by Mary Ting
As Andrew was speaking, we were distracted by the smell of spaghetti and food was the only thought at that point.
“Dinner is ready!” Chris shouted, wearing an apron and holding a spatula in one hand.
As we all sat around the picnic table eager to eat, Andrew prayed. “Thank you for allowing us to get here safely. Please help us do the right thing and help these teenagers control their hormones, and make them listen to their camp director so they won’t get into trouble,” he said with one eye open to see if we were looking at him. I loved that he put a twist of humor into his prayer.
“Amen,” we all replied.
After dinner, the red group was assigned to wash the dishes. So Patty, John, Marie, and I went straight to the kitchen area. There wasn’t much to wash since we used mostly paper plates and paper cups; only a few pots, pans, and utensils. Patty was busy flirting with Andrew, and John and Marie were in a heated conversation about who knew what as they helped “clean up”.
It seemed my group was busy trying not to wash the dishes, so that left me to carry out the duty. I filled the sink with warm water and allowed the pots and pans to soak. After I wiped the working area around the sink, I dunked my hands with a sponge to scrub them. I was thinking idly about Claudia, and how it would have been nice to have gone camping with her, when I felt someone’s arms around me. A pair of big strong hands was gently rubbing and cleaning in unison with my own, as if our hands were one.
I was flushed with embarrassment. Who would come behind me and invade my personal space like that? Wanting to see who was rubbing my hands that way, I looked up accusingly into his deep dark brown eyes. An unfamiliar face stared back at me. I jumped with fright, backing away with a sudden jerk, and accidently splashed water on him.
“Ahhh!” I screamed. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” It took me a second to realize that he was the waiter who had waited on my mom and me at my birthday dinner.
“Kinda late for a water fight, don’t you think?” His lips curled into a smile. “Or is this how you greet your friends?”
“Hi…ummm…you shouldn’t scare people like that.” Surprised to see him, I almost choked on my words. “What are you doing here?” I demanded, as I grabbed a towel and handed it to him.
He took it and wiped his face and shirt. “Claudia, right?”
I was surprised that he knew my name. “Yes. And you are the waiter from…?” Still in shock from seeing him here, I lost my train of thought and forgot the name of the restaurant.
“Austin. My name is Austin. Anyway, didn’t look like anyone was helping, so I decided to jump in. Unless you prefer to do it yourself?” He was right. Nobody in my group was helping, but I didn’t like the way he was helping.
“No. I didn’t mean…I’m just surprised to see you here. I didn’t know you went to the same church,” I said, trying to find the right words.
“I don’t. Andrew is my good friend. He invited me, so I drove up here after work.”
“Oh, I see.” Learning that he was Andrew’s friend, my heart returned to its steady beat.
“Well, it looks like you’re done, so I’ll help you dry the pots and pans.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure you’re not here to dry the…” Before I could finish my sentence, he had already grabbed a towel.
In no time we were done, and everyone was curious to meet the new person at our campsite. I could hear the girls whispering and giggling about how cute he looked, and wondering how I knew him.
Marie walked right up to him and introduced herself. “Hello there, my name is Marie,” she said, batting her eyelashes while extending her hand to greet Austin.
I couldn’t believe she did that, but then again, it was Marie. I wanted to throw up. I thought he would flirt back, but instead he shook her hand politely and immediately turned my way, which made her furious. She walked away pretending not to care, but I knew deep inside it bruised her ego. Andrew walked toward us to greet his friend, with Patty following behind.
“Hey, glad you made it,” Andrew said. They exchanged a quick manly hug. He noticed Austin’s damp T-shirt. “I see you already got acquainted with Claudia, and had a little fun with the water,” he said, insinuating that we were flirting. Patty’s eyes immediately widened.
“No, no, no…,” I whispered to Patty. I didn’t want her thoughts to wander to something that didn’t happen, but she kept smiling and wasn’t listening to what I was trying to tell her.
