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accepting a pair of crutches to keep the weight off his leg.
    Where he had been excited before and pumped with adrenaline contending with the bear, now he was really restless. He would march into that deli again, and this time he would ask Nadia for a date. She had seemed friendly when he was there before, even though he thought he might have embarrassed her with his constant stares.
    * * * * *
    When he entered the deli at lunchtime the next day, he saw Nadia look his way and gasp. She returned his smile but was quick to frown again, noting his bruises and crutches. From a table in the corner he heard someone shout, “Here come the Marines.” It was the loudmouth he’d almost grabbed hold of a while back. Randy bit his lip and continued toward Nadia.
    “Did you hear me, folks? The Marines have landed.”
    Randy let the crutches fall to the floor. He limped over to the table, lifted the guy up by his sweatshirt, and delivered a sharp left hook to big man's midsection, followed by a right and another left. Then he stepped aside and watched as big Ben Atwood crumpled to the floor and lay gasping for air. The whole thing happened so quickly that the other customers sat speechless and perfectly still as if posing for a picture. Then the crowd burst into applause.
    Sitting at the other end of the table, the burly friend of loudmouth Atwood looked at Randy and then looked away as if he preferred to change the subject. Randy picked up his crutches and started to go to the counter when a woman nearby said, "Young man, what’s wrong with your leg?" Bright red blood gushed from his wound. He would have to leave quickly to keep from making a mess on the floor. So he waved at Nadia and left.
    He could feel the ecstatic sensation of being alive again. His heart was beating so fast, he thought he could hear it. Although he couldn’t see his face, he knew it was red, and he also knew that it wasn’t from his temper or simply from being excited. He was embarrassed.
    Uncle Ed would be pissed. And as luck would have it, Atwood might press charges. It could mean the kind of trouble that could keep him from reenlisting. But at the moment, what bothered Randy most was the fact that he still didn’t have the date with Nadia. This might mean that there would never be one. Each time he failed to ask her, he seemed to lose a measure of his nerve. Thinking about the deli crowd’s behavior eased his embarrassment some when it occurred to him that what he had done to Atwood must have been overdue, at least in their minds, and if they thought so, maybe Nadia would as well.
    The guy was obviously a bully and needed to be taken down a notch. But still, this wasn’t a very smart strategy to get a date, and he could be in real trouble if the guy were to bring charges. What were the odds that not only would he not get a date with Nadia but he might also wind up in jail? Randy didn't want to wager. He was now more anxious than ever because his reading was disabusing him of the thought of reenlisting, and that left too much of the future to chance. He had no plans, and that was not smart. The Kelloggs always had a plan.

The Deal
     
    Ed was amazed at how much a person could get done in a few days and how many life-altering decisions one could make in a short time, decisions that would change things forever. Now, the hardest part was yet to come. He wasn’t concerned about telling his nephew. He’d already told Randy he was thinking about moving, and for that matter, Randy was welcome to come along to Idaho. Ed was much relieved, though, that he wasn’t going to have to sell the place. The university wanted to lease the property for ten years for experimental purposes and as an attempt to interest students in farming and ranching in Alaska. It had surprised him because the university already had lots of land, but they were especially interested in his place because of its remoteness. He had always thought his location was a liability, but they seemed