Tea-Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Jabari. I need to talk to you, man.”

“What’s up?”

“Sophie thinks I have to work on the farm tomorrow with Scott. I need you to take my shift, at least until lunch.” Miles launched into the Starbucks story, which he had reiterated to Scott the previous night.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“As a judge, man. It all just happened like that. So I need to go into town tomorrow and get this ring. I already talked to the guy and he’s got it all set. As long as it’s what he said, I just need to pick it up. I want to surprise her.”

“Shit, yeah. I can cover for you. That’s the best excuse I’ve ever heard for missing work. Not a problem.”

“Thanks a lot, man. You can keep the hours, or I’ll switch with you later, or whatever.”

“Let’s just say this…Some day, I may call upon you for a favor.” It was the blackest impression of Don Corleone Miles had ever heard.

“Thanks, man.” Miles clapped Jabari on the back. “Not a word, ok? I’m going to give it to her tomorrow night.”

“For sure. Good luck, man. That’s some crazy shit, but if anyone was going to do it, it would be you, you crazy Mongol.” They both laughed.

With his priority of the day accomplished Miles ran back from the lounge to his apartment, where Sophie was showering. He had slipped out and back in before she came out of the bathroom.

It had only been a day since Miles had proposed but she was already looking at him with a different gaze. She showed it to him as she unwrapped the towel from her head.

“Hi. I’ve got to dry my hair, but I just wanted to say hi.” She leaned in to kiss Miles but stopped. “Oh, my goodness. Am I getting clingy? I’m sorry. That was really mushy.”

“That’s ok. We’re both kind of clingy. I love you, so it doesn’t matter.”

“God, you’re the sweetest guy! And I’m sounding even cheesier than ever! Listen to me!” She ran back into the bathroom to dry her hair.

When she came back Miles was under the blankets and waiting for her.

“Are we done being beautiful?” He chided.

“Hush. I’m throwing out all the makeup tomorrow and eating nothing but fish and chips from here on out, because I’m getting married.”

“To who? A Cod fisherman on the wharf?” She slugged him softly.

“Not really. I’ll be as beautiful in fifty years as I am now.”

“I hope your next husband appreciates that. I was planning on being dead at twenty-five.

“Don’t say that!”

“It’s true. That’s what I thought all through high school. If I would have known I’d be alive this long I would have taken better care of myself.”

“Oh, you!”

“Is this really happening Sophie?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does the guy really get the beautiful girl just like in the movies? I thought that was make-believe.”

Sophie pierced his eyes with hers for a moment. “Sometimes I guess it happens. And they live happily ever after.” Miles could not talk anymore because he didn’t know whether he would cry or gush, neither of which an approved course of action in the Men’s Handbook is. He simply curled up with the rest of his life and fell asleep to her.

“Wow. This is…nice. I mean, I’ve never bought one of these before, but the specs are nice and it’s shiny and all. This is a real certificate? Of course it is. You’re a jewelry store, for crying out loud. Sorry, I’m just a little nervous. Yup, there’s the AGA serial number right there. And I can look that up and this exact diamond is on file? Right online, hey? All right. Thanks for helping me out.”

“I guess we’re going to town?” Sophie ventured the next Friday morning. She was standing in front of the bathroom mirror combing her hair. Miles floated up behind her and hugged her.

“I guess.” He reached for her hand as if to slide his fingers between hers. He almost slid the ring on without Sophie noticing.

“Hey-“ She looked down to their hands. “Miles!!!! What the bloody…?” She held he hand up to the mirror, and then in front of her face. “It’s…When…How…” Miles squeezed the questions out of her until she squirmed around to see him. “I can’t believe you. H!-W!-You!-Miles!!!”

“Leave me a few surprises. Do you like it? Round is my favorite cut.”

“It’s huge! I thought you were getting…this…you can’t aff…Oh, Miles!”

“I love you, Sophie.” He also loved his grandparents for buying him a thousand dollar cd twenty years prior.

“I love you, too! Oh, I can’t believe you! I’m mad at you! You shouldn’t have spent…this must be at least a carat!

“One-point one-seven. F-VSI-1. It’s on the certificate.”

“It’s real? I mean, of course it’s real. But this is real?”

“As you and me. It’s yours. As long as you still want to marry me.”

“Of course! Why did you do this when we have to meet in a half and hour? I want to spend forever with you right now!”

“Anticipation is a hell of a catalyst. Let’s go to work.”

“Oh, my God! I can’t tell anyone about this!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, no. I’m wearing this until someone notices it. And I guarantee you, someone will notice this. Oh! Give me a kiss!” Miles obliged her and they walked to the dining hall for the usual staff meeting.

It didn’t take long.

“…There are seventy folks in all-“

“What in the hell is that?” Emma cried. She was sitting beside Sophie with Miles on the right. Cliff, who had been giving the group synopsis, paused at the outburst.

“What are you talking about?” Sophie feigned.

“On your bloody finger! You know damn well what I’m talking about!”

“Oh. It’s a ring.” Emma couldn’t take it any longer. She grabbed Sophie’s hand and examined it.

“That’s a damned diamond! What the hell?”

“Oh, I’m engaged.” No one, including Cliff, cared about the meeting at that point.

“Ta who?” Emma encredulated.

“Miles. He asked me Tuesday.”

“What? How come I didn’t know about this?” Miles saw Jabari smiling. Miles gave him an appreciative nod.

“How did he-It’s huge! Who did you kill to get that thing?” Emma directed the question to Miles. Miles shook his head. “You’ve got a bloody rock on your finger! You come here and in three months you’re already taken!”

Cliff tried to restore order and largely succeeded after a bit of coaxing. He managed to relay the rest of the pertinent information about the group descending upon the camp in a matter of hours and made his leave.

As soon as the meeting was over, Emma, Gerri, and Kyra swooned around Sophie, and she was in her glory. There were fringe congratulations given to Miles but the day was his fiancée’s.

Miles kissed Sophie briefly and made his way out of the room with Scott and Jabari to open the cabins.

“That was some spectacle. I do love how you always seem to get me into trouble,” Scott said as they walked to the first patch of buildings.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Miles asked.

