T is for Tent
"You're serious?" Katie exclaimed excitedly. "We're actually going camping?" She smiled as wide as the Cheshire Cat and stared at Travis with wide eyes filled with enthusiasm. She hadn't gone camping in years and getting to go up in the woods with all the trees and flowers and plants (oh my!) had her jumping with excitement. And getting to go with Travis would just be the cherry on top of the perfect weekend.
Travis nodded at his girlfriend and copied the smile lighting up her face. "Yep. As soon as I get home from work on Friday we can pack up and head out. We're gonna make a fire and go on a hike and do all those things you do while your camping," he said with a wave of his hand.
"Oh! Travis you're the best!" Katie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a hug.
"So I've been told," he replied with a cocky smile. She rolled her eyes and hit him lightly in the chest.
"Now, we have to go to the store. Do you even own a tent? Or your own sleeping bag?" she asked with expectant eyes.
"Well, not exactly."
Katie rolled her eyes before continuing. "So we'll need both of those. Plus at least two flash lights, some graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, those sticky things you use to-"
Travis interrupted her with a kiss on the lips, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Calm down," he said with a smile after he pulled back. "We'll get everything, I promise."
"I know, I know. I'm just . . . I'm excited," she finished with a small grin. Travis laughed and pulled her back against his side as he leaned into the couch and turned the TV back on. "This is going to be the best camping trip ever."
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"I'm so sorry, Katie," Travis said sadly as he walked into their apartment to find her sitting on the couch, crushing the pillow she held in her hands tightly against her chest. The lights of the TV flashed absently across the walls of the darkened room.
"The roads have become extremely slippery thanks to all that rain, so please do be careful if you're planning on driving tonight. In other news . . ." The man on the television screen babbled on and on. Katie had had enough. She picked up the remote and clicked the off button viciously before throwing it next to her on the couch.
"How many times," she started without even glancing up to look at Travis, "have I told you I hate the rain?"
"A lot," he said cautiously and went to sit next to her on the couch.
"Now take all that hatred and quadruple it a million and two times. That is how much I hate the rain right now."
"Oh, come on Katie," Travis said, pulling her against his side and kissing the top of her head. "You can't hate the rain that much."
"Oh yes I do." She turned around so he could see the intensity of her glare. "I hate it almost as much as I hate when people say lol, especially when they didn't actually laugh out loud."
"Wow." Travis nodded his head. "You really do hate it."
"Told you."
"But technically," he began, "it's the lightning and the whole fire hazard thing that's making us not able to go camping." Katie glared at him even angrier than before. "Just saying."
Travis pulled her back against his side and tucked her head under his chin. "You just don't understand, Travis," she muttered. "We were going to go on a hike and look for bears and mountain lions and what not and if we didn't find any we were going to make up some crazy animal to tell all our friends about. And we were gonna have a horseshoe tournament where I was totally gonna kick your ass, and then we were going to sit around the campfire where we would roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. And then we'd have s'mores and go to sleep under the stars." Katie sighed. "This was going to be the best camping trip ever."
"Hey," Travis said sternly. "Don't be so glum. We could still make this the best weekend ever."
She sat up and turned around to look him in the eyes. "How?"
"Well," he started, "we could have a movie weekend. We'll do nothing but watch movies the whole time."
"I do enjoy movies," she said quietly, leaning back into his side.
"Yeah. We can watch some of everything. From action to drama, from romance to those one movies you love where the blood is so obviously ketchup and the monsters look like they're made out of Popsicle sticks."
"I love those kind."
"Who doesn't?" Travis exclaimed, making Katie laugh a bit. "We can even get RV."
He could feel her flinch against his chest. "No. Even a small family having a crappy time in the woods in a terrible RV with a picture of a man in a witch's hat on the side would make me feel bad."
Travis nodded his head. "Of course. What was I thinking? You just get whatever you want."
She sat up once more. "You wanna come with me?" she asked hesitantly.
"Naw. I have to take a shower. Being a secretary is hard work."
