After Olivia

15

Bright shimmering orange light painted the dull grey nylon wall with a fiery glow that promised warmth awaited outside of the tent. The gentle crackle of the campfire was accented by an occasional loud snap as pockets of trapped gases escape from the burning wood.

Bill sensed someone sleeping to the left of him in the tent. To his right, an empty sleeping bag. He rolled onto his side to face his tentmate. She lay on her side, facing towards the wall, away from him. Expecting to find Olivia, he moved in closer and was inches from kissing her neck when he realized the woman beside him was Emily. She slept peacefully in the white shirt she had borrowed from her sister's dresser drawer. He carefully unzipped his sleeping bag and slipped out, trying to move quietly without waking her.

The sounds and bursts of light made him aware of someone tending to the campfire, adding another log. He opened the tent, crawled out and found Olivia semi-reclined in a folding chair on the opposite side of the fire. He circled around the fire-pit and sat himself in the empty chair next to her.

"Hi sleepy head," she said with a partial smile.

"Hey, I'm sure the city has rules against camping and fires in the park, but this is nice."

"Yeah, I'm sure they do. Too bad, 'cause it seems like it might be fun. And, convenient too. If it starts raining no need to cook outside, just head off to a restaurant. If you run out of beer or snacks, there's a store a couple blocks away."

"Run out? More like forget. We always seemed to scramble for last minute stuff," Bill laughed.

"How could I ever forget? It's kind of hard to pitch a tent when you leave the tent poles behind," Olivia said, applying ample stress to the word, you.

"That was Patrick's fault. He didn't tell me the poles weren't in the bag."

"Want one?" Olivia said as she waved a golden-brown marshmallow on a stick.

"No, I'm good thanks," Bill replied, as he detected a change in Olivia's tone. "What's wrong?"

"Who's in the tent?" Olivia asked.

Bill looked back at the tent and hesitated. He turned back to the fire then looked at Olivia, "Ahhh, well..."

"It's Emily. Isn't it? You're sleeping with her right now, aren't you?"

Olivia studied Bill's face for a moment. Her own gaze delivered a chilling look of betrayal. She waited for a coherent reply but heard only a stammer of half words. Bill felt sick but couldn't wake up from the dream. Olivia let him stew for a few seconds then burst into laughter.

"I'm just messing with you!" Olivia said passing Bill the roasting stick, "I know you want this. I'll make another one."

Bill pulled the marshmallow from the stick and shook his head. Olivia looked to the tent as she pierced a white puffy treat with another stick.

"I know she loves you; she always has. And I know you love her too, but not like you love me... loved me," Olivia's voice trailed off.

"She kissed me again. But, neither of us could... feel it. You know?" Bill said. "She broke it off with Roger. She left and needed a place to stay the night."

"I know, and like always, you're there to support her, no matter what. I wouldn't want it any other way. Even if you forced yourselves to... get together, she would always feel it's wrong, and you will always be reminded of me. I know that when you are out with Emily, you sometimes, well, always, see bits of me in her. Things she does are things I did, like this." Olivia said brushing a strand of hair over her left ear with her right hand.