Monsters in the Mountains Ch. 03

"Yes." Jordan said, placing a hand on Jane.

"I mean a human girlfriend." Nicole asked.

"I have two." Jordan said.

He could see Nicole's face drop for just a moment, then she resumed her pretty smile.

"Do they know about each other?" Nicole asked.

"Yes, they're together right now with the rest of Jane's family." Jordan said.

"So you have an open relationship?" Nicole asked.

"No, not really." He said.

"Alright, well I'm all done here. Francisco should be back in a moment with your bag." Nicole said, and walked out the door.

Sure enough, in a few minutes, Francisco returned with Jordan's backpack. Jordan offered him a tip, but he refused, adamant that he was not allowed to receive tips.

Jordan pulled out the change of clothes and set them out in the bathroom. He could change and leave for his parent's house now, but he wanted more time with Jane. He found his work tablet computer, and the BFRO secure tablet in his bag, pulling both out.

He started up the work computer first. He had an email from his old boss. His replacement, Mike had completed his first job proposal, and Jordan was asked to look it over for mistakes.

To Jordan's surprise, it was textbook perfect. Every pylon was correctly placed and up to code. The building project was located on a low spot next to a lake. The flood risk was extremely low, as the land sloped down away from the site on the other side of the reservoir, but the bedrock was deep under sand. The pylons to reach bedrock would be almost a quarter of the cost of the eventual building project.

To make matters worse, the soil was wet due to the lake.

Jordan remembered a book he had read about Chicago architecture, where most buildings are constructed on wet, swampy soil much like this location. In the 1880s, architects began using a floating 'raft' foundation where a concrete and steel 'raft' buoyed the building, allowing the construction to be done without pylons, and without resting on bedrock.

Jordan ran the numbers and found that this foundation would cut the soil stabilization costs by over half, and would also provide better seismic stability for the finished building. He drew up some plans, spending close to an hour designing a series of concrete rafts that could hold the building. He found himself enjoying the challenge, and was satisfied with the finished product. He replied to the email with his designs and some supporting documentation showing where the technique had been in use for over a century with great success.

Next, Jordan pulled out the BFRO tablet. He had been surprised by the size and color of the little male across the hall, so he decided to read up on the Eastern population. He also took the time to review Megan's reports, and watch the videos they had posted.

To Jordan's relief, the latest reports seemed to downplay Jordan's sexual relationship with the Bigfoot, and were very short on personal details. He watched the ultrasound videos that Megan had taken, and some new ones that had just been posted.

There were several pictures of Jordan sleeping or eating with the Bigfoot. He had realized that Megan was playing with her phone in the cave, but he hadn't known that she was taking pictures.

Megan was a good photographer, capturing candid moments of interactions that Jordan had to admit were flattering. He particularly liked one of him and Jane. He was shirtless, and her face was buried in his neck, and his eyes were closed. Another picture showed Jordan sitting with little Pebbles on his lap, playing a game.

Jordan was startled out of the moment by his phone ringing. It was his mother.

"Hi Jordan, it's after six. I was just calling to see if you're leaving soon?" She asked.

"Yeah, um... I'm almost finished up here. I just need to take care of one more thing." He said. They hung up, and Jordan shut down his electronics, stacking them back in his bag.

He stripped naked in the bathroom, but he could still smell Jane's musk on his skin. His mother was out for blood with regards to Jordan's personal life, and Jordan didn't want to give her so much as a strange scent to trouble her, so he decided to take a shower in Jane's hospital room.

Five minutes later, as Jordan was turning off the water, Nicole came walking in, pretending not to notice that Jordan was stepping out of the shower naked. He grabbed a towel to cover himself up.

"Relax, big guy, I just need to change your girlfriend's sheets." She said, pulling linens out of a closet. She was pretending not to watch, but Jordan could see Nicole's eyes watching him out of their corners, so he kept himself covered. "I'm a nurse, it's nothing I haven't seen before." She said, unconvincingly, lingering with the pretense of trying to pick out a pillow.

Finally she left the room, and Jordan finished drying himself off. He couldn't find his underwear, which should have been on the bench in the bathroom, so he dressed himself commando.

He nuzzled Jane goodbye, and gave her a kiss just below her navel for the baby, even though it was probably microscopic in size still.