Katie stood from the couch and smiled down at him. "So just get whatever I want?" she asked, pulling on a jacket.
"Yeah. Just make sure you get Gentlemen Broncos. I haven't seen it in a while." She bent down to kiss him before heading for the door. "Ooh!" he shouted after her. "And make sure to get as much junk food as you can!"
"My favorite!" Travis heard her yell back before the sound of the door being slammed shut rang throughout the apartment.
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"Hey!" Katie yelled loudly as she closed the door behind her and began walking around the corner. "I couldn't figure out the candy to popcorn ratio, so I just went two to . . ." She trailed off as she entered the living room to find a giant tent sitting in the middle of the room. On the walls were pictures of trees and mountains that looked like they were drawn by a five-year-old. Next to the tent sat a lamp Katie had bought at JcPennys without the shade so the light bulb glowed brightly throughout the room. Two blankets lay curled up around the lamp on the ground.
" . . . one," Katie finished quietly as she gazed about the room. There was a sudden shake in the tent and Travis's smiling face appeared in the small open doorway.
"Hey," he greeted with a lopsided grin. "How was the store?"
"What the hell did you do?" she asked, ignoring his question completely. She walked into the room and threw the bags on the couch before kneeling in front of Travis.
"I just . . . I promised you we'd go camping this weekend, Katie, and I didn't want to break that promise."
"Travis," she began while shaking her head disbelievingly, "you didn't have to do all this."
"But I wanted to!" he exclaimed. "Come with me," Travis said, holding his hand out to her as he climbed out of the tent.
"Where are we going?" Katie asked, squeezing his hand tighter.
"I just wanna tell you our agenda for the evening, show you around a bit. It's extremely scary getting lost in the woods so pay attention."
Katie giggled. "I will. I promise."
"Now," he said, opening the front door and walking down the hall. "First on the list is a hike down the amazing and terrifyingly dangerous Mount Stairwell." As they approached the stairs, he waved his hands dramatically and waved Katie after him. "Be careful," he warned as they got to the first step.
"You too." Travis led her down each stair cautiously when suddenly he let out a terrified gasp. "What is it?" Katie exclaimed worriedly.
"Shhh!" he shushed her before flattening himself out against the railing and motioning for her to do the same. Katie followed nervously, wondering what the hell he could be on about now. She was shocked when their grouchy, old neighbor, Mr. Hensworth, climbed the stairs slowly, his cane dragging behind him. "Crikey!" Travis whispered to her in a terrible Australian accent. "It's the Old Hensworth, the deadliest creature known to man. It looks so innocent, but just one provocation and it'll bite your head off faster than you can say 'I'm sorry, Mr. Hensworth, I thought you liked the hip rock and roll music us kiddos are listening to nowadays.'" Katie couldn't help but laugh. Travis was lucky Mr. Hensworth had absolutely terrible hearing.
After the old man passed, they continued their hike down the stairs until they reached the bottom. They crossed the parking lot until they stood in front of the dumpster.
"What are we doing here?" Katie asked while scrunching her nose up in disgust.
"Shh," he hushed her once again, but less vicious this time. "Just watch."
They continued to stand there for a few more minutes and right before Katie complained once more, she saw what they were waiting for and gasped. A raccoon had climbed on top of the dumpster and had begun to dig at the lid. At the noise, it glanced in their direction and ran off.
"That was disgusting!" she shouted at Travis angrily.
"That was a deer, my friend."
"That was a raccoon, you idiot!"
"Rude! It just has one of those weird diseases where it turns small and gray and stuff. Why ya gotta be so racist, Katie?" Travis asked with a raised eyebrow.
She sighed and put her head in her hand. "Can we just go back home?" she mumbled.
"We haven't even seen a bear yet, though!"
"And by bear you mean . . ."
"A bear, aduh. It just has that one disease where it turns really, really small and white and it's tail grows to like twice it's size," he said with a nod. "But don't make fun cuz it's a serious issue, Katie. Millions of bears suffer from it every year."