“As soon as Kyra gets a look at that ring that’s all that will be on her mind. You guys have been together a few months. She and I have been together for two years. I’m fucked. Or, rather, done being fucked.”

“Well then, marry her. We’ll have a group wedding right here. The kitchen can cater. We can get honeymoon cabins.”

“Dear God, no. That would be the most horrible thing I could imagine. What will we give the guests as reception choices? Corn dogs or chicken strips?”

“With a gallon of Bug Juice on every table.”

“I’ll throw the bachelor party. We’ll start out with some icebreakers and then move on to some low-ropes initiatives…” Jabari chimed in.

“Christ in a cradle, no more. I don’t want to think about it.” Scott shook the thoughts from his head.

They began unlocking and airing out cabins. It was a relatively uninvolved job and before too long they were finished. Miles wandered back to his cabin. The day was pushing five in the evening but Miles’ only duty that night was the evening snack at seven with Gerri.

“Hi.” Miles looked up from his shoes to see Sophie sitting on the end of his bed. A smile he could not control alighted on his face.

“Hey. Are you done?”

“I’m in the office in an hour. I figured you would come back here before snack.”

“Are you planning on going to dinner?” She nodded. “Good, because I’m really hungry.”

“Come here.” Miles did. When he reached Sophie she simply held him without moving for a good minute. “Promise me you’ll help me let this ride never end,” she whispered.

“What do you mean, Love?”

“The entire time I’ve known you, and I know it hasn’t been long even though it seems like it, I’ve been…high. Every time I’m with you, or even just think about you, I get a flutter. Not a nervous flutter, more of a flutter of realization that this is the greatest adventure I’ve ever had. That’s one of the greatest things about us, Miles. I feel it now even though we’ve slept together for months and know almost everything about one another. I still feel that flutter of thrill. And I want to keep it. I’ve become accustomed to it.”

“I promise you that I will do everything I can.”

“Fair enough. It’s been working so far. I love you, Miles.”

“I love you, too, Sophie.” Miles smiled. Sophie kissed what she could easily reach, which happened to be the middle of Miles’ shoulder, and they stood up to go to dinner. Even after standing she could not resist putting her arms around Miles’ neck. They danced slowly with no music save whatever soundtrack was in their heads.

They entered the dining hall to hoots and claps. Even the kitchen staff was standing and smiling in the doorways leading to the stoves and food paraphernalia. Everyone on staff was sitting at the table. Miles bowed politely as Sophie blushed. After going through the buffet they found the spaces that had been saved for them.

“Quite a reception, I must say,” Sophie finally recognized. She was lucky she ate right-handed or she may have starved for everyone wanting to see her ring. Once everyone who had heard the news in the interim since the meeting had congratulated the couple they finished their meals in relative peace. Sophie had just enough time to trot down to the office to check in the guests as they arrived.

Miles lagged around the dining room chatting with everyone remaining until they dissipated and he was left to bake corn dogs with Gerri.

“So?!” Gerri yelped.

“So, What?” Miles grinned.

“How did this all happen?” Miles smiled and told her the story.

“Oh! That’s so sweet and random. I’m so glad you didn’t cliché it up at a restaurant with champagne and everything.”

“Yeah,” Miles muttered. “That seems to be the consensus.” They set about to making the evening snack.

“That’s a big ring.” Gerri said.

“Eh, it’s middle of the road. You should have seen some of the boulders in that jewelry shop. Sophie’s ring would look like a shaving compared to them.”

“Yeah, well, you could also buy a new car for the price of some of those things. You did good, Miles. She’s floating on air right now. That’s what counts.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not really the ring, though. That’s a part of it, the tangible part, but she was really worried about how we would end up after all this. To tell you the truth, I was wondering myself. But I believe we have it all settled now.”

“Are you going to move back to Chicago?”

“Yeah, for a couple of years, anyways. That’s where grad school is. After that, I don’t really care. Sophie can pick.”

“What is she going to do while you’re in school?”

Miles had thought about that situation in passing, but had never really chewed on it. “I don’t know.” The thought of Sophie being a waitress or a drugstore cashier did not sit well with him. “I always thought that I would wait until I was settled in something to get married, so that neither of us would be struggling to make ends meet. But this just kind of happened.”

“That’s how it always goes. Does either of your parents know anything about this yet?”

“No. Well, both sets know that we’re dating, but nothing other than that. I haven’t really thought about how to tell them the news. It’s going to sound insane to them. It does to me, sometimes, and I’m the perpetrator.”

“Do you think they would be happy or not?”

“Well, it’s hard to say, with my parents, anyways. They want me to be happy, of course, but their idea of happiness is success. Anything that might get in the way of that could be looked at with disfavor, really. It might take a delicate argument to get them on my side.”

“Do you know much about Sophie’s parents?”

“Not really. Dad’s a banker, mom stays at home. I think they have some money, but nothing crazy. Pretty equivalent to my family, I guess. I’ve never spoken to either of them.”

“That will be interesting.”

“Yes, I suppose it will.” The prospect gave Miles even more to think about.

When the new arrivals came to the dining hall Miles and Gerri were ready for them with questionable snacks. The kids gobbled the stick food up because that’s what kids do. The parents ate with nostalgic grins. After everyone had gone through the line the staffers closed shop and walked home.

Miles found it amusing that Scott and Kyra were not in the cabin when he returned. He was also thankful. Sophie, as always, was waiting for him with only candles lighting the way to his bed.

“What’s all this, then?”

“Really, Miles, you have many talents, but impersonating foreigners is not one of them.” Miles laughed and slid under the covers beside her.

“How long have you been sitting here?”

“Only fifteen minutes or so. There were some late arrivals, as always.”

“It’s barely nine. Do you want to turn out the lights or something else?”

“I’m not really tired. We slept until almost ten this morning.”

“Me neither. You know, I was talking with Gerri tonight and she brought up a good point. We should probably tell our parents about this.”

“You haven’t told them about me yet!!??” Sophie joked.

“This.” Miles tugged on her newly acquired ring.

“Yeah. How are you going to go about it?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping you would have a solution.”

“How could I have a solution? You’ve only just told me now that we have to tell our parents.” Sophie tried to tickle Miles under the sheets but that had never worked.

“Thousands of starving comedians out there and you’re trying to be funny.”

