Friend

Calgary, March 2023

Martin was sitting by the window in his apartment, watching the dark sky and contemplating the wreckage of his life. His wife left him, his best friend was dead, and the future looked as bleak as the sky outside. Martin was still young, not even 30, and the only thing he was good at was climbing mountains. But it was mountain climbing which brought him to this dark point in his life. Was it worth it? He didn’t know. He could blame his dead friend Alex, but it wouldn’t be fair. Alex initiated it, but Martin gladly followed in his footsteps.

It all started the first year of the university. Martin met Alex in one of those student drinking sessions where Alex dazzled him with stories of mountain climbing, of ‘the freedom of hills,’ as he called it. Alex was from a small town and his parents did a good job of introducing him to that freedom. Perhaps too good a job because Alex was interested only in climbing. The university was just a little side track.
“I wish I was like you,” said Martin after few pints of beer.
“There is nothing to stop you. All you have to do is to join me on some of the trips.”

That was the beginning. The first time Alex took Martin rock climbing was like the first time Martin kissed a woman. It was just as scary, exciting and, above all, addicting. But those two activities, climbing mountains and kissing women, are not always compatible.
“Are you again going climbing with Alex?” asked Diana dreading yet another lonely weekend.
“Yes, but come with us, you might like it.”
Diana wasn’t an outdoor person and climbing rocks wasn’t her idea of having fun but being alone for two days was even worse “OK, I will go with you.”
The weekend wasn’t much of a success. Alex considered Diana as an intruder, and she saw Alex as someone who was seducing Martin away from her. She never went with them again. Then came the end of the semester, the exams, the summer vacations, and the possibility to go to the real mountains.
“I don’t want to be alone,” said Diana.
“Come with us.”
“No. I don’t like climbing and I don’t like Alex. You must choose. Me or him.”
Martin knew he wouldn’t give up mountains. So, there were some reproaches, some crying, a goodbye kiss, and Martin was ready for the summer adventure.

Climbing a big mountain for a first time is more than a kiss of a woman, it’s like the first sex. Martin fell in love with the mountain he climbed, the mountain which allowed him to stand on its top and made him happy, just as loving Diana made him happy before he met Alex. More mountains followed and Martin knew that mountaineering will always be part of his life. New semester brought new courses, new names of Martin’s girlfriends, but one thing didn’t change: the weekends with his friend. Then came more vacations, more big mountains, some hard climbs, but Martin started to feel that something was missing. Alex cared only about the mountains, he didn’t need anything else, but Martin was longing for a love of a woman. A woman with whom he could share the joy of standing on the top of a high peak, looking at the world below. A woman who would allow him to combine the love for her with the love of the mountains. But mountaineering is mostly male activity and there are few women involved. “Forget it, women and mountains don’t mix,” warned him Alex, but he was wrong. Martin found her, unexpectedly, at the university library where she was reading the guidebook to the trek to Everest base camp.
“Hello, are you planning to go there?” Martin couldn’t think about anything better to say.
“I already went, last fall.”
“Wow, that is interesting. Did you go all the way?”
“Yes. It isn’t such a big deal. There are hundreds of people who go there every year.”
“Still, it is impressive. Have you done any real mountaineering?”
“Only scrambles.”
“Would you like to try climbing?”
“Yes.”
“With me?”
The woman looked at him. “I presume you aren’t a serial rapist, so yes, with you.”
“I am not a serial rapist. My name is Martin.”
“Julia. Pleased to meet you.”
Next weekend Martin cancelled his trip with Alex, he wanted Julia for himself. They went to the rock-climbing practice area, did few routes and Martin enjoyed watching Julia’s dance-like moves on the rock. The weekend went well, more weekends followed and when Martin felt that Julia was safely under his spell, he invited Alex to join them. The first meeting was bit awkward, Alex expected the repetition of Diana’s animosity, but Julia wasn’t an intruder. On the contrary, she was a nice addition to their small group.

But life is more than just mountain climbing. There were assignments to finish, exams to pass, then came the graduation and the need to find a job. For Julia it wasn’t a problem, she studied the respectable profession of business management and accounting, but for Martin and Alex it was something else. They wanted a job which would give them enough time for climbing, so they graduated in Communication and Media studies, hoping that journalists don’t have fix office hours. But there is no shortage of journalists and finding employment is not easy. Martin was lucky to get a job in an advertising department of a large company where the office hours were strictly enforced, and Alex ended up mostly in construction. Their vacations shrunk to three weeks, but for Martin there was a compensation. His relationship with Julia grew into a true love, they moved together and got married. “Is this the end of our climbing?” asked Alex when the wedding ceremony was over. “No, not at all. There will be no change in our weekends and holidays.”