***

Jordan's parents' house smelled like fried food when he arrived. His father was home from work, and was sitting on the couch, drinking a beer and watching TV. He offered Jordan a beer from the six-pack, which he accepted.

"So, your mom tells me you've been seeing someone up in Gunnison?" He asked.

"Yeah. I think mom's trying to plan the wedding already." Jordan joked.

"She means well. Ever since you moved out, she's struggled to find something meaningful to fill her time. It's gotten harder as all of her friends start becoming grandmothers and sharing cute grand-baby stories. I just want you to know that we support you no matter what. Just make sure it's the right girl before you go settling down with someone." He said.

"Thanks dad, I will." Jordan replied.

There was a baseball game on TV, and the two men sat watching in silence.

"Steven!" Jordan heard his mother's voice from the kitchen. "Jordan should be here soon. Turn the TV off and help me set the table!"

"I've got this." Jordan told his father. He stood and walked into the kitchen where his mother was busily tending the last of the chicken frying in a pan over the stove.

"Which plates do you want me to use?" Jordan asked.

"Jordan! You scared me." She gave him a big hug. "Use the nice ones. It's not every day we get a visit from our only son."

Jordan's mother took a step back and brushed the growing beard on his face. "You look all scruffy. I hope living in the mountains isn't turning you into a mountain man. "

Jordan set the table, and mentally girded himself for the questions, which he knew were coming.

His mother seemed to be taking a different approach, not asking questions, not even talking, which was unlike her.

"Everything alright mom?" Jordan asked.

"Of course." She said, plating up cornbread from a skillet.

"You're just being unusually quiet."

"This is me respecting your privacy." She said.

"Mom, what do you need to know to act normal?" Jordan asked.

"How do you and Megan know each other?"

"She's a neighbor in my new apartment building." Jordan said, thinking that was a safe answer, then suddenly fearing that his mother might show up unannounced in hopes of meeting his new girlfriend. His mother was already moving on.

"What does she do for a living?"

"She's an anthropologist." Jordan answered. His father came walking into the room at that moment.

"What's an anthropologist do? Don't they dig up pottery and bones?" His mother asked.

"Sometimes. That's usually archaeologists. She studies living people, though." Jordan explained.

"So where does she work?" His mother asked.

"Beverly!" Jordan's father chastised his wife.

Just then Jordan's phone rang. It was Megan.

"Go ahead, answer it." His mother said.

"Hello?" Jordan said as the call connected.

"Hey stud! Sorry about earlier." Megan said. Jordan realized that the sound was loud enough that his parents could probably hear her voice.

"Just a minute." Jordan said, and went out on the back porch.

"Is something wrong?" Megan asked.

"Yeah, my mom is pushing me for grandkids, regardless of who the mother is." Jordan said once he was out of earshot of his parents.

"Aww. I'm sorry." Megan was laughing, which offset the sincerity of her words.

"She pushed me too hard and I told her I was seeing someone in Gunnison." Jordan said.

"Oh? Who's the lucky lady?" Megan asked.

"I told my parents I'm dating a neighbor of mine named Megan." Jordan told her.

"I'm flattered, but where does Kaitlin fit in all of this?" Megan asked.

"I'm not about to tell my parents that I'm seeing two women." Jordan said.

"Why not? Are you ashamed of us? Of our relationship?"

"Of course not. They just wouldn't understand." Jordan said.

"So you'd never tell your parents that you're in love with two women? You'll just keep lying to them and hiding one of us until... what? Until you choose one of us to keep and one of us to dump?" Megan asked in an accusing tone.

"No Megan, of course not. I'm not ashamed of either of you. I'm not waiting to choose one of you. I love you both, my parents are just super judgmental and nosy, especially my mom. My relationship with the two of you is so new. I'll tell them eventually." Jordan was struggling to justify his aversion to telling his parents about both girlfriends.

"So it is because our relationship is new?" Megan snapped back. "I'm sure of us. I love you asshole, and I love Kaitlin. If you are going to lie to your parents and pretend that there's only one important woman in your life..." Megan made a growling yell, and was silent for a moment.

"Call me back when you figure out what you want." Megan finally said, and she hung up.