Katie stared at him for a few seconds before turning around and heading back for the apartment. Travis rolled his eyes and started running to catch up with her.
Travis opened the door wide for them both to enter the apartment. "So next, we can have our horseshoe tournament, also known as a solitaire tournament seeing as it's apparently 'dangerous' to play horseshoes inside. At least that's what the directions on the box say."
"Oh, I'm so glad you remembered to read the directions this time," Katie said with a smile.
He grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah. So after the tournament where I'm sure you will totally beat my ass, the winner will be awarded this lovely maraca I made in less than five minutes out of a paper plate and coffee beans," he explained, holding up the creation that had 'Ur #1' written in blue crayon across it.
"Wow," Katie began, sarcasm dripping from her words. "It's lovely."
"Isn't it?" Travis asked with a smirk. "Anyways, after the game, I thought we could gather around the light bulb where we tell ghost stories and roast marshmallows, and after we realize that we can't actually roast a marshmallow with a light bulb, we can just go and make s'mores in the microwave."
"I really think microwave s'mores are better anyways. Especially when the marshmallow explodes and all," Katie said with a nod.
"Exactly, right? And then after that, we can go and sleep under the stars," Travis told her with a smile.
"If we're sleeping under the stars, why did you put up a tent, oh wise one?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's where you're wrong, my dear," Travis said as his smile widen. He held out a hand for her to take. "Come on."
She placed her hand in his gingerly and let him lead her to the small tent. After unzipping the opening, he pulled her inside. They sat on the hard ground with their legs crossed.
"So?" Katie asked expectantly.
"Look up," he whispered, pointing towards the ceiling. She followed his directions and gasped in surprise at all of the small, glow-in-the-dark stars that were stuck to the top of the tent. She couldn't help the smile that automatically appeared on her face.
Turning to Travis, she asked, "You did all of this for me?"
"Well," he started, his cheeks turning a slight pink, "we bought the sleeping bags and the tent and I didn't want it to all go to waste and-" He was cut off by Katie's lips on his. She pulled away from the kiss and stared into his eyes. "But yeah. It was mostly for you," he whispered against her lips.
She kissed him once more under the stars and thought that this was indeed the best camping trip ever.
Travis nodded at his girlfriend and copied the smile lighting up her face. "Yep. As soon as I get home from work on Friday we can pack up and head out. We're gonna make a fire and go on a hike and do all those things you do while your camping," he said with a wave of his hand.
"Oh! Travis you're the best!" Katie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in a hug.
"So I've been told," he replied with a cocky smile. She rolled her eyes and hit him lightly in the chest.
"Now, we have to go to the store. Do you even own a tent? Or your own sleeping bag?" she asked with expectant eyes.
"Well, not exactly."
Katie rolled her eyes before continuing. "So we'll need both of those. Plus at least two flash lights, some graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, those sticky things you use to-"
Travis interrupted her with a kiss on the lips, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Calm down," he said with a smile after he pulled back. "We'll get everything, I promise."
"I know, I know. I'm just . . . I'm excited," she finished with a small grin. Travis laughed and pulled her back against his side as he leaned into the couch and turned the TV back on. "This is going to be the best camping trip ever."
0000000000
"I'm so sorry, Katie," Travis said sadly as he walked into their apartment to find her sitting on the couch, crushing the pillow she held in her hands tightly against her chest. The lights of the TV flashed absently across the walls of the darkened room.
"The roads have become extremely slippery thanks to all that rain, so please do be careful if you're planning on driving tonight. In other news . . ." The man on the television screen babbled on and on. Katie had had enough. She picked up the remote and clicked the off button viciously before throwing it next to her on the couch.
"How many times," she started without even glancing up to look at Travis, "have I told you I hate the rain?"
"A lot," he said cautiously and went to sit next to her on the couch.
"Now take all that hatred and quadruple it a million and two times. That is how much I hate the rain right now."
"Oh, come on Katie," Travis said, pulling her against his side and kissing the top of her head. "You can't hate the rain that much."