“You like it,” Sophie grinned devilishly. Miles was powerless against that grin. Very soon all thoughts of the Future were abandoned in favor of wants of the flesh.

“I’m still not tired,” Sophie yawned forty minutes later.

“Of course you’re not. That just revves you up. I think you get a different chemical going than I do after sex.”

“Well, we’ll have to put a stop to all the sex, then. It’s clearly throwing us out of balance.”

“Let’s not do anything crazy before we look at all the options. What if you just take care of me? Then we’ll both be tired at the same time.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great plan, Miles. Let’s save that for thirty years down the road, shall we?”

“Hey, just throwing out ideas.” They shared a laugh and eventually found sleep.

Miles was prepping the dining hall for breakfast the next morning. It was a duty that required him reporting to the post fifteen minutes earlier than when the rest of the staff was supposed to be there for breakfast so he didn’t feel too jilted. At least he wasn’t assigned to the seven a.m. hike, as Gerri had been that morning.

All Miles had to do was wheel out carts laden with water pitchers, turn on the dishwasher, and make sure nothing had been displaced during the night. He woke himself up by double-fisting tea and orange juice so that in comparison to the rest of the staff, save Gerri, he looked rested and ready to work.

Sophie squeezed his hand discreetly before she sat beside him to wait out the usual morning announcements with the rest of the staff. He had tried to convince her to take her ring off when she had to work, but his pleas had failed. He had reasoned to himself that diamond was the hardest mineral on the Earth and exposing it to leathercraft and archery would have no effect, but there was still a bit of wariness as he watched what could have been a decent used car twinkling on her finger. She was proud of it, and proud of the person that had given it to her. Miles couldn’t fault her reasons for keeping it close.

Symbolism is an odd thing. The premise of symbolism is that the actual objects mean nothing in and of themselves. One would think that if that fact were universally true of symbols, logic would have prevailed long ago and symbolism gone the way of magic and acid-washed jeans.

Symbolism stood boldly in the face of reason in the twentieth century, however, and had grown stronger for its struggles. Miles saw the power it held in Sophie’s eyes and every time he looked at the rounded mineral riding an elemental steed on Sophie’s finger. They were things that someone, a French king, if Miles was not mistaken, had dug from the earth centuries before and pronounced as commitment incarnate.

Miles shrugged his philosophical monkey from his back and reminded himself that if an equally ridiculous medium such as beeswax on a button had been chosen to convey eternal devotion to a loved one, Sophie would have been just as happy with it. Symbolism, it seems, is a drug for the ignorant.

Apparently Miles had not quite shaken his cynicism. Damn that burst of vitamin C that had given him the energy to actually think that morning! He gathered his breakfast when it was the staff’s turn at the buffet and returned to his theatre with a full plate.

What else would he have spent the money on anyways? Repaying his student loans, which had allowed him to procure his diploma? That piece of paper was nothing more than a symbol of his knowledge. Perhaps a Hawaiian vacation? That would be nothing more than a symbol of prestige. At least he had given happiness to someone else (a symbol of selflessness, ability to provide, affluence…take your pick!)

This is what happened when Miles read Tom Robbins. Even the engaged get the blues. He resigned himself to occasional analysis and squeezed Sophie’s thigh gently. She looked up at him, wondering if he wanted something. Miles silently told her he loved her and took her hand in his. She shook her head.

“Every time we’re together, all I want to do is run away with you Forever,” Sophie sighed. “You’re such a bad influence on my work ethic.”

“Soon enough, soon enough.” In truth, that time was quickly approaching. It was already the eighth of April, leaving barely two months until their contractual obligation ended on the fourteenth of June. Sophie nodded, as if reading her mind.

“You know, we should really make plans to go to England. School doesn’t start until August, and I’ve never been there.”

“Oh, my God. Miles, my visa is up in five months. We have to get…”

“I know. Five months. We should figure something out. You should call your parents soon and let then know. Mine are in Chicago, so I’ve got it easy.”

“I know, but I’m kind of scared. What are they going to think, Miles?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what my parents will think. The bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter because we’re both adults. Although it would be nice to have blessings all around, I suppose. At any rate, we’ll have to talk about it tonight, because we’ve got to move.” Sophie nodded, though looking a tinge worried.

“Relax. I’m here for you.” Miles squeezed Sophie around the shoulder reassuringly. “It’ll all work out.” They parted after a long gaze to their morning stations.

Miles ended his jaunt at archery/bb’s, which was where he always seemed to end up. It was better than leather first thing in the morning.

Miles trudged through the motions of the station. Working family camps had become almost a meditative activity for Miles by that point. He rose above his actions and performed them in a state of semi-consciousness that allowed him to ignore the trappings of time. That was the romanticized take on his withdrawal, anyways.

Time, as it always did, dominoed rhythmically to lunch. Miles knew that it was almost six p.m. in London. A call to the soon-to-be in-laws would not be happening that day or the next, but he hoped Sophie would see to it on their first day off. There was so much to be done in the short amount of time that Sophie’s current means of legal domicile allowed. Miles told himself to have a long discussion of everything pertinent to their life together as soon as possible.

It wasn’t to happen that night. He and Sophie were both working stations until nine and by the time they met up they were done-in enough to agree to have their nuptial discussion on Sunday afternoon after the campers had gone.

“How are you doing, hon? Had enough excitement for one day?”

“Mmhh Hhmm.” Miles’ eyes had adjusted enough to the cabins’ darkness to where he could see that Sophie’s eyes were closed. Even without seeing her face, her mumble would have given her away. With a whispered exchange of affections they fell asleep.

Tea- Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

April marched over its predecessor, bringing one of its infamous showers to inaugurate its term. The day whose only boast is that it is an excuse for practical jokes fell squarely on a Saturday that year, and there was a Baptist church in camp for one of the last retreats of the season. The staff had spent the Wednesday and Thursday prior to the group’s arrival being trained in team-building exercises to coincide with the shift toward end-of-the year school groups they were transitioning towards. There would still be weekend groups until summer camp started, but not on a weekly basis and generally smaller in numbers.

