Finding West

3

KAT



"Hey Hugo, did you hear what I said?" I closed the fridge door and found the man staring at the computer screen, his face pale from shock. I walked over and set the bottles on the table. "What is it?"

He tried to shut the laptop, but I wedged my fingers in between. "It's uh—"

"Don't say it's nothing because I will punch you in the throat," I said, wrestling the computer away from him. He gave up without a fight.

I flipped open the computer screen, studied the picture, then laughed. "That's not you."

He blinked a few times, relief seeping into his taut features. "Are you sure?"

I set the computer back down and pointed at the screen. "Look, the bridge of your nose is thinner and you have a little less forehead than he does."

He stared at the pictures, still apparently unconvinced.

"I've been looking at your face all morning, I think I can spot the difference."

"Please be certain."

I rolled my eyes before focusing on his face, starting with the bushy beard that covered a good portion of his face, to the straight nose, and ending with those luminous grey eyes, which were looking straight into my own, seemingly holding me in place. My chest felt tight, which was in itself a scary reaction to studying the face of a stranger.

I don't know how long I stared at him—probably longer than was socially acceptable—but I finally wrenched myself away from his gaze and straightened. "I'm..." I cleared my throat. "I'm sure."

Then he smiled and any lingering doubts in my head melted away as his eyes wrinkled at the corners and his nearly perfect teeth shone against his dark beard. The kind of look that seemed genuine enough to make me feel warm inside. Uncomfortably so.

I grabbed my beer and made a big production of opening it in order to ease the tension. I didn't know this guy; he had no business making my stomach feel this way.

For the first time, I questioned my decision to bring this man into my home. For the first time, I felt fear.

He spent a few more hours on the computer, looking up website after website, while I sat on the couch with Josie and watched the news. It should have felt strange having him in my home but he was quiet and unobtrusive and, honestly, it was nice to have someone to talk to again. Even Josie was starting to warm up to him, or at least no longer growled if he made any sudden movements.

At nearly two in the afternoon, he slammed the laptop shut and let out a ragged sigh.

"Hey, watch it," I said. "Laptops aren't cheap, fuck you very much."

He stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice tight with irritation. "I just... I can't just sit here, doing nothing. I need to go into town."

"The snow is—"

"I know, but I need to try!"

The desperation in his face took me aback. He was so utterly lost that my heart broke for him a little. "Okay," I said. "Stay right there." I went to my dad's closet and pulled out his skiing clothes.
I went back to the living room and threw the waterproof snow pants, insulated socks, and heavy duty snow boots onto the couch. "You can borrow these. Just leave them at the police station and I'll pick them up later."

His eyes studied me quietly for a long, tense moment. Finally, he said, "These look new."

"Yeah, well, my dad never had a chance to use them," I said, sitting on the arm of the couch.