far for at least a day or two. He’s got a few books to read and some snack food, so he should be fine for a couple of hours.”

He then grinned at me. “I also told him that if he kept whining like a baby, I’d get Kelly to wipe his bum next time. He shut up pretty quickly after that,” Dan said.

I followed Dan out into the cloud. I was soon completely lost as far as the direction we were heading was concerned, but Dan soon had us in the line for the Eagle chairlift. Not surprisingly, there was no one waiting to get on.

We chatted about inconsequential things on the trip up, while I held out my arms to try to catch as many snowflakes as I could. Dan seemed amused by my antics, but I didn’t care. I was having fun, and that was the whole point of the trip in the first place.

Once we got off the top, instead of heading straight down to the Playground, or left to Cloud Nine and the Towers, Dan took me to the right. I knew there was another chairlift there, which was bringing people up from the Ruined Castle area, but I couldn’t see it. The visibility was down to around ten feet.

Before we got to the other chairlift, which Dan called the Scott Quad, we encountered a low circular building. I’d noticed it on previous days, but had never asked what it was. I had assumed it had something to do with the lift equipment, but it seemed I was wrong. Dan took me inside, to a large open room with concrete benches around the outside, and a scattering of windows.

“This is one of the emergency shelters on the mountain. It’s basically just a place to get out of the weather. If you’re near here and the weather sets in, you can come inside. It’s a public place, but it’s not used much anymore since Cloud Nine was built. Most people go there instead, as you can buy drinks and food. This is only a building, nothing more than that.”

“Is it ever used for other purposes?” I asked, just being curious. I was a little surprised at the reaction.

“I’ve heard rumours,” Dan admitted with a laugh, “but I don’t know of anyone who has actually done it, or been caught doing it here. It’s just a bit too open. There’s nowhere to hide if someone comes in. Ask Garret when we get back; he’ll probably know.”

For a moment I was puzzled by what he was talking about, and then I went red as I worked it out. That was something I certainly wasn’t going to try. I wanted somewhere nice and private for that!

After that, we headed outside and Dan pointed to a line of poles nearby.

“That line will take you back to Cloud Nine. Just follow them, and I’ll be right behind you.”

I looked back at him, shocked that he was going to let me lead in this sort of visibility. If I made a mistake, I would get both of us lost!

“Don’t worry. I’m going to be right behind you, and I’ll warn you if you start heading the wrong way. It’s safer this way — if I was in front, I might accidentally leave you behind,” he explained, as if reading my thoughts.

I didn’t take it fast. It was little scary, as the next pole would appear slowly through the mist just as we reached the pole before it. I lost track of time as I just slowly skied from pole to pole. It was only as I saw lights shining through the cloud that I realised we had arrived.

“Okay, now we head over to the Towers,” Dan stated. “This is a little harder, but it’s in that direction,” using his ski pole to point. “You can hear the lift engine working away. Don’t worry if you aim wrong, as anywhere in that direction will get you to where the lift is running. If we go too far downhill to miss the tunnel under the lift line, we’ll just dodge the T-bars as we cross the track to the run beyond.”

Without the line of poles to guide me, I suddenly found myself in a featureless cocoon of white. Rather than push myself with my poles, I let the skis glide along slowly. I didn’t want to go too fast and run into something.

After a few minutes, I started to panic. I couldn’t tell which direction I was travelling. I could hear the sounds of the lift engine, but it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Was I heading in the wrong direction? It was only a glance behind me showing Dan still following that kept me from a full-blown anxiety attack.

“Er, Dan? Shouldn’t we be there by now?” I asked, trying to stifle my fear. He would have told me if I’d done something wrong, wouldn’t he?

“We would be,” Dan agreed, “if we were moving. You’re standing still, Greg.” he finished gently.

“What!” I cried in disbelief.

“You’ve just experienced a whiteout,” Dan explained. “I deliberately let it happen so you would know what it’s like. It’s not something easily described.”

I looked down at my skis. Sure enough, they seemed to be stationary on the snow.