At one point during the training Miles walked back to the dining hall with Rachel, the teambuilding director, and asked her politely but point-blank if she could schedule Miles’ and Sophie’s days off together. He suggested flipping the two of them with Scott and Kyra if needed even though he did not like the idea of splitting the four of them up either. Miles had never asked for anything during his time there and had never been anything but commendable in his performance so he figured the odds were in his favor. Rachel had told him nothing could be guaranteed, but that it should not be a problem, given that he had asked and explained their situation (not that there was anyone on the property that didn’t know about them by that point in the season).

Because of his slick negotiations Miles had the happiest demeanor he had ever known while walking with Sophie to the dining hall at ten minutes to eight that morning. He had told Sophie days ago about seeking the favor from Rachel and she approved his actions warmly. It was one less thing for the two of them to worry about during the rest of their time in New Hampshire.

The schedule for the next week had them on a weekend consisting of Monday and Tuesday, and then Friday until three. There were multiple things happening during the week; different schools and projects happening so they were not working the same crowds but if anything that was good because it would give them something to talk about when they reconvened in the evenings.

They opened the dining hall doors to the group of good Christian souls they had ushered into camp the evening before and went straight to the staff table. They were working the small group with Emma, Gerry, and Paul. All of the winter activities such as tubing and skating had been shut down for the season so there were fewer manned stations. Archery and B.B.s were cut to one person watching both activities, arts and crafts and leather got the usual two, there was a free craft station that alternated with a pretzel making station, and someone else switched between the camp store and the climbing tower, which they had all been trained on days before. Other than those places the guests ran around on their own. Basketballs were rolled out onto the courts, tennis equipment was available, and the trails were thawing to make plenty of new springtime activities available.

Miles was running Archery and B.B.s that morning but what he was really wondering about was his first-ever pretzel shift. Cliff had briefly explained the procedure to everyone at the Friday afternoon staff meeting and it seemed simple enough since the cooks prepped the dough beforehand, but Miles’ first pretzel shift was also the first shift of the year. He had no idea whether he would be swamped or bored out of his mind in the dining hall after lunch. The activity did not sound particularly fun to him, but then, he had to remind himself that at the opposite end of his thought process was an eight-year old girl. Yes, perhaps the station would be hectic after all.

His morning session certainly was. Beautiful weather and a dozen other activities never trumped boys’ and fathers’ desires to play with weapons. B.B.s was always the favored of the two but no one scoffed at archery if the gun queue was too long. Miles expected such a turnout by that time and took it all in stride, already beginning to gaze wistfully on the scene in reminiscence. Soon those thoughts gave way to reminiscences over his staff-mates and their exploits so he made an effort to shear himself from wool-gathering. He busied himself applying scotch tape to postcard sized BB targets and fixing them to the wall beside the table the shooters sat at so the next person to run the station would merely have to grab a handful of pre-made targets and stick them to the wall in front of the gunners. That activity proved to be enough stimuli to carry Miles to lunch without another stroll down memory lane.

Miles chanced a kiss to Sophie’s cheek when he sat beside her because, frankly, time was too short to miss any moments in his mind. She shook her head without looking at him.

“You’re going to get us fired and me deported, Casanova. I swear you get hairs in you that I don’t know where they come from.”

“I don’t know where they come from either, Sophie. But I hope they keep sprouting up.”

“Well, I suppose baldness would be a bit too much. Just keep what you’ve got tamed.

“I make no promises. This is all your fault anyways. If you weren’t so pretty and witty I wouldn’t be gushing over you like I do.”

“You…Are…Ridiculous.”

“Yes!!” They had not realized that there entire conversation had been heard by pretty much everyone at the staff table. Jabari had been the one to point the fact out to them with his exclamation and laughter. Sophie blushed and Miles shrugged. He was struggling to put a name to the feeling he had been experiencing lately. It wasn’t nihilism, because he cared about a lot of things at camp. His confusion came from the fact that he did not care about the patrons anymore, if he ever even did. That was not to say he slacked in his duties; he performed consistently above and beyond what was expected. But pleasing people who were on vacation by playing waiter to what Chef Ontanogan had to offer was not very challenging. Because of that it had become nothing more that his job. He knew it was a great one and one that a lot of people would line up to take over but the challenges and excitement in his life lay in the social realm. Relating and existing with his roommates, with Sophie, was the quandary in his life. He did not struggle with those things usually, but those dynamics were where the spontaneity in Miles’ life was. The job he had come to New Hampshire to do was becoming more and more static as the groups filed through. He thought he may have liked for a spark to come from that area of his life again but he did not know whether that would happen again. Perhaps when groups shifted in their reasons for coming to Ontanogan a temporary flair would shoot up, but that remained to be seen.

Miles sighed and swallowed his thoughts down along with a mouthful of chicken strip. He let his musings tumble to his fingertips and then skimmed them across Sophie’s thigh. After a moment her hand found his under the table and held it to her leg with a gentle squeeze. Their fingers agreed on the feelings that brought them together but the digits decided to let it be their secret for the moment.

Pretzel making was indeed the realm of the eight-year old girls, and the boys. Miles would have never thought that rolling out soft pretzels could be so enthralling, but there they were, parents and children alike, gathered around the table twisting snakes of dough into everything from stickmen to reasonably facsimilated pretzels. Ten minutes in the oven and the creations were ready to be gobbled and forgotten. At one point Miles rolled out a snake himself and fashioned it into an S for his girlfriend. He doubted anyone had ever given her a piece of custom snack food.

Being as pretzel making was such a busy station the time hurried by much faster than it had during the morning block. After a quick cleanup (they had used the staff table to make the pretzels) Miles found himself in the trading post reading a very old product catalog he had found under the cash register counter. No one was ever interested in the store until Sunday mornings, when the memory wheel started turning. Every so often someone would stop in for a candy bar or a soda but there was never any real camper presence in the tiny store. The room adjacent to the souvenir shop housed foosball and shuffleboard tables along with board games and puzzles so there was occasional out of sight voices and shuffling but other than those things Miles was pretty much on his own.