Suddenly Andrew jumped on a wooden table to get all of our attention. “Everybody, this is Austin, my best friend! He will be joining us this weekend! Austin, this is everybody!”
Austin waved.
“Hey, Austin!” everyone shouted as they welcomed him.
“Dishes are done! Great job, red team! Let’s meet at the campfire!” Andrew spoke, always short and to the point.
I hadn’t realized how dark it was. The only places that gave light were the campfire and the kitchen area. A dark blanket covered the “unsafe” areas that at one point looked pleasant; the darkness was now uninviting. This eerie feeling was so strong that I didn’t want to expose my back to the absolute darkness.
The crackling sound of the burning wood sent a warm feeling through my body. It was starting to feel chilly as the night crept in. Many had already changed into sweats or heavy jackets to accommodate the cold. We all huddled for warmth near the campfire. I huddled between Patty and John. Just as I decided to get my jacket from the tent, I felt someone behind me.
“Excuse me, may I squeeze in?” Austin asked John.
I could tell John didn’t want to, but he moved over anyway. I looked over to see Austin smiling, but I just ignored him. Unexpectedly, Austin threw a light blanket over my shoulders. I didn’t even know he was holding one.
“Thanks,” I said, thinking that I barely knew him and feeling uneasy about him becoming so personal with me. However, I was cold and it was thoughtful of him. Patty looked at me with a huge grin on her face.
“You looked like you could use one,” Austin commented.
“Thank you,” I said warmly, giving him a quick smile, and turning my attention back to Andrew’s scary story.
“Let’s go get some hot cocoa. That should warm you up a bit more,” Austin whispered.
“What?” I asked, surprised that he asked me.
“I could use some help in the kitchen,” he said, with pleading eyes.
“Oh, sure,” I said, not wanting to go with him, but thinking I should since he had helped me with the dishes.
“Where are you going?” Patty whispered.
“Hot cocoa,” I whispered back.
She smiled and pointed to Andrew and herself. “Bring us some.”
As we walked toward the kitchen, the cold air made me shiver. I gripped the blanket by my neck, wrapping it completely around me.
“That cold?” Austin asked when we reached the kitchen area.
“I’m fine,” I said eyeing a couple of pots boiling on the electric stove.
He gestured to the stove. “I started boiling the water when you went toward the campfire. I hope you don’t mind?”
“No, it’s fine. I mean, thank you for thinking ahead.”
“Hot cocoa will help,” he said as he placed the cups on the trays. He scooped the cocoa powder into the cups, poured the hot water, and stirred them with a spoon.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked, feeling awkward just standing there watching him do all the work.
I looked up for an answer. He turned to face me, but I quickly looked away when his eyes met mine. Before I could move, he placed his warm hands gently on my mine, still gripping on the blanket. For a minute, I thought he was making a move on me, but instead he let go of my hold on the blanket and placed my hands straight down. He fussed over the blanket and finally managed to tie a big knot by my neck area. The blanket still enclosed me, but left a slit in the front, which allowed my hands to be free.
“You can help by holding th
is,” he said, handing me a cup of hot cocoa. “Now your hands are free, and you can drink.”
“Thanks,” I said softly, with a quick smile. “How about I help you hold the other tray?”
“No worries. I got it. Remember, I’m a waiter.” Somehow he managed to hold two trays. I couldn’t believe he was able to hold both of them; not a drop spilled from any of the cups. As I walked behind him, I took a sip and thought to myself, Ahhhh…it really does hit the spot. I couldn’t help notice his muscular arms that held the trays tightly.
Austin passed out hot cocoa to those who wanted it. You could hear everyone savoring the taste and graciously taking warmth from it. Some were exchanging scary stories as well as funny ones. It was a joy just sitting around the campfire among my friends, and the best part was, no parents! I thought about how glad I was that I came to experience camping and why I had dreaded it so much before; it wasn’t so bad after all, besides the fact that Gamma didn’t want me to go.