“Because everything, snow and sky, looks exactly the same, you lost any reference points to know how fast you were moving. You slowed to a stop, and didn’t realise,” Dan stated without censure. “Now how about I lead, so we can get there?”

“Okay,” I replied with relief. That had been really weird. I could really appreciate now how someone can wander off when the cloud cover is sitting on the mountain, and just disappear.

Dan led me for a short distance, and we could see the tunnel under the lift track ahead.

“You sense of direction is pretty good, Greg. Well done!”

We went through the tunnel and found ourselves in the now familiar terrain of the Towers. The poor visibility still made it seem strange, but I knew that there was a line of trees on one side, and the lift on the other. I couldn’t get lost.

“How about we traverse across the run until we can see the trees?” Dan suggested. “That will give us a reference point so we know where we are and which direction is downhill.”

“You’re the boss,” I replied amiably. I felt more comfortable now. Dan was taking charge, and I was in a place where I had been skiing frequently for the last couple of days.

It was a slower run than normal, but I still enjoyed it. The inability to see very far put a nervous thrill into the skiing, which transformed into a sense of exhilaration when I finally reached the bottom of the run.

“That was fun!”

Dan laughed. “I’m glad you liked it, Greg. Now let’s get back up the lift and have another go.”

There were a few other skiers out, indeed more than I would have expected, but the lift line was pretty short.

“Well, what do we have here?” I heard a now familiar sarcastic voice say. “A couple of rogues, trying to sneak their way onto my lift!”

“Hi, Kelly! Is a rogue a step up or a step down from porn star?” I asked with a smile.

“Definitely a step down,” she insisted. “If you’re out in weather like this, you won’t have the equipment left for your other job, anyway.”

Before I could think of a retort to that, she turned to Dan.

“How’s Garret?” she asked, suddenly serious.

“He’s a lot better,” Dan replied, leaning forward and resting his arms on his ski poles. “We left him to rest in his bed. He should be fine. They said there were no serious injuries, apart from where he’d been kicked in the groin.”

“Yeah, and I’m your fairy godmother, Dan,” Kelly replied, reverting to her more normal caustic self. “You expect me to believe pretty boy is actually able to rest in a bed? I think he gets more exercise in bed than he does working!”

Dan laughed. “I assure you, Kelly, that there is no way he’s able to do any exercise at the moment. He can barely walk, his balls are so sore. The doctor’s said he has to rest, in his bed, alone, for a couple of days. When we showed up, he told us that he had company earlier, but he had to send her away. I don’t think he’s up to doing anything.”

“Hmmm. I’ll believe it when I see it,” Kelly stated, skeptical.

We did two more runs. The skiing was fun, but I almost froze as we rode the T-bar. There was more wind here, and it was blowing almost directly head on as we were dragged up the lift. We couldn’t avoid it; all we could do was to keep the head down so we didn’t get too much snow driven into our faces. I had a layer of ice slowly building up on the collar of my ski jacket, and it was making my face that much colder. My cheeks were tingling from a combination of the ice and windburn.

At the end of the second run, Dan asked if I wanted to keep on skiing. I could tell he wasn’t that keen, and I could understand why. If you’re on the mountain for weeks on end, why ski in bad weather? So, we headed off to Cloud Nine to warm up.

Sitting down with yet another hot chocolate, I idly wondered if the stuff was addictive. Maybe there was something in the marshmallows they always added? It would certainly be a productive way of increasing profits. It’s probably only the fact that it would be illegal that stops them. I recall someone telling me once that Coca-Cola originally had cocaine in it, hence the name. I don’t know if they were just spinning a tale, but it has enough of a ring of truth about it that it’s probably true.

It wasn’t as crowded as it was before lunch. I suspected most people had given up for the day.

As we sat by the huge windows, looking out into the mist-covered mountainside, I got concerned about how we would find out way back to the village.

“Dan?” I asked tentatively.

“Yes, Greg?” he replied, turning away from the sight of the still falling snow being driven against the window.