Miles appreciated the serenity after an entire day of highly trafficked activities. He wished he had brought something productive to occupy his time and realized he had nothing of the sort anyways. He thought that maybe he should start reading more books, since his present situation would have been the perfect opportunity to knock out a few chapters and the only time-killer that could be clandestinely engaged in besides solitaire or knitting. He nodded to himself in resolution. There was a shelf of worn novels among a brief space of wall in the lounge, Miles recalled. None of the books had ever caught his eye from across the room but he had never bothered to actually browse through them. Surely there was something in those leavings that would interest him enough to bring to work and ease the downtime he sometimes found himself wading through.

“Hiya Gorgeous!” Emma surprised him out of more wool-gathering.

“ ‘Ello, Love!” They gave one another European cheek kisses with Emma leaning over the counter. “You know, my roommate fancies, you, Miles. She might even shag you if you play your cards right.” Miles feigned shock and excitement by clutching his hands to his chest.

“What are you doing?”

“Cliff came by arts and crafts and saw how few people there were, so he took me off leather to be a gopher and left Paul there.”

“Lucky you!” She nodded enthusiastically. “So what are you supposed to be doing now?”

“I took a bunch of teambuilding stuff out of the office to the shed at the farm. Figured I’d stop in for a snack.”

None of the staff ever paid for food and drink from the store. They were supposed to write purchases down on a clipboard kept behind the register and billed monthly for whatever they took but no one followed the rule. Miles chuckled to think how much money could have been made. Emma made off with a KitKat and a Coke.

Miles closed twenty minutes early and went back to his cabin before dinner to drop off his pack and jacket. He was doing dishes again that night. He had never been put on campfire duty and he attributed that fact largely to his vehement disavoument of any singing, storytelling, or acting ability. He was on with Sergio and Christopher, or the Fearsome Foreign, as Jabari had dubbed them weeks ago. Both of the Internationals were becoming much more fluent in English and integrating themselves very well into American culture. Miles knew Jabari was a big help in that area as far as getting them out to experience the country, even if it was little things like Denny’s or a minor league baseball game.

After a brief lounge on his bed listening to Wilco Miles made his way to the dining hall. He made a beeline for Sophie, who was sitting at the table talking to Scott. One of the things Miles loved about their relationship, even though it was new, is that whenever they met one another their smiles and greetings were always genuine. Mile had always thought that after a few months of dating, even dating in the ‘real world’, the niceties were swept aside and cordiality was the taken course. That was not the case at all between him and Sophie. Every smile that Sophie showed him Miles believed, and he always gave back what he had been given. There was still genuine lust in their relationship and even though it had already passed the boundaries he had formerly assigned to it Miles hoped that lust would continue to amaze him.

He barely overcame the urge to kiss Sophie in that crowd of staff and patrons instead sitting beside her and letting Sophie see his true wish in his eyes. She closed hers briefly and smiled as if nearing enlightenment.

“What are you on tonight, Love?”

“Nothing,” she answered. “I just came down here to see you.” Miles grinned foolishly.

“I’m on dishes, so we’ll wrap those up as quickly as we can and I’ll come back to the cabin. Will you be at mine or yours?”

“Probably yours. It’s more home than my own these days,” she grinned.

“What are we going to do this weekend?” Miles asked.

“Oh, that’s what I was talking to Scott about. They’re both working the school group that’s in through Wednesday, so we could have your cabin to ourselves all day if you just wanted to do that. Quite honestly I don’t really feel like going anywhere. This is going to sound terribly mushy, but I just want to have it easy this weekend and spend some time with you, not lose any of it traveling somewhere else.”

“Noted. But you’re going to have to at least let me take you to dinner one night.”

“As long as I get to take you the next.” They agreed and stood up to walk to the buffet line. Miles squeezed Sophie’s hand out of view of the rest of the dining hall before the offending appendages were give the task of holding plates and serving food.

As Miles spooned a mass of mashed potatoes onto his plate he thought about the decadence of the pizza the four friends had shared in Concord. He wished there was a restaurant as lavish within a reasonable drive of their camp. He made it a point to try to think of something.

They ate and Sophie left without a flourish because she knew better. Miles retreated to the dish sauna where Christopher and Sergio were already at work. One thing he had to say about the two Spanish speakers was that they were a courteous duo. They had begun their work in the trenches and left the end of the line for Miles. He exchanged friendly words with them and set to remedying the bottle neck their enthusiasm had brought upon the last stage of the operation.

True to his word and due to the hardest working dish washers he had ever worked with Miles found himself walking to his cabin at a quarter to seven that evening. Sophie was waiting in his bed watching a movie with covers up to her chin. He kissed her quickly but made his first priority the shower. Even the cleanest end of the dish room left him disheveled and smelling of steamed gravy and harsh chemicals.

Miles emerged from the bathroom freshly scrubbed and found to his happy surprise that Sophie was completely naked under his blankets. He wasted no time in shedding his pajamas.

“Miles! I’m trying to watch a movie! Besides, all the lights are on and the door is unlocked.

“Oh. Sorry.” Miles rolled over.

“You bloody twit! I had better be more of a temptation than that!” She reached for his manhood swiftly. Miles tore the layers covering him and in one fluid motion locked Scott and Kyra out of the room and hit the light switch.

“We had probably better unlock the door,” Sophie said at last as the two of them lie atop the bedding almost glistening. Miles breathed deeply went to unlock the door. His heart leapt when as soon as he had gotten back into bed Scott and Kyra opened the door.

“Well. It’s about time,” Scott said. “And, note for everyone, you can hear everything from the road.”

“Oh my God!” Sophie yelped.

“Hey, it’s not like we don’t know. Or do the same thing. Just teasing. Although, way to go, Miles. That sounded like a good three times, buddy.”

“Four,” Sophie whispered, but audibly. Kyra punched Scott’s arm.

“Shit. Look what I’ve started. Well, you guys have fun with your time off.”

“Hey. You have fun making a difference in a kid’s life,” Miles countered. Scott only laughed as he fell into bed.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I can’t believe they heard us last night.”

“What a night to fake it, hey?”

“You know I wasn’t faking it, you bugger. I would never do that. You’re not dumb enough to fall for it.”

“Thank you. I never fake it either.” That caused Sophie to giggle hysterically until a pair of tears ran down her cheeks.

“I don’t care if they did hear us. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They got out of bed and wished that their shower was a bath tub. Nevertheless they squeezed in together (they had tried to consummate the shower once but had not been ably to pull it off for lack of maneuverability) and warmed themselves up.