Jordan was at a loss for words. He had never expected to be in a position like this. He tried to imagine his parents reactions to finding out that he was seeing two women.

His dad would be quiet, probably unreadable. He guessed that he would eventually get a speech about the illegality and immorality of polygamy.

His mom would have a thousand questions he guessed. She'd scoff and make him feel like a five year-old who got in trouble at school. She'd pry into sleeping arrangements and who had sex with whom.

Megan didn't understand, couldn't understand. She hadn't met Jordan's parents. He sat for a few minutes collecting his thoughts.

'That was our first fight.' Jordan thought to himself. 'At least my first fight with Megan. I wonder how Kaitlin feels? I wonder when she and I will have our first fight.'

Jordan sat on a chair for several more minutes before he went back inside.

"So, Stud?" his mother asked as he walked into the room. She immediately saw his face and the smile drained into concern. "What's wrong baby?"

"First fight." Jordan said.

"Aww, I'm sorry, what about?"

"Beverly!" Jordan's father snapped. "You're doing it again."

Food was passed around and the conversation turned to a recent trip that his parents had taken.

Half-way through the meal, Jordan's phone buzzed with a text. Jordan checked it under the table. And saw a message from Megan.

'I'm sorry. Please call me back when you are ready to talk about it.'

'I'm sorry too. Eating dinner. I'll call as soon as I can.' Jordan texted back.

The conversation had stopped and Jordan looked up to see his parents watching him.

"Can I assume that smile means that you've kissed and made up?" his mother asked. Jordan hadn't even realized he had been smiling. He just felt relieved.

"Still a lot to talk about, but at least the fight's over." He responded.

"Good. So I can ask about her calling you stud? That doesn't seem like a pet name you give someone you've just started seeing." She pushed.

"Beverly! Come on! He's never going to tell us another detail of his life if you can't stop prying!" Jordan's father defended him.

"And you" his father turned back to Jordan. "You've never been this secretive with us before. Not about girls or work or school." In a flash, Jordan's father had shifted from defender to inquisitor.

"You quit a well-paying job that by all accounts you liked and were good at to go to a no-name college to pursue a degree so that you can be a government employee.

"When you were dating Jen, you told us all about her after your first date and after she broke your heart! You're clearly sleeping with this Megan girl, so why all the secrecy?

"The only common thing linking it all together is that damn mining claim you inherited from my loser uncle.

"You're our only child. Our family, our legacy. We support you, but you can't suddenly stop sharing your life with us and expect us to be fine with it.

"The same thing happened with uncle Ira. He had nothing to say when my dad tried helping him. He just wasted away in a bottle.

"Don't think we can't see how you're babying your left side, that tree must have done more than bruised a rib or two. Just talk to us!" His father was shouting, but not unkindly. More in a pleading tone.

Jordan sat in silence, unsure of what to say or think. He hadn't realized how much he used to tell his parents, and how much he had shut them out since finding out about the Bigfoot.

"I...I'm sorry." Jordan told his parents. He had to give them something. He couldn't tell them about the Bigfoot. That wasn't his secret to share. "You're right. I haven't been sharing much with you."

Jordan left the room and came back with his backpack. He pulled Enoch's satchel out, and set it on the table, moving his empty plate out of the way.

"I found this in one of the mines. It belonged to grandpa's mining partner, Enoch."

Jordan pulled out the handkerchief and lay it on the table, unwrapping the fabric to reveal the pile of gold ingots.

"That can't be real." Jordan's father said. "That would be like...ten thousand dollars worth of gold."

"It's over twenty thousand. And it is real. I talked with some people up there who knew about the history of mining in the area.

"They said getting the gold out of the ground is only half the battle. The other half was getting it to a bank before someone killed you for it."

Jordan dug in his backpack and pulled out the nugget that he had released from the wall.

"Silas and Enoch were working a rich deposit when Silas quit and Enoch was killed. The gold is still up there in the mine. There could be tens of thousands of dollars worth of gold left, or there could be millions." Jordan pushed the gold across the table for his parents to inspect.

They sat and stared in silence, clearly dumbfounded by Jordan's announcement of sudden wealth.