"Oh yes I do." She turned around so he could see the intensity of her glare. "I hate it almost as much as I hate when people say lol, especially when they didn't actually laugh out loud."
"Wow." Travis nodded his head. "You really do hate it."
"Told you."
"But technically," he began, "it's the lightning and the whole fire hazard thing that's making us not able to go camping." Katie glared at him even angrier than before. "Just saying."
Travis pulled her back against his side and tucked her head under his chin. "You just don't understand, Travis," she muttered. "We were going to go on a hike and look for bears and mountain lions and what not and if we didn't find any we were going to make up some crazy animal to tell all our friends about. And we were gonna have a horseshoe tournament where I was totally gonna kick your ass, and then we were going to sit around the campfire where we would roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. And then we'd have s'mores and go to sleep under the stars." Katie sighed. "This was going to be the best camping trip ever."
"Hey," Travis said sternly. "Don't be so glum. We could still make this the best weekend ever."
She sat up and turned around to look him in the eyes. "How?"
"Well," he started, "we could have a movie weekend. We'll do nothing but watch movies the whole time."
"I do enjoy movies," she said quietly, leaning back into his side.
"Yeah. We can watch some of everything. From action to drama, from romance to those one movies you love where the blood is so obviously ketchup and the monsters look like they're made out of Popsicle sticks."
"I love those kind."
"Who doesn't?" Travis exclaimed, making Katie laugh a bit. "We can even get RV."
He could feel her flinch against his chest. "No. Even a small family having a crappy time in the woods in a terrible RV with a picture of a man in a witch's hat on the side would make me feel bad."
Travis nodded his head. "Of course. What was I thinking? You just get whatever you want."
She sat up once more. "You wanna come with me?" she asked hesitantly.
"Naw. I have to take a shower. Being a secretary is hard work."
Katie stood from the couch and smiled down at him. "So just get whatever I want?" she asked, pulling on a jacket.
"Yeah. Just make sure you get Gentlemen Broncos. I haven't seen it in a while." She bent down to kiss him before heading for the door. "Ooh!" he shouted after her. "And make sure to get as much junk food as you can!"
"My favorite!" Travis heard her yell back before the sound of the door being slammed shut rang throughout the apartment.
0000000000
"Hey!" Katie yelled loudly as she closed the door behind her and began walking around the corner. "I couldn't figure out the candy to popcorn ratio, so I just went two to . . ." She trailed off as she entered the living room to find a giant tent sitting in the middle of the room. On the walls were pictures of trees and mountains that looked like they were drawn by a five-year-old. Next to the tent sat a lamp Katie had bought at JcPennys without the shade so the light bulb glowed brightly throughout the room. Two blankets lay curled up around the lamp on the ground.
" . . . one," Katie finished quietly as she gazed about the room. There was a sudden shake in the tent and Travis's smiling face appeared in the small open doorway.
"Hey," he greeted with a lopsided grin. "How was the store?"
"What the hell did you do?" she asked, ignoring his question completely. She walked into the room and threw the bags on the couch before kneeling in front of Travis.
"I just . . . I promised you we'd go camping this weekend, Katie, and I didn't want to break that promise."
"Travis," she began while shaking her head disbelievingly, "you didn't have to do all this."
"But I wanted to!" he exclaimed. "Come with me," Travis said, holding his hand out to her as he climbed out of the tent.
"Where are we going?" Katie asked, squeezing his hand tighter.
"I just wanna tell you our agenda for the evening, show you around a bit. It's extremely scary getting lost in the woods so pay attention."
Katie giggled. "I will. I promise."
"Now," he said, opening the front door and walking down the hall. "First on the list is a hike down the amazing and terrifyingly dangerous Mount Stairwell." As they approached the stairs, he waved his hands dramatically and waved Katie after him. "Be careful," he warned as they got to the first step.
"You too." Travis led her down each stair cautiously when suddenly he let out a terrified gasp. "What is it?" Katie exclaimed worriedly.