“Too late for breakfast,” Mile wondered aloud as he pulled on a pair of Carhartts. “Maybe we should go to the diner at the end of the road?” The end of the road was seven miles twisting and turning to the highway that led to the closest town. Sophie nodded sleepily.

“But then straight back. I can tell that I need to take a nap today. And I mean actual sleep, You.” Miles smiled.

“It’s not my fault you can go four for my one.”

“I can’t believe I told you that.”

“I can’t believe you told Scott and Kyra that.” Sophie blushed. They braced themselves for the morning chill and set out for the local diner.

“You need a haircut,” Sophie mused across the table from Miles.

“Do I?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s been at least two months, I suppose. May as well do it sooner than later.”

“Well, let’s go into town then.”

“I thought you said you wanted to get back so you could relax.”

“Well, now that I have some tea and food in me I’m feeling a bit more energetic. I don’t think I could really sleep right now anyways. I would just toss and turn and bother you.”

“Who said I was taking a nap. I think Paul has the day off. Maybe I was going to hang out with him, watch some TV.”

“I will leave you on the side of the road the day you pick that Minger over me.” She was only half-kidding.

“I jest. I would never miss the opportunity to sleep with a beautiful woman.”

“And I do believe I said sleep. We shouldn’t have to have sex for at least a month or so,” Sophie smiled slyly.

Miles dropped his fork and scrambled to grab it again.

“Wow. It’s easy to see what makes you tick.”

“Well you can’t cut me off now, I’m addicted.”

“We’ll get you into a program. Get you a sponsor and whatnot. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, though.”

“I think I’ll choose addiction.” He smiled back. “Besides, you wouldn’t be able to go without it forever.”

“You want to bet? Let’s see who lasts the longest, shall we?” Miles shook his head vehemently then sighed.

“Ok, I’ll admit to needing it more than you. But it’s biological. I can’t help it. Thank you for being willing to sleep with me, Sophie.”

“I’m a sucker for charity,” she grinned. She leaned over the table and kissed him. “We’ll see. If you’re lucky. And behave.”

“I will. Scout’s honor.”

“That might mean something if you had ever been a bloody scout.”

“Always reading into things, this one.”

After Miles paid the check they headed further into town to find a salon. Sophie sat reading a Glamour magazine as Miles was trimmed. When the maintenance was finished they turned around and headed back to camp.

“It looks nice,” Sophie commented on the drive, running the palm of her hand across the soft bristles on the back of Miles’ head. It made him shiver.

“I’ll have to do it more often, then.” In an act of overt mushiness Sophie laid her head against Miles’ arm and threaded her arms around his. He snorted softly.

“Hush. I can do this if I want to.”

“Yes, you can, my Love.” Nothing more was said all the way back to Ontanogan.

“Is it nap time?” Miles asked as they shucked shoes and tossed jackets onto the corner chair.

“Oh, maybe. Are there any movies we haven’t seen?”

“We haven’t watched ‘Go’ or ‘The Sixth Sense’ yet.”

“Which ones were those?” Miles described them. “Let’s watch ‘Go’.” Miles dug around for the disc on the top of his dresser and plugged it into his laptop. By the time he turned around Sophie was already under his covers. Miles noticed her squirming a bit.

“What are you doing, Hon?”

“Scott and Kyra aren’t here, and there’s never any reason for clothes in bed.”

“Well played, my darling. Well played.” Miles shed his clothes and joined Sophie under the blankets as the movie began. Soon after Sophie pressed herself into Miles a most instinctual reaction happened.

“I thought that was the case,” she cooed and helped it along with a reach.

“I thought you wanted to sleep today.”

“Oh, come now. I knew we would have to get this out of your system. I would have been insulted if I wasn’t turning you on right now. You know I tease you, darling. I enjoy this as much as anyone else.” She slowly slid on top of him and stayed there, close to his body, for the span of their intimacy.

Sophie kissed Miles’ neck softly over and over when they had finished. When Miles felt dampness on his collarbone he lifted Sophie’s face to his with a finger on her chin.

“What’s wrong, Sophie?”

“Nothing,” she whispered. “I’m just happy…And a little scared. I can’t help it.” She looked at him pleadingly but he could see no more tears were coming.

“Me too. I’ve never done this before, you know? We’ll see how it all happens. But you know I’m in it for good with you. I couldn’t live with myself any other way.”

“I know, I know. I’m just being a girl.” Sophie swallowed hard. “We should start the movie over again,” she concluded. Miles made it so with the remote control. They settled in and actually engrossed themselves in the movie playing on Miles’ laptop. It was another two-hour chunk of time in the books.

“Do you want to go to the dining hall for dinner or make something here?” Miles asked as the credits rolled in indifference.

“Is it that time already?”

“About a half an hour.”

“Do we have anything to eat here?”

“I honestly don’t know. My hunch is no. Maybe we should have gone shopping while we were in town. We could go to the lounge and check it out.” Sophie agreed.

The air was much warmer than when they had hermitted away hours before. They walked hand in hand down the row to the lodge. They found Paul in his usual position on the couch staring semi-consciously at the television.

“Let’s eat at the dining hall,” Sophie immediately but quietly suggested.

“Well, let’s see what we have going on here first so we can go grocery shopping tomorrow.” Sophie consented and they quickly rooted through their section of cupboard and refrigerator. They scratched out an offhand list on a pad of paper found beside the phone and folded it away before slipping out and toward the dining hall.

“That was a close call,” Sophie muttered as she walked. Miles shook his head. Sophie’s vocal distaste for a few of the staff was a bit much for him sometimes.

“I just hope we made the right choice. If it’s barbequed chicken night we’re-

“-Eating in town.” Sophie finished his sentence.

“Exactly.” Miles grinned at their compatibility.

As it turned out, the camp cooks spared them a second trip into town by serving roast beef. It was actually one of the better meals the camp offered, meaning it was actually prepared by hand and cooked instead of coming out of a bucket, carton, or bag of some sort. The both of them settled into the staff table with full plates and bantered with the working members as well as a few that had decided to take advantage of the free meal. Miles and Sophie learned that the church group currently in camp was proving to be challenging to remain civil towards. They were both glad to be spared the punishment and happy they had one more full day together before the first school group of the season.

