“Gavin?”

My brother began yelling into my ear, “Dude why didn’t you pick up your phone? I’ve been trying to call you all evening.”

Nehemiah groaned in frustration and motioned for me to move so that he could take the oars. “Hold on a sec Gavin,” I said. “Okay dude, what happened?”

Gavin sighed on the other end. “I don’t know how to start, but this has to do with why I didn’t come down for the barbeque last week.”

“Are you in trouble?” I asked.

“Yeah man… things have turned south,” he said.

“How long?”

“A while now.”

“Is it serious?” I asked.

“For sure,” said Gavin. “I don’t want to scare you but yeah, it’s crazy.”

“I feel you bro. I’ve been going through some crazy stuff myself. Hard to explain though.”

“That’s exactly how I feel too.”

“So you didn’t really take off work because you’re sick?”

“Oh I really took work off, but I wasn’t sick,” said Gavin.

“Were you in hiding? Someone after you?”

He sighed on the other end.

“I wish we could talk in person,” I said to fill the silence. “It’d be easier if you didn’t live so far away.”

“Well that’s why I’m on—” but Gavin’s voice got cut off by bad reception.

“Wait,” I said. “Repeat that. I didn’t hear you.”

“I said, I’ll—soon to—person. I just wanted to give you—before I—”

That was all I made out before we rode into the mist and my phone lost service.