The Camping Trip - Episode 3

 

Amber

As I continued to stare into the fire, I knew I should’ve gotten up and helped with our meal. However, I wasn’t feeling in the mood. To be perfectly honest, I was rather queasy at this point and food was the last thing I was wanting. Fine, fine, cooking is woman’s work. And as a good wife who was wanting to fix her marriage, I should’ve jumped up in a heartbeat and whipped up a gourmet meal for my love.

The radio crackled as he turned it on. A bit of static now has he futz with the dials. Wait, what?! Is that news he put on? No, that isn’t even close to romantic!

“Hey, dear, uhm…” I started, “I know you love listening to what’s going on in the world but…”

“Amber,” I just knew Mark was rolling his eyes even though I couldn’t see his face from my position by the fire. “you’ve got to stop living in the clouds. Especially now, get your feet firmly planted on the ground.”

Gritting my teeth so I wouldn’t scream, “Whatever.” I snorted in reply, trying to focus on the flames.

Shifting into the chair to get more comfortable, I ignored him and his obsession with the disaster of the day. Until I heard the name of his grocery store pop up. My ears started to prickle, my whole body on edge as I absorbed the words. When the story was over, I turned to look at him. His back was too me, but I knew he was upset. His whole body was ramrod straight, his fists on the picnic table balled tight, knuckles white. Without warning, he banged on the table causing the pot on the stove to jump. It tilted dangerously to the side, slopping some of the contents onto the open flame causing it to sputter.

“Soup’s ready.” He called, grabbing the pot off the stove. “I didn’t see any bowls when I was digging through your stuff. Did I miss them somehow?”

Oh no! I slapped my head in frustration. The RV was supposed to come with everything from plates and pots to towels and sheets. In my haste to leave, I didn’t give proper thought to what was needed beyond food. Because I’d figured if Mark hadn’t rented us an RV than he hadn’t gotten the supplies we needed either. Other than the throw I had in the car for emergencies, did I have anything to sleep with tonight? Like a pillow? Or a mattress? Ugh!

“No, do you still have the can?” I inquired.

“Yup, I’ll give you the can and take the pot. But we only have my knife for utensils, I’ve been using it to stir the soup. We’ll have to drink the soup.” He looked over at me with a frown.

He handed me the can now wrapped in one of his socks, I guess so I wouldn’t burn myself. Blowing into the can, I got a whistle back but no steam. Taking a cautious sip, I discovered it was lukewarm at best. Not like I was going to mention this fact. But we did need to talk about the elephant in the room. Or to be more precise, the herd of elephants running amok in this state park.

“What’re we going to do about the situation at your store?” I asked when most of my soup was gone.

“Oh, by that do you mean now that it’s a pile of ashes? Or the fact that I decided to get a job at the local place rather than a chain store. Thus, I can’t just transfer to another store. Let’s face it, babe, this is a sign from the universe. I’m done.” He stood up too quick and his chair when flying back. “I’m out for the count, there’s no coming back from the brink at this point. I’m not Rocky in that movie, ya know!”

“Aren’t you being a tad bit melodramatic? The reporter didn’t say how bad the fire was, only that the store was closed until further notice. Have you checked your phone to see if your manager has called with any info?” I sighed, he could be so over the top sometimes. Lots of places were hiring even if his store was done for. I watched him pace back and forth between the fire and the picnic table.

“Yeah, good idea. It’s still in the car charging.” His shoulders slumped, he shuffled over to his car.

Ah, was this why he wasn’t answering earlier? He’d forgotten to charge his phone again? This was one of the oh so many things I had to constantly remind him about. It amazed me that a computer geek would allow his phone to die as often as he did. Duh, I should’ve thought of this earlier when he didn’t answer.

With slow steps he came back to the fire, picked up his chair and sank into it. “Yup, it’s official. I and everyone else at the store are out of work. The owner was arrested for arson and insurance fraud a few hours ago. No way the store is ever reopening now.” His elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands.

“Well, the sun is beginning to set. We can’t solve anything tonight. Move your chair closer to mine and lets just enjoy the evening.” I stood up, going over to the table. Fiddling with the radio until I found a station playing soft music.

Turning around, I was glad to see he’d listened to me for once and did as I asked. Sitting back down, I took his hand in mine. The light from the sun was making the water of the lake glow. Plus, the soft breeze was causing these weird ripples which almost make it look like snake skin or dragon scales. Why had I never come to a lake before? This was breathtaking. Squeezing Mark’s hand tight, I breathed in deep the smell of the musky odors around me. Nothing like the pine fresheners or forest scented candles I used to buy. No, a million times better.

We didn’t say another word the rest of the evening. Merely sat, holding hands watching the fire and the sun die. We parted ways, each going to our respective tents after a quick trip up the hill to the bathrooms. Companionable silence was better than having a fight, I guess.

In the morning, as we were sitting eating our cold Pop-Tarts, the friendly ranger showed back up. “Hey guys! Hope you had a good night. Thought you might want to know, you can rent a canoe for the day.” He chuckled as he pointed down to the lake. “You get a much better view on the lake than from here.”

Do they:

A. Rent the canoe

B. Take a walk

C. Give up and go home