“Well, that was actually pretty good,” Miles sighed satisfactorily as he and Sophie walked back to his cabin.

“Oh, Miles,” Sophie answered.

“What’s up?”

“I’m so bloody bored here, Miles. I mean, this is what our life amounts to. Brunch and a haircut was the highlight of our day off.”

“A lot of people don’t do exciting stuff all the time, hon.”

“I know, but it doesn’t seem like we ever do.”

“We’ve been to some places. NYC, Boston, Newport…”

“That’s something, too. We’re either at that extreme end spending time and money for things or we’re at today’s end.”

“What do you propose we do, then?”

“I don’t know. I’m just venting. One of the many reasons I love you is because I can vent to you.”

“So, how do you see things when we leave here?”

“Oh my goodness, Miles. I try not to think about after camp too often. Scares me to death, really. But…I don’t know…” They had reached the cabin so the conversation was put on hold until they reached Miles’ bed.

“I imagine we would go to Chicago, right?” Miles nodded vaguely. “That’s where school is, right?” He nodded again. “It seems as though Chicago would have things happening. At least there would be a bagel shop and museums and things. Things we could take in if we wanted to; without any plan. I guess that’s what I miss the most about living in a city. You don’t have to make holiday plans to go to a museum exhibit or an art gallery or a nice restaurant. Those things are always there for you and you can take advantage of them or not. I really, really miss that here. Sometimes I think the remoteness is just too much.”

“I know exactly what you mean, Sophie. I feel the same way sometimes. Kind of a ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ sort of thing.”

“If I hadn’t met you here I probably would have gone crazy by now.”

“I may have as well.”

“Rubbish. You’d be with some other girl right now and not have to be having these kinds of conversations.”

“I like these kinds of conversations, sweetheart. I like that we have a serious thing happening and we have to think about our future from time to time. I’ve never been in a relationship so involved…complicated. So…important to me. I mean you, actually.”

“Complicated or important?” She countered. Miles shrugged his eyebrows. Sophie rolled her pupils. “Well, I will say one thing,” Sophie waited until Miles’ eyes matched hers. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry over where you stand. Thank you for being open like that.”

“That’s what has made all this possible, right? On both our parts.” She nodded.

“How did I end up with a boyfriend that I’m attracted to like a middle school crush and at the same time be able to see and…well, almost know, how we’ll end up together for the rest of our days?”

“Wow. Forever,” Miles breathed.

“You sound surprised, sweetheart.” Sophie lightly wrapped her palm around his forearm.

“I…We’ve never actually said that out loud, you know? You and I, Forever. I mean, I’ve thought in those terms for a while now, but saying it…That’s wild.”

“Wild…Good?”

Miles realized what he may have sounded like at that moment. He laughed manically, wrapped his arms around Sophie, and flung them both down onto the bed.

“Yes, good, my Love. Amazing. You…are amazing. I love you, Sophie.”

She giggled. “I love you, too. I hope saying forever didn’t fry a synapse in your brain. You sound as though you just went crazy.”

“I am crazy, Sophie. You are too. This-us-this whole thing is crazy, what we are. Crazy we met; crazy decisions…But you know what? I love it. This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. You, too.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“I can’t say anyone’s ever said all that to me, I suppose. But I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Are you?”

“You know I am. You’re not going to turn gay on me down the road, are you? Because I’ve never been able to talk to any straight man the way I talk to you. Sometimes it worries me.”

“Ha, Ha! You’ve figured me out, Sophie. I’m secretly gay. I try to hide the fact by sleeping with women.”

She laughed. “I knew it! Which other women, you strumpet?” They started laughing uncontrollably and wrestling goofily in their prone positions. Rolling around soon lead to other things and without a thought as to when their roommates may show up that evening they consummated Forever.

“I am exhausted,” Sophie panted after they had finished.

“You never really got your nap today, did you?”

“And whose fault was that?” She asked, gently squeezing the guilty and waning party under the sheets. The action made Miles smile. He pulled Sophie on top of him and held her. He loved that they were comfortable enough with one another to show their lust or joke about it, whatever the mood of the moment. He had never been with anyone long enough to quite reach that level and he told Sophie as much as her breathing became more regular and began to match his own.

“Aw, that’s sweet. There are always first times to be discovered, aren’t there?” He agreed.

The next thing Miles realized, morning was peeping at them through the blinds. Sophie had rolled away from him during the night; at least as far away as a twin bed would allow. She rarely slept more than a second after Miles awoke but that morning she barely stirred as Miles shifted. He debated getting out of bed but decided instead to curl himself along Sophie’s back, which was facing him.

“Mmhh, don’t leave,” she mumbled. Sophie slowly found his outside arm and brought it firmly between her breasts.

“I’m yours, my Love.” Miles did not think he dozed off over the next couple of hours but found himself perfectly content to have his cheek pressed to Sophie’s naked shoulder for the time. He found himself mulling over Forever during most of her sleep. Miles allowed himself to think about everything then in the silence of an empty morning. Miles had never tripped on any kind of drugs, but he imagined the rollercoaster he had put himself on with those thought must have been close to chemical discovery. The bottom line was that every street he took Forever down ended in a cul-de-sac of Forever’s retribution for Miles’ boldness in believing he could map anything out. Finally he shrugged as Sophie woke up for the final time that morning.

“Yay!” She yawned. “You stayed.”

“I told you I would.” She let out a happy little squeak.

“Ok. I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Me, too.” They left the space that served as bed, couch, and sometimes dinner table for the bathroom. After quick rotations through the toilet and the sink they shared a shower and went out in search of food.

Ten o’clock meant that they were on there own, having missed breakfast and still unable to see lunch on the horizon. Miles put the kettle on and, since he felt like spoiling Sophie as best he could, started rummaging for the ingredients to make some kind of hot breakfast. He ended up making some kind of skillet creation with a half-dozen eggs, a couple of Roma tomatoes, a chunk of onion, and a half a block of cheddar.

As they ate they discussed what they might occupy themselves with on their final day off of the week. Their discussion from the previous night was still fresh in their minds as they rambled.

“It’s no thrill, but we do need some groceries,” Miles said.

