Ben Givens and Chris

Ben Givens and his grandson Chris are connected by an easy attentiveness that becomes clearest in conversation about fatigue, plans, and the mountains. Their relationship is not presented through a long account of shared history; instead, a phone call and a brief exchange about a future climb show Ben choosing to stay in contact, and Chris meeting that choice with confidence in his grandfather’s abilities.

A Call That Takes Another Turn

Ben picks up the phone intending to call his daughter Renee and explain what has happened: he is settled in a motel after a difficult night, his car-wreck arrangements are handled, and he plans to hunt without a dog while Rex recovers. But Chris answers after one ring. Ben’s response, “Chris,” he said, “It's you,” registers his surprise; the call has reached his grandson before Ben is ready for it.

Chris explains that he is studying at his apartment because people there play music all the time. He is also working night duty and getting only four or five hours of sleep when he is not on duty. Ben recalls the beginning of his own third year and says he does not think he slept much then either, before telling Chris that four or five hours is not enough. The exchange gives their closeness an ordinary, practical form: Ben asks how things are going, recognizes the strain in Chris’s schedule, and responds with concern rather than immediately returning to the reason for his call.

Choosing More Time Together

Ben thinks of the purpose of the call but does not want to lose his grandson yet. That hesitation is the emotional hinge of the conversation. The news he had meant to deliver can wait; instead, the two talk about what Chris might do and where they might go. When Chris proposes, “You and me. Silver Peak,” he presents a shared outing as a natural possibility, not a formal invitation that needs elaborate persuasion.

Ben initially deflects the plan by saying Chris could manage Silver Peak easily and should go without him. He suggests Mount Stuart, but admits that it is too tough for him these days. Chris asks why Ben could not go; when Ben says Chris has already climbed Mount Stuart, Chris simply suggests doing something else. Ben returns to the original plan: “We'll do Silver Peak together.” Chris agrees. The brief back-and-forth shows both the limits Ben feels and the confidence Chris places in continuing to make plans with him. Their agreement does not erase Ben’s assessment of his capacity; it finds another route around it.

Shared Terrain and Mutual Encouragement

The mountain conversation makes their relationship concrete. Climbing is not merely a topic they share: it is the activity through which they imagine spending time together. Ben proposes that Chris go without him, then revises that separation into a climb they can undertake together. Chris’s readiness to change the destination keeps the prospect alive without treating Ben’s difficulty as a reason to abandon the outing altogether.

In another exchange, Ben asks whether there are birds out there and learns that there are a few. Chris tells him he has the legs for it; Ben answers that the ground is not uphill, and Chris challenges the relevance of that distinction by insisting he is fine. The exchange is brief, but its tone complements the Silver Peak plan. Chris encourages Ben in the field as he does on the mountain, while Ben answers with matter-of-fact qualifications. Neither conversation establishes that every proposed outing occurs; what they establish is a continuing willingness to imagine shared activity and to adjust its demands.

The Bond in the Novel

These moments portray affection without sentimentality. Ben’s care appears in his attention to Chris’s sleep and workload; Chris’s care appears in his insistence that Ben can still participate and in his flexibility about where they go. Most revealingly, Ben’s call begins as a means of delivering difficult information to Renee, but his grandson’s unexpected presence changes its immediate purpose. He chooses conversation and a future plan over ending the call quickly. Their bond is thus conveyed through time given, concern expressed, and a mountain outing kept possible despite Ben’s doubts.