Many of our friends had left for their tents, except for Andrew, Patty, Austin, and I. We were the last ones left. Andrew offered to walk Patty to her tent, and I stayed behind, so I wouldn’t be a third wheel. I wanted to give Patty and Andrew some space. Feeling a bit nervous, I sat there wondering what I should do or say. I looked straight up to see the night sky filled with thousands of luminous stars. They were so mesmerizing that I couldn’t peel my eyes from them. Thinking it was about time for me to head to my tent; I was just about to excuse myself when he spoke.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He leaned closer and pointed up to the sky, invading my personal space again.
“It is,” I agreed, looking up again and slowly widening the gap between us.
“Do you know that there is a myth about how the stars came to be?” he asked.
“Really? There is a myth about the stars?” I asked excitedly. Curiosity got the best of me, and I wanted to stay and listen.
“They say when humans go to heaven, their souls turn into stars. Each star’s purpose is to guide other humans still on Earth. It acts as a beacon that guides them to the right path so that he or she can become a star when they die.”
“Wow! I’ve never heard of that.” I was fascinated.
“Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but it sounds interesting.”
“I guess I’ll never look at the stars the same way again,” I stated.
“Can you see Orion?” Austin asked.
It was hard to distinguish at first because of the many stars that sparkled clearly that night. They seemed to be closer and brighter in comparison to the way they looked at home. “Orion, the hunter. I think…it’s those stars…connecting there.” I pointed to several stars, not realizing I had leaned close enough to almost touch his lips. I jumped from what could have happened and slid further away from him. I saw a smile on his face from the corner of my eyes. That was pretty tricky, I thought. I’m gonna have to be careful with this guy.
“Pretty impressive. You know your stars,” he praised.
“Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations besides the Big Dipper,” I said proudly.
“Do you know the myth behind Orion?”
“You sure know a lot of myths.”
“Yeah, I read a lot and hear about these things. I think it’s interesting. There are different versions of Orion, but there is one particular version I like the best. Orion, the hunter, hunted various celestial animals, including Lepus, the rabbit, and Taurus, the bull. According to Greek mythology, Orion was in love with Merope, but Merope would have nothing to do with him. Orion's tragic life ended when he stepped on Scorpius, the scorpion. The gods felt sorry for him, so they put him and his dogs in the sky as constellations. They also put all of the animals he hunted up there near him. Scorpius, however, was placed in the opposite side of the sky so Orion would never be hurt by it again.”
“Wow! That’s a cool myth, but sort of tragic.”
“I think he’s one stupid hunter for stepping on the scorpion,” he said.
“Well, maybe he stepped on it on purpose. Maybe he wanted to die because Merope didn’t love him back the way he wanted her to.”
“Perhaps, or he was just stupid for killing himself over a girl.”
“But when you’re that much in love, who knows? Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Yeah, I don’t understand that one either,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Okay…” I smiled, amused by him.
“I don’t know if you know, but when you smile, you shine like the stars. Your eyes twinkle especially when you talk so excitedly,” he said, looking straight into my eyes.
Feeling more nervous than before, warmth quickly spread all over my face. I was too embarrassed to say anything, but I didn’t want to be rude. Why was he saying this to me? He hardly knew me at all. “Thank you.” I quickly turned away.
“Andrew speaks very highly of you. He says that he has never heard you gossip or speak badly about anyone.”
“Really? Andrew said that?” I was surprised. Patty must have said something nice on my behalf. “Well, I was taught never to judge a person unless you’ve walked in their shoes.”
“Good rule. I’m glad you won’t judge me because I’ve done many bad things,” he said, arching his eyebrows.
I was stunned by his words, which was clearly expressed through my facial expression. What bad things was I not to judge him about? Seeing the expression on my face, he immediately eased my mind.
“Relax, I’m joking.” He nudged my shoulder. “I’ll walk you to your tent.”
