The silver Ram 2500 pulled into the driveway. Aubrey's younger sisters, Cassie and Bailey, rushed out the front door of the house. The 10 and 12 year olds threw their bags into the bed of the truck and climbed into the backseat. "Well, alrighty then. They must be excited," Beca commented to her wife from the driver's seat.
Aubrey laughed and began to get out, "I'll back right back. I'm going to go talk to mom real quick."
"We'll be right here," Beca said as the passenger door closed. She looked at the two girls in the backseat. "You two sure you got everything you need? There's no stores anywhere near the campground."
"Yeah. Did you get the fishing poles?" Cassie, the younger of the two, asked.
Beca smiled at her sister-in-law. "Yeah, I got 'em." Aubrey came back and everyone buckled up. "Alright. Next stop: top of the mountain." Beca stated backing the truck out of the driveway. "Well, after we hit a gas station."
An hour later, they reached the steep, winding dirt road that lead up into the mountains and to the campground. As the truck climbed the narrow pathway, Aubrey couldn't help but look out over the edge of the road in trepidation.
"Oh my god," Aubrey breathed out, her fear of heights surfacing. The two kids in the back had their faces pressed against the glass, staring out at the valley in wonder. Beca looked over at her wife's unusually pale face and reached for her hand, pulling it into her own lap.
"Just relax, babe," she soothed. "Just listen to the radio and hold my hand."
They finally arrived at the campsite at about 6:00, to find that Aubrey's older sister, Kate, and her husband, Travis, had already set up their own tent.
As soon as the truck had parked, the kids jumped out. "Come on, Beca. Get the fishing poles," Bailey demanded.
Beca laughed, "Give me a few minutes. They're in the back of the truck under a bunch of stuff."
After unloading the cooler and a few bags, she found the fishing poles and handed one to each child. "Alright, take off. Go catch our supper," she said, before the children ran off to join Travis, where he stood in the river, fishing.
As Beca, continued to unload the truck, Aubrey and Kate sat down at the picnic table to talk. "Why am I the only one actually working right now?" Beca asked.
"Because you love me," Aubrey supplied.
"I'm just your slave," Beca replied sarcastically.
"You're a very adorable slave," Aubrey grinned.
"Whatever you say, master," Beca grumbled, as she unloaded the last couple of bags and the tent.
As Kate and Aubrey struggled to set up the tent, Beca and Travis worked on starting a fire. In the dark. Without kindling.
"Ugh, why didn't you bring lighter fluid?" Beca groaned as the pitiful flames died out once again.
"Why didn't you?" Travis volleyed.
"Touche," Beca conceded. "Want to siphon gas out of the truck?"
"That is a horrible idea," Kate commented, worried that someone would be catching on fire at the hands of her idiotic husband and sister-in-law.
"Got any better ones?" Travis asked, as he and Beca moved toward the vehicles.
"Oh no," Aubrey groaned, closing her eyes.
"Hey Bailey, come hold the flashlight for us."
As the gasoline once again, burned off the logs before the logs themselves caught the flame, everyone gave up on a hot dinner that night.
"Good thing we brought Lunchables," Bailey commented, as they prepared the camp for the night, and resigned to their respective tents to eat their cold dinners.
Beca and Aubrey would be sharing the large 6 person tent with Cassie and Bailey, and Kate and Travis had a smaller two person tent. Travis and Kate had brought two air mattresses, a full sized and a twin. Beca and Aubrey got the twin.
Cassie and Bailey had each chosen an end of the tent and settled into their sleeping bags. Beca was laid out on her side of the mattress, dozing off. As Aubrey came back from using the bathroom, she went to settle down on the mattress, only to not have much room at all. She "gently" pushed Beca over a bit to make more room for herself. The combination of the push and her added weight as she got on the mattress, sent Beca rolling.
Beca yelped as she was flipped off the mattress and on top of poor little Cassie. "Hey! Get off me, fat-butt!"
"Well by all means, darling, take the entire mattress," Beca drawled in a fake southern accent.
Aubrey was laughing as she tried to apologize, "I'm sorry, babe. That wasn't quite what I meant to do."
"Gah, some people," Beca mumbled as she crawled back onto the mattress and cuddled up to Aubrey.
"Would you four quit being fools and go to sleep already," Kate called out from the other tent.
"Can't. We're busy trying to fly," Beca called back and Aubrey snorted. "I think I landed on a rock," she muttered as she rubbed her shoulder.
"Poor baby," Aubrey said with a teasing pout.
The next morning, Aubrey and Kate were left at camp to cook breakfast, as the rest of the group went fishing. They were currently standing in the river, just a bit downstream from their camp. "Where are all the fish?" Cassie demanded.
"Don't know. You can usually stand right here and catch 'em like crazy." Travis answered. Bailey had been the only one to catch a fish on the trip and it had been puny. "Let's try going upstream. Maybe we'll have better luck."
They all began to trudge through the water. Right as they were passing the camp, Beca's foot caught on a rock and she fell in the water. Aubrey and Kate looked up from their tasks as they heard the splash. Beca quickly stood up and tried recover a shred of dignity. "I'm good. I'm good," she claimed as she raised her hands in the air to signal that she was indeed fine. Everybody but Beca, laughed at her clumsiness. Beca covered a grimace as she put pressure on her ankle and continued the trek upstream.
She didn't get very far before she stopped with a wide-eyed look of pure terror. Bailey, who had been following behind her while trying to watch where she stepped, ran straight into her back. "Hey! Why'd you stop?"
Beca turned and broke into a sprint towards the camp, while chanting, "Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit."
Aubrey watched her wife scramble up the bank and limp-run towards the camp, all while reaching into her pocket. Upon reaching the picnic table, she withdrew her phone from her pocket and tried to turn it on. The screen did nothing. "No! No! Come on, damn it!" she cried dramatically as she kept trying.
Aubrey stared at her. "Why did you have it with you anyway? It's not like there is any service up here."
"I don't know. Habit, I guess," Beca tried to defend herself before admitting to her folly. "God, I'm so stupid."
Kate and Aubrey made eye contact before simultaneously saying, "Agreed."
"Now get some ice out of the cooler and prop your ankle up, because it looks pretty swollen," Aubrey told her.
As Travis and the kids, came up from the river, everyone grabbed a plate and began to eat, while Beca stared at her phone in disdain.
When it came time to pack up, Beca had decided to milk her injury for all it was worth.
"Beca, get off your butt and help me with this tent! Your ankle isn't even that bad!" Aubrey demanded.
"But it hurts to walk on it," Beca insisted.
Aubrey rolled her eyes in frustration and Travis came over to help. "At least pack up your fishing poles." Aubrey watched in disbelief as Beca sprung up from her seat to gather her beloved gear. "I cannot believe her."
"Well that was eventful." Beca sighed as she laid down in their bed at home, that night. They had dropped the kids off back at Aubrey's parents' house before heading home for some much needed rest.
"You are ridiculous," Aubrey stated as she laid down next to Beca.
"Why am I ridiculous?" Beca asked incredulously.
"You could have helped me with the freaking tent! And seriously, why would you go into a river with your phone in your pocket?"
"Yeah, well the tent thing was payback for launching me off the mattress."
"And the phone?"
"You knew I had no common sense when you agreed to marry me."
Aubrey rolled her eyes and hit Beca with her pillow.