Jordan pulled out his phone and opened the photo gallery app. The first picture was the selfie of him and Jane in her hospital bed. He scrolled until he found a picture of Megan alone and showed his parents.

"This is Megan. She's older than me, 32. She grew up in California and got her bachelors degree in fine arts and she has a PhD in anthropology. She's studying the culture of isolated mountain communities. We've been seeing each other for almost a month now." Jordan turned the screen back and found a picture of Megan on horseback, leading Brutus.

"The horses are named Rose and Brutus. I bought them to ride around on the land. They can go places my motorcycle can't.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys this before. I'm going to build a little cabin up there to live out of while I'm mining, and also as a sort of vacation home."

Jordan found a picture of uncle Ira's cabin as it had been before the alpha damaged it.

"This is the cabin that's currently on the land. It's pretty beat-up, but that's where I stay when I go up there. Uncle Ira built it back in the 70s."

Jordan next found a picture of the valley taken from up on a ridge.

"This is most of the land. It's penned in by tall mountains on three sides, and surrounded by national forest land."

Jordan turned off his phone and looked up at his parents, who were still staring at the gold in their hands, silently absorbing the information.

"As for the master's degree and school, yes I admit that the mining claim had a lot to do with that decision. I have a nice nest egg from my last job, who are actually still paying me for consulting work.

"With the gold, I probably don't actually have to work anymore, but the mine inspector job actually will pay a little more than my engineer job, plus I get a scholarship which makes school free, as long as I work after graduation." Jordan looked at his parents who were speechless. "Questions?" He asked.

"When can we meet Megan?" His mother asked.

"Is there anything else in that satchel?" His father asked at the same time.

Jordan pushed the leather satchel to his dad, who accepted it.

"I don't know, mom. Megan is pretty busy, and I'm still getting settled. I'll make sure you meet her before too long."

"Can I see her picture again?" She asked. Jordan found the photo on his phone and showed his mother.

"She's so pretty Jordan! How serious are you two?"

"It's complicated." Jordan dodged, but at a stern look from his mother he changed course. "We've talked about the future, we both want kids..."

Jordan's mother sobbed and stood, coming around the table to hug her son.

"...but we haven't made any kind of commitments about our future together." Jordan amended.

"Does she know about the gold?" Jordan's father asked.

"Yes."

"Before or after you two became an item?" his father pushed.

"After." Jordan said.

Jordan's father nodded and took out the old pocket knife from the satchel, opening it to inspect it. Next he took out the straight razor.

Missy's brown hair still clung to the old blade from when Jordan had shaved her arm to draw blood. Jordan watched as his father pulled a small tuft of the brown hairs from the blade and brought them to his nose to sniff them.

He said nothing, folding the razor back up and putting it next to the knife he had already inspected. Jordan was still hugging his mom while he watched his father inspect old safety pins and flints and awls. There were a few coins that Jordan had missed, and his father showed them to him. The date on a quarter was 1889.

Jordan's father packed the items back and handed Jordan the satchel.

"Congratulations." His father said with a smile. "I'm sorry if we pushed you too hard, but we really are proud of you. I'm just sorry you felt you had to keep all of this a secret from us.

"You really seem to have hit the jackpot, though. Pretty girl, pretty land and pretty nice little fortune on it.

"I really would like to see it, though. Now that you have horses, maybe you can give me a tour soon."

Jordan felt his face flush hot. He had forgotten about his promise to show his father the land. He had made the promise when his motorcycle was the only way to get there.

Jordan remembered the family vacation to the YMCA cabin in Estes park when his parents had taken him riding on a horse for the first time. His father had enjoyed the experience and talked about going again, though they never had.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Jordan mumbled out. To his relief, his father didn't press the point.

The rest of the evening was a flurry of questions. Jordan's parent's offered him several more beers, which he only accepted the first two of. He walked the line, avoiding any mention of Bigfoot, but telling his parents more about Megan, the mines, his future cabin, the land and the gold.

He told his parents what Jason had said about Enoch buying enough mules to move 50 million dollars' worth of gold, and how he had never collected the animals. The mystery of the missing gold had his parents as excited as Kaitlin had been.

"Aren't you going to search for the gold?" His mother asked him. "There might be a $50 million fortune buried on your property somewhere, and you're not even going to look for it?"