“How do we get back to the home trail from here? I can’t see where we have to go.”

He pointed to another line of poles, similar to the ones that took us to Cloud Nine from the shelter.

“That line will take you to the start of the trail. From there, visibility won’t be a problem. It’s not the shortest way back, but it’s nice and safe, and that’s what we’ll be doing when it’s time.”

Turning back to look out the window, he continued. “The wind looks like it’s picking up. With the cloud sitting on the mountain, there are basically two choices of where you can ski safely. Either take the Towers, with the trees to guide you and block some of the wind, or the home trail, for the same reason. Which would you like to do?”

“The home trail,” I said without hesitation. I’d had enough of the Towers for the day. A change of scenery was in order.

Dan quickly drained his cup. “As soon as you’ve finished your drink, we’ll head off, then.”

The wind was picking up as we left the building. Quickly putting on our skis, we set off. I let Dan lead until we started encountering the poles he’d pointed out. After that, we skied side-by-side. With our hoods tightened firmly over our heads, and the wind driving snowflakes into us, a conversation was out of the question. We skied without talking until we came across the start of the home trail. As soon as we entered the trees, the wind died down and things became a lot more pleasant.

It was only as I straightened up that I realised that I had been hunched over, trying to minimise the area presented to the biting wind.

“This is better,” I remarked.

“Better, but it’s still not good,” Dan replied.

“If you were skiing in weather like this, where would you be doing it?” I asked him, as we slowly slid along on the fresh snow.

“You have to ski where you have something you can use as a reference point,” Dan explained. “For beginners, that’s here. For intermediate skiers, it’s the Towers. For advanced skiers, it would have to be the runs off the International Poma near the village. There are a lot of challenging runs through the trees there. It also tends to be a bit more sheltered from the wind on that side of the mountain.”

“Okay, so you’d ski here, then,” I replied cheekily. “You’re still a beginner, aren’t you?”

Dan grinned at me. “Yeah, sure! Whatever you want to believe.”

Dropping into a racing tuck, he called back, “Race you to the next junction.”

Within seconds he was out of sight. I started to do the same, but the lack of visibility unnerved me as I picked up speed. I quickly resumed a more normal stance and slowed down to a more comfortable pace.

I found Dan waiting for me not too much further on.

“Sorry, Greg,” he said contritely as I pulled up next to him. “That was stupid. You still don’t know your way around the mountain and leaving you like that was dangerous.”

“I wouldn’t say dangerous, but it was certainly scary. You disappeared from sight within seconds,” I answered, trying to keep my tone neutral. I wasn’t sure if I was more relieved to find him so fast, or angry that he’d left me behind in the first place. Either way, he knew he shouldn’t have done it and was being big enough to admit it.

“Sorry,” he repeated, head bowed.

“That’s okay,” I said. “It’s not a big deal. No harm done.”

“Thanks!” he said with relief as he looked up. “Do you want to ski all the way to the bottom and go back up for another run, or have you had enough?”

“I’ve had enough, I think.” I didn’t want to take another chance on finding myself alone in the fog. Plus, my face was beginning to freeze.

“Alright then, it’s time to head back. Follow me!” Dan said, back to his normal, cheery self.

Dan led me back through the trees and then down to the lodge where he lives. Walking up the stairs, Dan suddenly stopped.

“Do you think Garret will still be alone?” he whispered to me.

I shrugged. “No ideas, but from the way he looked, I don’t think he’s up to company,” I responded quietly.

“Let’s sneak in, anyway, just in case,” Dan suggested with a grin.

I nodded and grinned back. I personally thought it wouldn’t be worth the effort, but there was no harm in trying.

As Dan threw the door open and jumped in, it was, as I had predicted, a waste of time. Garret was still lying on his bed, by himself, reading a book. He looked up as we stormed in.

“A visit from Frosty the Snowman and his mate! What a surprise!” he commented sarcastically.

