Shangri-La

It had happened suddenly, one day you had been happily married for five years, Anna was a lawyer, you were a stock broker and suddenly a single misstep took her from you. After losing your high school sweetheart and oldest friend you spiraled, at first you drank, then you fought. Eventually you quit your job. There at rock bottom, you went back to the site of the accident and stood, drunk, in the rain blaming yourself for the bus that had failed to stop at the crosswalk. In that moment when you, again, wished it had been you instead you decided to do what you had always talked about.

The next morning, sober for the first time in months, you went online and looked for land in a remote location. There, in northern Idaho you found a piece of property and bought 200 acres of wooded, mountainous terrain. Once the sale was accepted you sold your apartment in Manhattan, got on a plane and flew into Boise. From there you got to work building your new home. In a year you were beginning to wonder what else there was to do.

The plot now had a dozen small homes, a library, a meeting hall, an athletic complex. You had cleared an area to farm, gotten goats, chickens and ducks. Now, that everything was he way you wanted, you were at a loss. The dream, as it had gone was that family and friends would join. The problem was, you'd pushed away most of your friends after Anna died and her family as closed themselves off to you. As for yourself you didn't have much family and those you had you weren't close with.

With no notion of what to do next you went into town feeling a familiar sorrow creeping up on you. You hadn't been in to town much and you definitely hadn't tried to make friends so you had no qualms about getting drunk wherever you could.

The bar wasn't anything special, at least not to you. From the outside it looked like a cabin, neon lights for a few popular beers hung in the window. Inside was a bar, some stools, some tables, a pool table, darts, and a TV that only seemed to play college football. As you sat down at the bar ignoring everyone but the bartender you ordered a beer and immediately downed most of it.

"You that New Yorker that's doing all that work?" asked the bartender an old but strong looking woman.

"I am," you said finishing off the beer.

"You some kind cult leader?" she asked.

"No," you said, "just a man with no idea what he's doing."

As you sat contemplating what to do next you heard loud voices in the corner of the bar. A group of rather surly looking men had a small blonde girl surrounded and were hurling insults. The girl was clearly terrified, hugging her backpack to her chest, her eyes red from tears.

"Leave her alone," you said.

The men didn't respond and one grabbed her yanking her to her feet. In a moment you smashed your beer bottle on the bar and got to your feet. That seemed to get the group's attention.

"The fuck you want to save her for?" asked the man holding the girl's arm, "she's a freak."

"Don't care," you said, "let her go."

"Or what?" asked the man.

"Listen to him," said the bartender, "I don't need this kinda shit in my bar."

The man released the girl's arm and in a flash she was out the door. You dropped the remnants of the beer bottle and some cash on the bar before leaving. Outside you found the girl standing in the parking lot sobbing.

"Hey," you said as softly as you could, "are you alright?"

She nodded yes but wouldn't turn to look at you.

"Can I call anyone for you?" you asked, "or take you anywhere?"

"I don't have anywhere to go," she said.

"Then," you said, "do you want to come with me, I've got, quite a few spare rooms."

"Ok," she said.

You showed her to your pickup truck and drove back towards your compound. Once through the gate you showed her to one of the empty homes.

"Make yourself at home," you said, "I'll be next door."

"Wait," she said, drying her eyes, "can I stay in your house?"

"Yeah," you said, "if that's what you want."

All of the houses were the same, two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen and living room/dining area. You showed her to the spare bedroom in your house.

"If you need anything," you said, "I'm right next door."

She nodded and ducked into the room softly closing the door behind her.

The next morning you woke up at your usual early hour, pulled clothes on and went to take care of the animals. A couple hours later you returned to the house and started to make breakfast, as far as you could tell the girl hadn't left her room so you made extra. When you finished and she still hadn't emerged you knocked gently on her door.

"I made breakfast," you said.

"Ok," came her reply.

She joined you in the kitchen a moment later wearing a hoodie that came down to her knees. You ate in silence, it was clear she was hungry.

"So," you said once she'd finished, "we didn't exactly get to do introductions last night. I'm Dave."

"I'm," she hesitated, "Amy."

"Nice to meet you Amy," you said, "do you want to talk about last night?"

"No."

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"Are you a cult leader?"

"Being that it's just me here, I'd be a pretty shitty one."

"Why did you build this place?"

"It was something my wife and I always talked about."

"And where is she?"

You paused, it had been over a year, but it still hurt to think about the fact that Anna was really gone.

"I'm sorry," said Amy reading the look on your face, "I can go, I don't want to be a burden."

"You don't have to," you said, "I'm happy for the company."

"I don't know," said Amy.

"I'm just saying, there's no rush for you to leave."

The next few days went by rather uneventfully, Amy rarely left her room except for meals and those meals were typically quiet. One morning you were out doing your morning chores when you saw Amy standing on the porch watching you. You gave a wave which she returned before you turned back towards the chickens you were feeding.

When you finished you found Amy still standing on the porch, "nice to see you out."

"You're a farmer?" asked Amy.

"Barely," you said.

"Maybe I could help you," said Amy, "if you know, if I'm going to be here for a while."