i thank You God for most this amazing day - JohnD

Sherry had to admit that the scenery was breathtaking. They were hiking up Half Dome and she drank it all in: the light summer breeze, birds chirping in the distance, and the magnificent everything: the blue sky, the beautiful view of trees and mountains, just everything, absolutely everything. It was as if she heard the music of nature, of life, of God. She was alive and feeling one with the earth when chaos intervened in the form of Evan Denton.

“I thank You God for most this amazing day,” he boomed.

“Damn it!” thought Sherry. In her own mind, she screamed, “Your so pompous, Evan!” It was all she could do to not say it aloud. All day he had been quoting Shakespeare and other famous poets and writers. Sherry was an oxymoron of emotion: caught up in the unbelievable beauty of her surroundings and disgusted by the snobbery and arrogance of Evan's constant quoting.

“Should I really have agreed to this double date slash hiking trip,” she asked herself.

Sherry sensed that Doug and Emily were quite content with the whole situation. “Either that or they're really good actors,” she reasoned.

“Who was that from?” Emily asked as soon as Evan recited the “amazing day” line.

Sherry shot a dirty glance in Emily's direction as if to say, “Don't encourage him, you traitor!”

Emily gave Sherry a wink and laughed silently.

Of course, Evan obliged by answering, “E. E. Cummings.” And naturally, he continued sharing more about Mr. Cummings and reciting more lines from his various works.

“Do Emily and Doug really like this Evan guy or are they just willing to put up with him because they think that I am this desperate to date someone?” Sherry questioned.

During the hike, every time they came across a fork in the road, Evan would recite a line or two from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken. “Great!” Sherry would tell herself. “Evan the smug strikes again.” During the drive to Yosemite, Sherry had come up with the “Evan the smug” moniker. With the four of them in the car together and Evan dominating the conversation, it helped to pin that nickname on him. But at this point, mocking him privately had lost its anaesthetic effect.

At the moment, Evan seemed to be stuck in an endless loop about E. E. Cummings. Sherry tried to block out his voice as they continued their ascent. She focused on the variety of scents that drifted to her. She could hear the music of nature again.

For no apparent reason, Evan spoke louder than even before, breaking Sherry from her day dream state. Sherry heard him blathering on about nature and flowers or something another. She had no idea who he was quoting now. “How interesting,” she thought, “the sentiments from the lines he's reciting mirror my very feelings about this place. So, why does he annoy me so much?”

As Evan continued relentlessly, it seemed to Sherry that he was starting to affect an almost British accent. She calmly looked for a ledge to throw him over.

Without even a token effort to converse, Evan pontificated and lectured with increased enthusiasm and bravado. Try as she might, Sherry couldn't block him out anymore. She felt depleted, drained of all energy and hope.

But then, a miracle. Evan's voice started to get raspy. “Whoa, something's wrong with my voice,” he said, touching his throat. He continued to talk for a while, but his voice was getting quieter and quieter, and raspier yet. Doug and Emily seemed quite concerned. Evan insisted that he could continue with the hike, however. “I'll just have to not talk,” he said almost inaudibly.

And with that, Sherry raised her hands to the heavens and proclaimed loudly and clearly, “i thank You God for most this amazing day!”