I looked down at myself and then across at Dan. Outside where everything was white, it wasn’t as stark as it was in here, but both of us were covered in a fine layer of snow. I don’t think we really qualified as “snowmen”, but Garret’s comment wasn’t completely misplaced.

Dan’s expression looked a little stormy but then it cleared and he grinned. “Snow might help the swelling go down, Garret. Shall we go and get a few handfuls and rub it in?” he asked.

“Bloody hell, NO!” Garret yelled. He paused, and then added, “The cold might make something drop off, and that would be even worse than it is now!”

Dan and I laughed and, after a moment, Garret joined us. Suddenly he gave a short yelp of pain.

“Don’t do that, guys. It hurts to laugh at the moment,” he pleaded.

“You were the one who started it,” Dan pointed out bluntly. “Next time, watch what you say a bit more carefully.”

Garret nodded slowly, as he locked eyes with Dan. I sensed something unspoken was being communicated, but I didn’t know what it was.

“Well, now that we’ve finished skiing for the day, I’m going to a nice, long, hot shower. I need to get warm again,” Dan stated as he stripped off his jacket.

I was cold, too, but I could wait. After all, Dan had been the one who’d had to stand all morning out in this weather.

Once Dan was in the shower, Garret asked for my help in getting him sitting up more in the bed. It didn’t take long; he just wasn’t able to do it himself.

“So, do you have a girlfriend, Greg?” he asked as he leant back into the re-arranged pillows.

“Not at the moment,” I answered automatically. That response was pretty well ingrained in me by this time, having been asked that question so many times.

“I can hook you up with someone for the rest of the week, if you like,” he offered. “Who knows, it may lead to bigger things.”

“I’m really looking for a long-term relationship,” I replied honestly, even if I was omitting the sex of the person I was looking for. “I don’t want someone who’s only looking for something for the week. If I meet someone who I click with, that’ll be great, but for the moment I’m just keeping an eye out, rather than actively looking.”

“Well you won’t find someone hanging around with Dan,” he remarked. He then winced again as he straightened a bit in the bed.

“What do you mean?” I asked, perplexed.

He grimaced a couple of times, as he looked at the door behind which Dan was showering. He then turned back and looked at me.

“Look, please don’t tell Dan that I’ve said anything, but he doesn’t get out much,” Garret explained. “He’s actually been out more times with you and your friends than he has for most of the rest of the season.”

I rocked back at that. Dan seemed such an outgoing person, why didn’t he get out much? As I pondered the question, I recalled the conversation I’d had with Kelly earlier; about how Dan was on the social outer here. That was probably why he didn’t mix much.

“These last few days are the happiest I’ve seen Dan,” Garret continued. “You might not meet many girls while you’re with him, but whatever you’re doing is having a real, positive influence on him. Keep it up, because he really is a great guy.”

He paused and seemed to examine me carefully. As the sounds of the shower stopped, Garret lowered his voice and added, “Please, whatever happens, don’t dump him as friend. He doesn’t have many, and he really needs the ones he has.”

First it was Kelly, with her cryptic comments, and now it was Garret’s turn. Both had expressed strong support for Dan, but they also implied that I had the power to really hurt him; that he really needed me as a friend.

As I drifted back to my bed and started getting together a change of clothes for after my own shower, I suddenly started to get scared. I wouldn’t drop Dan as a friend, but would he drop me once I told him I’m gay? Maybe it would better if I didn’t tell him?

But he’ll find out sooner or later, because I don’t want to hide forever. I was almost ready to start to come out of the closet, and Dan had been one of the first people I had planned on telling.

I took a couple of deep breaths as Dan came back into the room. Dan was cool with Chris and Paul. He should be cool with me. At least I hoped so, but the nagging worry at the back of my mind just wouldn’t go away.

Giving him a grin, I grabbed my change of clothes and retreated to the shower. Some warm water would soothe the body, and might just wash some of my worries away.

When I returned, Dan was squatting next to Garret’s bed and the two were having a quiet conversation. When they spotted me, Dan stood up.

