Is he really bluffing?

 

If you were in a relationship with someone who constantly lies, would you believe them if they told you that they wanted the bear to attack them instead of you?  In the short story “Bluffing” written by Gail Helgason, a couple was going for a hike to celebrate but little did they know that they were joined by an uninvited guest. Liam decided to take his girlfriend Gabriella up to the lake to tell her that he was going for a big climb with Clive. While Gabriella thought that they were going to sign the lease for the lake house, she got up, frustrated and left while coming across a grizzly bear. Liam had always put himself first in their relationship, so it wouldn’t be hard to believe that he would be lying when he said “I meant the bear to come after me instead of you.” Also, when Liam had finally caught up to Gabriella, “[he] wasn’t stepping back. He was running as fast as he could” while leaving Gabriella behind. Liam had him and only him on his mind when he first spotted the bear.  While on the hike the couple had spotted a couple of guys who were also heading up to the lake. “I’ll handle it” Liam said while telling the two teen boys that “…some grizzly had himself a dandy breakfast.”  He could’ve easily just let the boys hike to lake as well, but he was being selfish about his plans to go hiking with Clive. These are just a few of some examples, but all in all, Liam was lying when he told Gabriella that his plan was for the bear to attack him.