“We’ll do what we can with it,” Sophie smiled. They were in such a similar frame of mind that it should have frightened them. Forever’s cousin Future had come along to temporarily relive Forever of duty. Future was a bit more immediate than and not as overwhelming to think about as Forever. Future simply symbolized a more interesting outcome.

Miles cleaned up after they finished and without seeing anyone at all they made it to the staff section of the parking lot. Twenty minutes of not really obeying the speed limit put them in the parking lot of the nearest Stop N’ Shop. They grabbed an errant shopping cart close to the Jeep and in moments they were swished through the glass doors and into the store.

“Oh, let’s buy fun stuff!” Sophie chirped.

Miles smiled. “You get whatever your little heart desires. But if it’s hard to make, you’re cooking it.” That was all Sophie needed. She took control of the cart and Miles could do nothing but be sucked in by her wake.

“Ooh, let’s make Curry one night!” Into the cart went the kit.

“Hey, cookies!” Sophie grabbed a refrigerated tube of chocolate chip and the Pillsbury doughboy cart-wheeled end over end into the cart.

It went on and on as they weaved through the isles. Crystal Light, Milano cookies, Glade Plug-Ins, and mozzarella sticks were among the victims of Sophie’s swath. When they started unloading their picks Miles wondered if anything they had chosen had any nutritional value.

“That was an adventure,” Miles commented, stowing plastic bags in the back of the jeep. Sophie agreed. “Hey, we’re already in town. You want to go get a cup of coffee, drag this out a little longer?

“Will the groceries be ok?”

Miles nodded. In truth they were in the grey area between cold and warm known as spring, but Miles was pretty sure they had time for coffee. They drove back in the direction of camp until they came upon the Starbucks Miles had see coming in to the grocery store.

Walking in they both smiled because a Mazzy Star song they both loved was playing over the speakers. After Miles ordered two Chai teas they found a table for two in a thinly populated section of the floor.

“This is the kind of thing I miss,” Sophie said after taking a sip of tea. “I miss not having to think about getting a cup of tea or a bagel or anything because it’s on the way to Uni or work anyways. It’s just a part of life. I just get so bored here sometimes. If I ever come off as a bitch, that’s why.”

“Well, there are a lot of those stresses of life we don’t have to deal with here, at the same time. I look at it as a sort of working vacation. And you’re never a bitch to me.”

“That’s how I looked at it as well, when I came here at first. But the reason holidays are a holiday is… Because they end, and you go back to the real world. I miss being in London immensely sometimes. I thought that I could do this when I was thinking about it across the ocean, you know; get away from it all and what not. But maybe I was wrong. I think the differences coming from a big city in a different country and being in a rural area in America are just too much for me.”

“If you quit, they’ll deport you with a snap of the finger, Sophie. And then where would we be? We can’t do anything that quickly.”

“Miles, I already told you, I would have left here long ago if it wasn’t for you. You’re the reason I can’t leave now. I’ve never felt anything close to what I feel with you, even if we’re just doing normal stuff like this. And it’s not as though we couldn’t visit England, you know.” Sophie took his hand in hers over the table. “I want to stay here with you. It’s easier for me to do it here than you do it there, believe me. I know that and even though it may take a little getting used too, that’s the way it has to be and I’m ok with that, as long as I get to stay with you. That’s what’s most important to me. Is that what’s important to you?”

“Yes. Sophie, you know I want to marry you and have you here with me.”

“I want to marry you, too, Miles, I do.”

“Will you? Sophie… Will you marry me?” Miles felt as though he were outside his body looking down on the two of them. He thought he was having a heart attack.

Sophie looked at Miles with shock for a second. “Yes, Miles. I will. I love you. How could I not marry you?” They both smiled so widely new laugh lines were sure to form.

“I love you too.” They were interrupted by a smattering of claps. The sources were an older couple sitting a few tables away from them and an employee. Both Miles and Sophie reddened deeply.

“That was supposed to be a lot better!” Miles whispered fiercely. “I was supposed to have a ring and be somewhere-“

“Miles, Miles! I’m flattered that you had a plan, I really am. Somehow I knew you would. But this way was fine. I mean, we met unexpectedly, so why not this? If you had put a ring in a champagne glass at some fancy restaurant or something it would have cheapened this. We met over tea, we got engaged over tea. It’s almost eerie, but it’s real. You’re real, not some soap opera star, and I love you. This is the kind of people we are.”

“I’m marrying you,” Miles said softly, trying the words out.

“I’m marrying you.”

“And I’ll help you, in Chicago, whatever I can do to make you feel at home.”

“I know you will, Miles. Just be you. That’s all I need. That’s what has gotten me this far.”

“Oh, my God,” Miles realized. “You can’t tell anyone about this, Sophie. Not even Emma.”

“What? Why not?” The look of surprise came back to Sophie’s face.

“Because. I don’t even have ring for you. I was going to buy a ring. I don’t want everyone to think I’m a cheapskate or anything. Besides, I’ve never really bought you anything to speak of, so I need to do this.”

“Miles, you don’t have to do that. You can’t afford it. I make the same as you do; you can’t fool me. It’s not important.”

“Sophie, it would kill me to have you telling people about this with nothing to show for it; no proof. Maybe it’s a guy thing. Just let me do this. We’ll go Friday before work. Just don’t tell anyone?”

“Fine. I guess you can buy me a diamond.” Sophie pretended to sigh. “How did I get stuck with you?” Miles shrugged and kissed her.

“So you won’t tell anyone?”

“Promise. Even though it’s going to be terribly hard. You remember me talking about how happy I am with you?” Miles nodded. “Well, you just did it again, big time.”

They decided to leave Starbucks. On the way out Miles had his hand shook by the gentleman who had clapped moments ago which embarrassed Miles all over again. He also saw smiles coming from the staff behind the counter. The grapevine was well watered, apparently.

“I guess we’ll remember this place forever,” Sophie mused on the way to the Jeep.

“See, you will be back here one day. We’ll have to come back to reminisce.” Sophie groaned.

“Come on. Let’s go home and make those cookies and eat them in bed. And after that, we can have dessert,” she grinned slyly before kissing Mile amorously then stepping into the Jeep.