“Good, we need to go out again,” he said to me.

“Why?” I asked, puzzled.

“I’ve checked the fridge, and there is a distinct lack of beer in there. We need to get a couple of slabs, one for tonight and another to drink here.”

“Why don’t we just go out to drink, rather than bringing a slab of beer back here?”

Dan looked down at Garret and grinned. “Because pretty boy here can’t join us if we go out. This is the first chance I’ve had all season to chat with him, and I’m not letting him get away. Besides, he may need his bum wiped again…”

Garret grimaced. “Don’t call me that! I have to put up with it from Kelly, but I don’t have to from you, Danny boy,” he stated forcibly, drawing out the last two words insultingly.

“You don’t call me ‘Danny boy’ and I won’t call you ‘pretty boy’. Deal?” Dan offered.

“Deal!” Garret grinned back.

Putting our ski jackets back on, Dan and I headed out again. If anything, it felt colder than it had before. We moved as quickly as we could, but even so by the time we got to the store and back again, I was chilled through. Because I was trying to rush, I slipped over on the way to the shop. I wasn’t hurt, but landing in the snow didn’t help with trying to stay warm. On the way back I was a lot more careful. The last thing I wanted to do was to drop the carton of beer I was carrying!

We shook the worst of the snow off before we went back inside. As soon as I had my jacket off, I put the beer on the ground, took off my gloves and put my hands onto one of the radiators.

“Ahhhh. That feels better,” I said as the heat started to restore feeling in my hands.

Dan frowned at me. “Your gloves shouldn’t have allowed the cold in. There must be something wrong with them,” he said as he reached for them.

“Don’t bother,” I said absently, as warmth sank into my fingers. “When I fell down, I got a load of snow inside the arms of my jacket, which melted and trickled down into my gloves. That’s why they started to freeze.”

“Silly idiot,” Dan said without rancour, “That’s why you should always try to tuck your jacket sleeve inside your glove.” He picked up my gloves and put them on top of a radiator to dry them out.

We soon settled down, started to knock back the cans of beer, and chatted. The alcohol helped loosen the tongues a bit; otherwise I don’t think we would’ve gotten the juiciest piece of gossip from Garret.

Because it’s very much seasonal work, most of the towies were either unemployed, had jobs that they could move in and out of easily, or had other seasonal jobs.

I already knew Dan worked at his Dad’s garage when he wasn’t up at the snow. Kelly, I learnt, worked at a motorcycle dealership in the city, which fitted her image perfectly. Garret was the big surprise. He wouldn’t tell us until we promised not to tell Kelly. Even after we promised, he threatened to come around and castrate us if we said anything to anyone else. He then added it wasn’t because he was ashamed of his job, but too many people hung abuse on him because of it and so he didn’t want it spread around.

With a build up like that, Dan and I were on the edge of our seats with anticipation.

“I’m a hairdresser,” Garret stated defiantly.

I struggled to avoid laughing, but Dan seemed to take it in his stride.

“That would give you a lot of opportunities to chat up girls,” he commented.

“It sure does!” Garret answered enthusiastically. “Once they get past the misconception that because I do hair, I must be gay, I get all sorts of offers. I think some of them simply want free haircuts,” he shrugged, then winced as he remembered he really shouldn’t do that, “but I don’t mind. I like running my fingers through girls’ hair, especially those with long, straight hair, so cutting it is fun.”

My muffled laughter died as Garret used the G word. Maybe the alcohol was loosening my tongue, too, as I asked a question.

“How true are the stories about gay hairdressers?”

Garret looked at me, then Dan, before answering. He seemed to be considering his answer very carefully.

“A reasonable number of the guys are gay, but there are a lot that aren’t. Even the ones that act and sound girly aren’t all gay. And I know a couple of straight-acting guys who happen to be gay. The majority of them are all nice guys, too. Who they sleep with isn’t really my business,” he replied.

Dan gave him a grin. “And, of course, the more gay guys there are, the less competition for the girls, eh, Garret?”

