Torsten had met many people in America. It was the melting pot of the world, regardless of what some might say about racism and diversity in the country. Never before had he seen such a dramatic difference in his life. Back in Finland, life was so homogenized. Unless you lived in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, you would never have seen a black man or an Arab. In America, they seemingly grew off trees.

His face appeared to brighten at her mentioning her residency. “Oh, you are doctor?” He asked happily. “I will make sure to tell everyone to come see you. ‘Doctor Allison,’ I’ll say, ‘Is nicest doctor! Very smart.’” He would have said more, but Torsten considered himself a gentleman. He used a wooden ladle to continually stir the pot as the stew came to a simmer. He would allow it to boil for a few moments, before taking it off. Using a pair of thick leather gloves, he hoisted the pot out and carried it across to the kitchen. 

“I record the grizzly population for this part of the Cascades,” he retrieved bowls and utensils for the both of them. “When one becomes a problem, I call in Washington or Oregon State Police to take care of it.” Why the Finn didn’t do it was anybody’s guess. To tell the truth, ever since his service, he considered himself a pacifist. He never again wanted to pick up a rifle and shoot something – not even wildlife. He would gladly buy venison off of hunters, but refused to take the game himself. His days of killing were long over.

He handed her a bowl of the steaming venison stew, before pouring his own. “We will go south tomorrow morning. There is an Amish community not far from here. They have an outdoors store that they opened for tourists – to make a little money to support their church. We can get you boots there.” He already assumed the woman likely wouldn’t have cash on her. Most young adults these days didn’t. That was fine. There was plenty of cash in his wallet for her to borrow. Allison seemed to be an upstanding individual; he did not mind to loan the money out to her.

He sat down on the sofa to enjoy his stew, blowing on it to prevent it from causing any horrific burns on lips or tongue. “You can have bed tonight. I will take hammock outside.”