“It’s okay. I can walk there myself. Good night.” I started walking away, but he caught up to me. I thought I should take this opportunity to ask him about Andrew’s feelings toward Patty. I didn’t know if he would share that kind of information with me, but thought I’d try. “So, is Andrew leading Patty on, or is he really interested in her?”
“I’ll tell you this much, Andrew doesn’t lead anyone on. He wouldn’t let Patty follow him the way she does if he wasn’t interested in her.”
“I just wanted to make sure.”
“I understand. You’re just looking after your friend’s interests,” he said.
“Well, I’d better get some sleep since we’re hiking tomorrow, and I’ve never hiked before. This trip is pretty much a first all the way around for me. It’s also getting awfully cold.” I used my free hands to hug the blanket even tighter around me. “Aren’t you cold?” I asked.
“No. It doesn’t bother me.”
I couldn’t understand. It was freezing to me, but he was only wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He stopped walking.
“Seriously, you’ve never hiked before?” he said, looking surprised.
“Surely I’m not the only person in the entire universe that’s never been hiking,” I defended myself.
“Either that, or you are very sheltered.”
“Well…” I started to say and lost my words when I realized we were at my tent. “Here we are. Thank you for walking me,” I said politely as I tried to untie the knot he made with the blanket.
“Anytime,” he replied.
I turned around to give his blanket back, but he had already disappeared. I tried to look for him, but there was no sign of him, not even the sound of his footsteps. How odd, I thought. As soon as I got into my sleeping bag, Patty immediately rolled over next to me and shone her flashlight on me. “Wow, what are the odds of you liking the best friend of the guy I like.”
“What! Whoaaa, Patty I never said I liked him.”
“Well, you could have fooled me the way you were flirting with him and getting him all wet.”
“What?! I was not flirting! Not at all. And getting wet was by accident. It was his fault for scaring me. You weren’t even there. I was being nice.” I emphasized the word “nice.”
“Well, he was definitely into you,” she smiled, grinning from ear to ear.
“Really?” I pretended to be surprised. “Well, I’m sorry t
o disappoint you and him, but I’m not remotely interested.”
“Anyway, that’s all right. I’m just so glad you came. Are you glad you came with me, Claudia?” She suddenly sounded concerned.
“Yes,” I replied, not wanting to admit she was right. “It’s better than I thought it would be.”
“See!” she said loudly, sitting up with excitement. “I knew you would! And you didn’t want to come. See what happens when you listen to me? You always end up enjoying the things I make you do!”
“Hey, quiet in that tent! We’re trying to sleep!” someone yelled.
“Shhh,” I said to Patty as we both laughed quietly.
After the laughter subsided, I realized I was extremely tired. Feeling a bit uneasy about sleeping outdoors, I wiggled myself closer to Patty. I needed to feel her presence close to me, and I thought that physically touching her sleeping bag was just what I needed to make myself feel secure. Still feeling uncomfortable, it dawned on me that I was actually sleeping on the ground. Even though Patty’s sleeping bag was plush, soft, and warm, sleeping on the ground was not what I was used to. I was out of my own comfortable bed, and I needed to readjust myself to my new environment. Thank goodness it was just for one night.
“You okay?” Patty whispered, probably wondering what the heck I was doing tossing and turning so much. “You’re not scared, are you?”
“I’m fine,” I replied, not knowing exactly how I felt.
“Just go to sleep, and before you know it, it will be morning.”
“Okay,” I answered. “You know what?”
“What?” she asked, as if anticipating that I was going to tell her something important.
“I feel like a hot dog lying here all bundled up.”
“What? You’re hungry?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m the hot dog, and the sleeping bag is the bun.”
Patty busted out laughing and then covered her mouth as soon as she realized how loud she was. “I know what’s on your mind,” she finally managed to say after she calmed down.
“What?” I whispered out loud. But I started laughing too, thinking how silly my words were.
“Okay, but I want to know who you are thinking of, Michael or Austin?”