“Competition?” Garret asked in mock horror. “I’ve never had any competition for the girls, despite what some of the other guys might think.”

Dan and I laughed at that. From what I’d been told, it was probably true. Garret always manages to find a girl.

“What about you, Greg? Do you know any gay guys?” Garret asked me casually.

I froze for a moment, wondering if he suspected something. I almost said no, to cut the conversation off, but just before I did, I realised Dan would wonder what I was doing. He knew better.

“My sister works with a gay guy. I’ve met both him and his boyfriend,” I said, trying to sound indifferent.

“Nice guys?” Garret asked. He didn’t seem to want to drop the topic.

“Yeah, they’re cool. If I hadn’t been told, I would never have realised,” I replied, trying to find a way of changing the topic.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dan biting his lip to stop from laughing. I didn’t understand why, until I realised what he was probably thinking of. That incident where we came across Paul and Chris in the nude keeps cropping up…

“I don’t really understand why so many guys seem to dislike gays,” Garret remarked. “After all, what they do in their own bedrooms really doesn’t concern the rest of us.”

“I think a lot is probably a fear that they are going to be hit on by the gay guys,” Dan suggested, leaning forward as he showed his interest in what Garret’s response would be.

Garret snorted, as he looked at Dan quizzically. “Well, because of my job, I’ve had a few guys hit on me. All I have to do is to thank them for the compliment, then tell them that I’m not gay. That’s all, and it’s not a problem. Surely other guys can do the same?”

“I don’t see why not,” I stated. “It’s not really different to a polite ‘no’ from a girl when you’ve invited her out. Most guys will take a ‘no’ from a girl, so I presume a gay guy will take a ‘no’ from another guy.”

Garret grinned at me. “Good on you, Greg! It’s surprising how many guys don’t seem to be able to take such a simple, common-sense approach.”

With that, the conversation moved to safer topics. I sighed silently with relief. It seemed that Garret was another person who should be comfortable with knowing I’m gay, but now was not the time to say anything. Trying to work out when was a good time to tell Dan, Chris and Paul was getting difficult. Maybe the next night, after Happy Harvey Hour? We’d all be relaxed after a few drinks, and in the unlikely event that things go badly, Chris and Paul will be heading back to Melbourne the following day. They’ll be able to take me back with them.

With that decision made, I settled back with my third beer and rejoined the conversation with Dan and Garret.

When Kelly arrived, we all toasted her appearance. I was losing track, but I think I was up to four cans of beer by then, though it may have been five.

“There’s more beer in the fridge, Kelly,” Dan mentioned, “You’re running at least four cans behind the rest of us.”

She looked at us with disgust.

“Because pretty boy gets his face re-arranged, I have to put up with a bunch of drunken louts in my room?” she asked rhetorically. “You’re all revolting. I’m having a shower. After that, I’m going out for dinner. You babies are on your own!”

“Hey! That’s not fair,” Garret replied, indignantly. “We’ve only had a few liquid pain killers. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m sure it was just an oversight that the doctor didn’t order it!”

With a flick of her head, she dismissed us, grabbed some clothes, and headed into the shower. The door slammed behind her.

“So the beer’s for medicinal purposes, only?” Dan asked. “That’s as good an excuse as I’ve ever heard.”

Garret looked thoughtfully at the door through which Kelly had disappeared.

“What is it, Garret?” I asked, stumbling a bit on his name as the alcohol started to affect my speech.

After a grimace, he responded. “I’ve had enough beer to consider sneaking in and getting some photos of Kelly in the shower, but not enough to actually do it. Can you get me another beer, Greg?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever have enough beer to consider doing that,” Dan stated. “The mere thought is making me sober. I’ll have another one too, while you’re there, Greg.”

As is typical while drinking, we were all talk and no action. Drinking another can was of a higher priority than finding a camera and sneaking into the shower.