"Shhh!" he shushed her before flattening himself out against the railing and motioning for her to do the same. Katie followed nervously, wondering what the hell he could be on about now. She was shocked when their grouchy, old neighbor, Mr. Hensworth, climbed the stairs slowly, his cane dragging behind him. "Crikey!" Travis whispered to her in a terrible Australian accent. "It's the Old Hensworth, the deadliest creature known to man. It looks so innocent, but just one provocation and it'll bite your head off faster than you can say 'I'm sorry, Mr. Hensworth, I thought you liked the hip rock and roll music us kiddos are listening to nowadays.'" Katie couldn't help but laugh. Travis was lucky Mr. Hensworth had absolutely terrible hearing.
After the old man passed, they continued their hike down the stairs until they reached the bottom. They crossed the parking lot until they stood in front of the dumpster.
"What are we doing here?" Katie asked while scrunching her nose up in disgust.
"Shh," he hushed her once again, but less vicious this time. "Just watch."
They continued to stand there for a few more minutes and right before Katie complained once more, she saw what they were waiting for and gasped. A raccoon had climbed on top of the dumpster and had begun to dig at the lid. At the noise, it glanced in their direction and ran off.
"That was disgusting!" she shouted at Travis angrily.
"That was a deer, my friend."
"That was a raccoon, you idiot!"
"Rude! It just has one of those weird diseases where it turns small and gray and stuff. Why ya gotta be so racist, Katie?" Travis asked with a raised eyebrow.
She sighed and put her head in her hand. "Can we just go back home?" she mumbled.
"We haven't even seen a bear yet, though!"
"And by bear you mean . . ."
"A bear, aduh. It just has that one disease where it turns really, really small and white and it's tail grows to like twice it's size," he said with a nod. "But don't make fun cuz it's a serious issue, Katie. Millions of bears suffer from it every year."
Katie stared at him for a few seconds before turning around and heading back for the apartment. Travis rolled his eyes and started running to catch up with her.
Travis opened the door wide for them both to enter the apartment. "So next, we can have our horseshoe tournament, also known as a solitaire tournament seeing as it's apparently 'dangerous' to play horseshoes inside. At least that's what the directions on the box say."
"Oh, I'm so glad you remembered to read the directions this time," Katie said with a smile.
He grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah. So after the tournament where I'm sure you will totally beat my ass, the winner will be awarded this lovely maraca I made in less than five minutes out of a paper plate and coffee beans," he explained, holding up the creation that had 'Ur #1' written in blue crayon across it.
"Wow," Katie began, sarcasm dripping from her words. "It's lovely."
"Isn't it?" Travis asked with a smirk. "Anyways, after the game, I thought we could gather around the light bulb where we tell ghost stories and roast marshmallows, and after we realize that we can't actually roast a marshmallow with a light bulb, we can just go and make s'mores in the microwave."
"I really think microwave s'mores are better anyways. Especially when the marshmallow explodes and all," Katie said with a nod.
"Exactly, right? And then after that, we can go and sleep under the stars," Travis told her with a smile.
"If we're sleeping under the stars, why did you put up a tent, oh wise one?" Katie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That's where you're wrong, my dear," Travis said as his smile widen. He held out a hand for her to take. "Come on."
She placed her hand in his gingerly and let him lead her to the small tent. After unzipping the opening, he pulled her inside. They sat on the hard ground with their legs crossed.
"So?" Katie asked expectantly.
"Look up," he whispered, pointing towards the ceiling. She followed his directions and gasped in surprise at all of the small, glow-in-the-dark stars that were stuck to the top of the tent. She couldn't help the smile that automatically appeared on her face.
Turning to Travis, she asked, "You did all of this for me?"
"Well," he started, his cheeks turning a slight pink, "we bought the sleeping bags and the tent and I didn't want it to all go to waste and-" He was cut off by Katie's lips on his. She pulled away from the kiss and stared into his eyes. "But yeah. It was mostly for you," he whispered against her lips.
She kissed him once more under the stars and thought that this was indeed the best camping trip ever.