For a time being Martin was right, the weekends didn’t change. Sunday evenings Julia usually invited Alex for dinner, she felt sorry for him. “Poor Alex, he doesn’t have anybody, we are his only friends,” she rationalized the invitations. But one evening, out of the blue, she told Martin: “I don’t want to see Alex anymore, and I don’t want you to go climbing with him.”
“Why? What happened?”
“You know.”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
But Julia didn’t answer and left the room. Next weekend Martin did go climbing with Alex, without Julia.
“Where is you wife?” he asked.
“She seems to be very annoyed with you. What happened? Did you offend her?”
“Not to my knowledge. I thought we were friends.”
“Not anymore, apparently.”
Martin was confused. There must have been something, but neither Julia nor Alex wanted to tell him what. The situation got worse with summer vacations approaching.
“I am not going to go with Alex for a holiday and I don’t want you to go either,” said Julia.
“But why? You must have a reason.”
“I have the reason and you know it. If you go with him, I will leave you.”
This was ridiculous. “Julia, Alex is my friend. If you have something against him, tell me. If not, this summer I will go climbing with him without you.”
And that was exactly what Martin did. Alex had planes for hard climbs and Martin was ready. At the beginning all went well, but then something terrible happened. While crossing a glacier, Alex fell into a crevasse. The glacier was small, it looked safe, hey were not roped and Alex disappeared in a dark deep hole. Martin, laying on his belly, was looking down, yelling, but there was no reply. There was nothing Martin could do. He went down to the mountain rescue office, told them what happened, the mountain guides retrieved Alex’s body, and a helicopter brought it to the local hospital. Martin was left with the sad duty to tell Alex’s parents about the death of their son. He told them what happened, specified the location of the hospital, and arranged the time to meet them there. When they arrived, Martin returned to them all the Alex’s possessions except his cellphone. He hoped the phone might clarify the conflict between Alex and Julia.

Returning home didn’t bring any relieve. The apartment was empty and all of Julia’s belongings disappeared. Martin was sitting by the window, watched the dark sky and knew he must do something. He had to call Julia.
“Pleas listen to me,” he said when she picked up the phone. “Something terrible happened. Alex is dead.”
“Did you kill him?”
“Why are you saying it? What makes you think I would do something like that?”
“You really don’t know?”
“No, I don’t. You tell me.”
“Go to your room and open the bottom drawer of the bookshelf. Tell me what you found.”
There was a plastic bag with a white powder.
“Did you find it?” asked Julia.
“Yes.”
“You know what it is?”
“Yes.”
“Martin, Alex was a drug dealer and was hiding his stuff in our apartment. In case they caught him he would blame us.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that before?”
“Because I thought you were in it with him.”
“Well, I wasn’t. But Julia, please don’t leave me now. You are the only person I have.”
Julia answered right away. “I am coming back.”

But this wasn’t the end of Martin’s troubles, there still was the question of what to do with the plastic bag full of white powder. Handing it over to the police would initiate investigation, suspicions, interrogations, and Martin didn’t want that. He didn’t want to tarnish the memories of his friend. The other option was to return the drug to whoever requested it, and that’s where Alex’s phone could help. There were messages of the previous deliveries and Martin only had to wait for a new message to appear. I came soon enough.
“Do you have it?” it asked.
“Yes, when do you want it?” replied Martin.
“Tomorrow, ten o’clock at night, the usual place.”
“What is the usual place?”
“Don’t you remember?” and the contact specified the location.

Next day at ten o’clock Martin was sitting at a particular bench of a particular park. A man came and asked about Alex.
“Alex is no longer in business. I am just bringing the merchandise,” and Martin passed him the plastic bag. The man wanted to pay, but Martin stopped him.
“Keep the money, I don’t want it.”
“Doesn’t Alex want it?”
“No, Alex doesn’t want the money. Alex is dead. He died in a mountain climbing accident.”
“Mountain climbing accident? Why would anybody risk his life on something like that?”
Martin was in no mood for explaining. “Some people like it,” he said and started to walk home.