Kelly, true to her word, left soon after she finished her shower. Dan and I headed off to the Frying Pan for dinner, but feeling guilty, Dan sweet-talked the chef into providing some takeaway, explaining that Garret wasn’t able to leave the room. Dan and I ended up eating on the floor in our room, while Garret made a mess on his bed. We cleaned up the worst patches, but we all knew Garret was going to be sleeping in a bed that stunk to high heaven of Hungarian Goulash. Being drunk, this didn’t bother any of us, but Garret was sober enough to ask for our help in the morning with changing his bed. Dan and I were drunk enough to agree. The morning would determine if any of us were sober enough to remember what we’d promised.

Somehow, Dan and I remembered what time we were supposed to be at the Snoweagle. It was just as well that we’d said we’d bring the beer, as in the state we were in, that was the only thing we were capable of remembering to take.

As we stepped outside, the cold night air took an immediate edge off our drunken state.

“Stay close, Greg,” Dan said. “I don’t want you to get lost in the fog.”

“Don’t worry, mate. I won’t be going anywhere,” I slurred as I carried the essential supplies, also known as a slab of beer.

“I’m serious, Greg,” Dan stated. “People have died up here because they were drunk and got lost in the fog.”

On that sobering thought, I recalled something that Rob had said sometime ago. “Rob told me that there had been a few people found frozen to death,” I half-stated, half-asked for confirmation.

“Fucking right,” Dan said forcibly. “Hypa.., Hydro… you know the word I mean… getting sick from the cold happens a lot quicker when you’re drink, er, drunk.”

He stopped walking, turned to me and put a hand on each of my shoulders. Staring directly into my eyes he said, “Promise me, Greg. If I can’t get you home tonight, you’ll stay with Chris and Paul. Okay?”

When I didn’t answer immediately, he shook my shoulders. “Promise?”

“Okay, Dan. If I can’t get back, I’ll stay the night,” I promised. I thought he was being a bit over the top, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Good!” he said firmly, letting go of me and resuming the trek.

We arrived at the Snoweagle in good time, or at least that’s the way it felt to me. When the door opened, Paul stood there wide-eyed at the sight of us.

“G’day, Paul!” I exclaimed, handing over the slab of beer. “We started early. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you both drunk?” he asked, as he ushered us into the lodge.

“Yep!” I replied, as I marched in with a drunk’s version of a straight line.

“Partially sozzled,” Dan confirmed, “but I’m switching to coffee soon.”

We entered the main room, where Chris was waiting. Bowls of junk food had been placed on a few tables. He looked at us a little surprised.

“Sorry, Chris. Unless you’ve already started, you’re at least five, or is it six, cans behind us!” I stated.

I crashed at one end of the couch. Dan took the other end, while Paul put the beer in the fridge.

“Before the movie starts, how’s Garret?” Chris asked.

“The girls are safe, for a while, but otherwise he’s pretty good. We left him alone with a few beers, so he should be able to drink any pain away,” Dan replied. “He claims he’s only drinking the stuff because it’s a liquid pain killer.”

“Lots of bruises, but nothing broken,” I added, forgetting in my drunken state that Dan had already told them that at lunchtime.

We settled back to watch the movie. This time, I didn’t pay as much attention to what Chris and Paul were up to as the previous night. I was relaxed enough that I was just happy. A night out with good friends, where I could almost be myself, made me extremely content. The fact that I had over seven cans of beer already just helped. The only downside was being forced to go to the toilet frequently.

At the first ad break, Chris asked if we wanted another beer. As a normal, young, Aussie male, I immediately answered in the positive. Dan, however, refused.

“I’ll have a coffee instead,” he said. “I can make it, if you like.”

“No, I’ll do it,” Chris replied, though he sounded a little puzzled.

“Can’t hold your beer?” I jeered, light-heartedly.

He looked at me with a faint grin. “No, Greg. It’s just that I need to make sure I get you back to our room, and I can’t do that drunk.”

“You’re not my mother!” I yelled, suddenly angry. “I don’t need a nursemaid to make sure I get to bed!”

