Sign On The Dotted Line

Chapter 14

Claire

Beth turned off the car and turned to me, "are you ready to be one with nature?"

I laughed, "not really. It's my first time going camping."

Her eyebrows shot up as she unpacked the car, "really? this is 1000% more exciting now."

I smirked as I followed with my own luggage down a paved sidewalk. I was always more of a city girl and while I never understood why people went camping, I was always curious as to why people loved it so much.

We checked in and the man at the front desk showed us on a map where our camping spot was.

Beth shrugged the bag on her shoulders, "I reserved a spot pretty close but it's still like a 10-minute walk, is that ok?"

I nodded.

"Good, because I was going with or without you," she giggled as she walked in front of me.

I caught up with her, "so this trip is a family tradition, right? When did this tradition start?" I asked making conversation.

She thought for a second, "I think it started when I was 5 years old, my birthday fell on the long weekend which meant that a lot of my friends at school went on vacation or already had plans with their families. So my family started going camping." I watched a smile appear on her face as she recalled the memories, "it wasn't as luxurious or as expensive as some of my friends' vacations but my mom just made everything more memorable for me."

She laughed, "back at school, my friends would come back with souvenirs but I always came back with funny stories or new skills," she looked at me, "my mom made sure I always had the something to talk about after the long weekend, whether it was teaching me how to swim or showing me how to build a fire."

"She sounds like an extraordinary woman," I replied.

She nodded her head with a smile, "yeah."

We finally got to our camp spot. It looked like a very private spot, with shrubs, trees, and bushes overlooking a small lake. It was so picturesque that I was sure it looked like it came straight out of a photo.

I frowned when I realized that this trip meant that Beth's birthday was soon, "wait when's your birthday?"

"Tomorrow," she answered nonchalantly as she let go of the cooler handle. "My mom's working the overnight shift tonight so she and my younger sister couldn't make it this year."

I shook my head, "your birthday is tomorrow," I repeated. I pulled out my phone and immediately started going through her file. How could I miss something important like her birthday?

"Oh right, there are only 2 rules this weekend," she held up her index finger, "1, don't get eaten by a bear," she held up 2 fingers, "and 2, no cell phones."

I looked at her like she was crazy, "no I need my phone. How am I supposed to keep in contact with the outside world!"

"That's kind of the point," she answered with her hand held out and I groaned, "ok wait, hold on, I have to send an email."

I tapped away on my phone for a full minute then put my phone in Beth's outstretched hand.

I rolled my eyes, "this is so unfair. You didn't tell me the rules before we left."

She set her bags down, "relax princess, it's only for 3 days. You'll feel less stressed by the time we leave." She unzipped the tent bag, "and luckily for you, I'm a great entertainer," she added with a grin.

Her expression was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but smile too. I stopped smiling when my kind caught up to her other rule, "did you say bear?"