Once Again for Old Time's Sake

Chapter 10 - Differences

NIC

After filling our plates, we returned to the beautiful cedar deck Aidan built off his house. A host and entertainer at heart, he designed it so the seating has multiple groupings. We sat in the central area nearest the grill, which gave an impressive view of the valley beyond the wood line.

The sunset cast the sky with fading hues similar to the inside of a conch shell darkening against deep waters as we ate. After grilling, Tim turned the coals from the grill into the pit and stacked three logs in a pyramid over them. It didn't take long for the wood to catch fire, and the smoke wafted over us. Sitting by campfires shooting the shit has been a part of our brotherhood since elementary school, no matter what season.

The night hadn't yet cooled off, though the wind picked up. The moving air helped to cool the sweat plastering our clothes onto our bodies as we relaxed in the soft glow of the fire pit. We spent most of the meal discussing the last few days' events and speculating about who was targeting Carmen.

The sounds of crickets chirping and mosquitoes buzzing in the yard blended with the squeaks of the bats locating their mobile feasts. Over the rustling of the leaves in the trees dotting the yard, the gentle sounds cut short suddenly, punctuated by the zap and sizzle of random bugs and moths meeting their doom.

Aidan had turned the bug zapper on as he returned to the pit after dropping his trash in the can by the back door. I watched as he randomly set a piece of tinfoil on one of the large stones containing the fire as it absorbed the heat. Curiously, we all watched as he plucked something out of a small bag and placed it on the foil.

Moments later, a fragrant spiced scent filled the air. "What is that?" Steve asked before anyone else could.

"Frankincense and myrrh." Ian answered, sniffing deeply with pleasure.

"I read one of Carmen's posts about camping that it keeps bugs away, so I thought we could try it." Aidan sat back, looking up at the night sky before sniffing. "mmm. That smells nice with the smoke. God, I miss camping with her. Sorry, Ian."

"No worries, Aidan. My experiences mainly comprise in communal tents when in the field. Carmen does the whole living without modern conveniences. Not my gig, but tolerable now. She said some of you were in Scouts and would go camping with her brother."

I answered. "Yes, everyone here except Tim and Steve. Riley and I got to meet some of your kids earlier when they were talking with Carmen. They asked if Evan and Taylor planned on celebrating the Fourth with you guys. She mentioned she'd get with you and coordinate it. It sounds like the kids are excited about it."

"Absolutely, Nic. You guys should bring your families, too. The kids love the activities she plans: fishing derbies, snipe hunting, fox and the hound, campfire singings, survival skills training, and skits. She schedules each team's meal chores and camp chores for the day. She takes them all for at least a week, twice a year, plus any other time she gets a hankering for it."

"Close to her roots, then. Those are all things we used to do regularly on camp-outs." Paul replied. "Does she still sit out and watch the stars by a campfire?"

"Yes. Carmen taught everyone to tell time at night by the Big Dipper's handle position since it rotates counterclockwise. Any time she can, she will take the night's first four hours, or her favorite watch, to enjoy the solitude and stargaze. I know she does it to reminisce about times before she struck out on her own."

"Does she ever talk about why she left?" Tim asked.

Ian shrugged before speaking. "This guy she was dating messed her up, Sawyer. I'm sure you all knew him, but she was terrified of him. The scars are still visible on her back in the right lighting, and her right knee will never completely heal. Anyway, he got Joe into drugs in retaliation for her dumping him. But by that time, everything had gone to shit. She didn't feel safe, from what I understand."