“You’re right,” Dan replied quietly. “But am I allowed to be a friend instead?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, suspiciously, though the alcohol was making it hard to think too clearly.

“Think of me as the designated driver. My job is to make sure you get home safely. It’s too dangerous, with the cloud sitting on the mountain, for you to try to find your way back without help.”

“You can both stay the night, if you like,” Paul offered.

“Thanks, Paul,” Dan said with a grin of appreciation, “but I have to work in the morning, so I want to get back tonight, if I can. If I switch to coffee now, I should be okay.”

I thought about what he’d said. Remembering Rob’s comments, my anger dissipated quickly.

“Sorry, Dan. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just get too much interference at home from my mum and sister,” I mumbled an apology, avoiding eye contact.

“Don’t worry about it, Greg,” Dan replied with a grin. “You didn’t know, and I should have told you ahead of time what I was planning on doing.”

After that, we settled in another great evening. Dan wasn’t quite as crazy as he was the previous night, but this time he was largely sober. I lost track of how many beers I’d had, but I think I managed to pass the dozen mark at some stage. Apart from finding it easier to walk in a wavy line, and frequent trips to the toilet, I was fine. As long as I didn’t try speaking, that was. Even I had trouble understanding what I was slurring…

Chris was trying to be moderate in his drinking, but Paul was matching me, can for can. At one stage we had a race to see who could drink their beer the fastest. I’m sure Paul cheated, because that’s the only way I can see how he could win, though Dan, as the neutral judge, refused to see it my way. I couldn’t stay angry, as it was all in fun anyway. I’ve always been a happy drunk.

“Paul, don’t you think you’ve had enough,” Chris remarked at one point.

“I’m still able to stand, so the answer to that one must be no,” Paul replied, a little aggressively. I could see Chris rock back a bit at that, frowning slightly. Soon afterwards, he started on coffee as well.

After the end of the movie, I had one last toilet break. When I came out, I was surprised to find Paul missing.

“Where’s Paul?” I asked, slurring even that much.

“He’s gone to bed already,” Chris replied, exchanging a glance with Dan. Dan gave him a wry grin and just nodded his head. Something was going on, but my beer-soaked brain couldn’t work it out.

“Okay,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. It was time to go anyway.

“Thanks, Chris. Give Paul a kiss from me,” I added, then mentally kicked myself for that last comment. Hopefully, they’ll think it was just the alcohol talking.

“Night, Greg,” Chris replied with a smile. “Are you sure you can get him back by yourself, Dan?”

“We’ll be fine,” Dan stated cheerfully. “And don’t worry about it. Everything will be okay.”

“Thanks, Dan. Have a good night!” Chris called out as we left the building.

The trip back was slow. The snow was still falling softly, but the wind had died away. Visibility was still close to zero.

Dan had to almost carry me at times. I felt a strange sensation when he first slipped an arm around my shoulders and supported my weight. Dan was like a solid rock, not cold and unforgiving, but warm and supportive. I have to confess that at times I leant into him more than I needed to. The feeling I was experiencing was new to me; I’d never had someone hold me like Dan did. It was the way I imagined it would feel to have Paul’s arms around me, holding and protecting me.

I almost said how much I enjoyed it, when old habits clamped down on my tongue. The alcohol had been about to make me say something I would’ve regretted. I needed to keep my wits about me, despite how drunk I was.

“Here we are,” Dan said as he led me into our room.

He paused as he looked down at me, with my head resting against his shoulder, then added, “You can have my bed tonight, I think. I’ll take the top bunk.”

For a moment, I’d thought he’d been about to offer to share a bed. The rush of adrenaline at the thought partially cleared my head. As I took one step by myself, I realised the wisdom of Dan’s suggestion. I wasn’t capable of climbing up to the top bunk in my condition.

“Night, Greg,” Dan said softly, as he stripped off his clothes and climbed into the top bunk.

“Night, Dan,” I mumbled, as I fell, fully clothed, onto his bed and went straight to sleep.

NEXT CHAPTER