“I know that. I was a little sad, but I’m okay now. I’m just excited I got to feel him at all. I can’t wait til he’s here.” We hugged it out and went back to making oatmeal for the group.
The rest of the trip went fantastic. It was the break from reality that we all desperately needed. We all tried our hardest to stay off of our phones, but I think we all broke down a little at least once a day. I caught Derek video chatting with a very bored looking Big D.
That last full day I covered my head in a white bandana while getting dressed for the day. Seeing my roots growing, even I was ready to get back home. Once everyone gathered for a hobo breakfast I was teased for not being able to ‘fully rough it’. I think I was on my phone the least amount of anyone here, but I didn’t feel like arguing that one.
“Are you trying to tell us that your hair is not naturally purple?” Cleo gasped dramatically. I smirked but said nothing.
“You’ve been part of our group for how long now? You can reveal your true colors to us, we won’t tell,” Adrian winked.
“I can assure you, that she is in fact, not naturally purple.” Derek closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He turned to me and gave me a grin that made me want to shower. “I remember her natural look to be-”
“Derek!” Cleo shouted, shutting him up. I chose not to respond to his comments. I remembered those photos well, and I knew for a fact that he didn’t see a single hair that wasn’t on my head.
After breakfast we decided to go for a hike. Well everyone but Cleo, Blue, and Rocky.
“There’s no way I'm doing any hiking with Tot wiggling around like he is. The three of us can take a nap.”
We packed our backpacks full of water, snacks and a first aid kit and started out. With the twins with the group we decided to not be too adventurous and just stick to the path in the woods.
Derek lead the way with a large walking stick and an oddly large knowledge for plant life. He was like a giant Boy Scout. I’d say troop leader, but it was Derek after all. The twins followed him closely as he pointed out the various trees, flowers, and mushrooms.
We stopped for lunch and I asked him about it.
“You fish, you make s'mores, and are like a walking encyclopedia with trees and flowers. Where has this version of Derek been hiding?” Derek looked up from his bologna sandwich and stared at me blankly.
“My dad liked to camp. This was our summer vacations growing up. So what?” He said sharply. I shook my head and dropped it. It was obvious he wasn’t interested in discussing it further.
After we cleaned up our picnic, we made our way back to the campsite. Everyone more or less went their separate ways to relax for a bit before dinner. I went into our camper and promptly fell asleep. Mark gently rocked me awake.
“Hey you, we’re about to start dinner if you want to come out.” I thanked him and got out of bed. Readjusting my bandanna, I followed him out.
Everyone was relaxing around the campfire chatting. I joined them quickly.
“You want a beer Renee?” Chase offered me from the cooler he was standing in front of. Nodding he grabbed an extra and brought it to me when he sat back down.
I had just taken a sip of my drink when Dallas ran up excitedly.
“Aunt Renee did you see it yet?” I gave him a confused look and glanced around the circle. A few had small smiles on their faces, but Derek was beaming.
“See what?” I asked and he reached for my hand, pulling me up and out of the circle. We only took a few steps before I saw what had gotten him so excited. The tent had been erected.
“Are you sleeping in there tonight?”
He nodded enthusiastically and dropped my hand. The tent unzipped and his sister’s dark head popped out.
“Did you get the pillows?” She screamed at her brother. Seeing as his hands were empty, I assumed that no he hadn’t. He spun back around and quickly went to his family’s camper to grab them.
Sitting back down Derek explained that instead of napping he decided to setthe tent up.
“I thought they’d get a kick out of one night of real camping.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“And you’re the one sleeping in there with them?” I asked him skeptically.
“Nah, it only fits the two of them. I’m gonna sleep outside the tent. I have an air mattress.”
Ethan and Cleo got up to start dinner. It was their turn. They were making grilled chicken for the adults and hot dogs for the kids. We had a lot of hot dogs this week.
