Sunday, October 6
Well, THAT was interesting.
First, I was worried I had been appointed Den Mother for the sister wives on this camping trip. Little did I know I had surprises galore in store for me.
Friday morning, Mom and I swung by Brie's house. She came tramping out with a backpack that made her look either like she was running away from home or a fully homeless person already. Buried somewhere in the pile was an actual backpack, and a huge-ass sleeping bag loosely hanging off of it.
"You understand you're going to have to carry that thing front he car to the campsite, right?"
Brie looked at me in horror. "Carry this? How far?"
Mom smiled and said, "Brie, it won't be far. I'll actually drive up to where you're camping. But yes, you are probably w-a-a-a-y over packed. That's OK, though. It's a learning experience."
Brie was still fumbling with stuff when we got to school. It was obvious she was not comfortable in boots and camping clothes. Fortunately, she could leave everything in Mom's car. We'd probably have a van-load headed for the campsite. I'm sure the Emmas would ride with us, but Maddy had texted me she was riding with Randi's Mom, who was also a chaperone.
School was almost an afterthought. Teachers realized we were all kinda focused on the weekend, so school work was light an there was basically no homework, except for some light Sunday evening reading. It was strange seeing 40 of us, more or less, in camping clothes. We really stood out from the other grades who were all in traditional school uniforms. I'm told that every year, nearly, someone craps out for some reason, but it looked like everyone in my class was going.
I saw Carlos at lunch, and he laughed at my camping outfit. He told me I looked like a boy. I almost broke it off with him then and there, and would have if he wasn't so damn cute. I told him what Mom said about dinner next Wednesday, and he said he was sure his mother would be cool with it.
Mom picked us up right at the end of school. The Emmas tossed their stuff in the back, and we headed out. The campsite was about a 30 minute drive away, and was a private park owned by some sort of civic club. It looked like it was more set up for RVs to use in the summer, but there were plenty of flat places to pitch tents, some small cabins for the chaperones and teachers, and a covered meeting cabana. The parents running the show looked like they'd been there all day. I found out that parents of older kids who had been thru the program last year or the year before volunteered to run the program for us. They had a camping kitchen set up and were busy cooking dinner for 40 kids and I don't know how many parents and teachers.
Our class has slightly more girls than boys, so there were I think about 9 boy tents and about 11 girl tents. The boys all elected to set up way up on the edge of the woods, while the girls stayed closer to the cabana and restrooms. As planned, the sister wives all set up in a small ring facing each other. Brie was clueless, but fortunately my tent is pretty easy to set up and fairly roomy for a backpacking tent, so I showed her how to lay down a ground cloth, how to shove pegs in the ground, and how to run the tent poles thru the tent and tent cover. The whole process seemed to mystify her. I told her to open up her sleeping bag, and lay it on top of their ground pad along with her pillow so it would fluff up before we went to bed.
Brie asked, "what do we do with our backpacks?"
"Take anything out you'll need during the night, like snacks and a flashlight and an emergency change of clothes or such, and put them in the tent. Then, cover your backpack with the pack cover and I'll show you how to hang it on a tree so it will be safe." Turns out, I knew more about this than I thought.
Randi and Maddy finished setting up and came over to meet us. Randi was new to our school, so we barely knew her, but she and Brie hit it off immediately. Like Emma said, Randi was a little on the `butch' side, and I wondered if that was what was attracting Brie. Whatever, she was suddenly acting a bit like... well... a schoolgirl.
Once everyone was settled in -- about 5pm -- the parents running the show called us all over to the cabana. There were picnic tables and a fire going in a really huge fireplace. The leader (a parent I didn't know) said that there would be dinner at 6, and free time until then. After dinner, we'd have an orientation meeting and some games and songs in the cabana. It all sounded a bit too much like summer camp, but that was OK, too. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
The sister wives, plus Randi, were all sitting at one table near the front. Randi broke the ice by saying, "hey, thanks for including me." We all said, more or less at the same time, how welcome she was, and we were all glad to meet her. Brie spoke up, "We maybe look like a little clique, but we're really not. We've all known each other since kindergarten and we just hang out with each other. We're not really trying to be exclusive or anything. I can only imagine what it's like to come to a new school, so I hope you're making new friends."
Randi just shook her head and said, "No, I'm not. I mean, everyone's kinda friendly, but it's obvious everyone here has known each other for years, so I'm still trying to fit in."
We all just nodded, and silently agreed we'd adopt Randi for a while, at least on a provisional basis, to see how this worked out. I could tell that Brie was more anxious than the rest of us to make it more permanent.
The night program went predictably. Food was good. Singing was bland. Again, lots of summer campy stuff. About 9-ish or so, we headed to our tents. Brie and I climbed in and she looked at me kinda funny. "Are we supposed to sleep in our jeans?"
I said, "Only if you're really, really cold. If you want me to look the other way, you can strip down to your undies and t-shirt and climb in your sleeping bag."
She just shook her head and said, "Nah, I'm cool." We both stripped down to undies and crawled into our sleeping bags. Brie reached under her t-shirt and pulled her bra off, and I did the same.
I said, "keep your jeans and jacket and boots handy in case you have to run to the pottie."
She said, "Wow, yeah, thanks. I changed tampons before coming back here, and your mom was great by suggesting a pad. I appreciate her giving me some. So look, give me the full dirt on Carlos. What happened. Tell me more, tell me more, as the song goes."
I told her the full story, with full detail, and left nothing out. I told her about how I felt his chest, and unzipped his pants, and the lotion and tissue and she wanted to know the full details of how his cock felt (yes, she called it a cock) as I stroked it and how it felt when he started squirting. I gave her all the details I could remember, but I told her I was just a little bit in a trance when all of that was happening.
Her mouth was gaped open, and I had to remind her to shut her mouth. She just stared blankly, and I started giggling. "Are you going to go down on him?"
"Wow. That was abrupt! I don't know. I imagine. I'm worried I'd gag, especially when he started cumming, but yeah, probably eventually. If we're still a couple later on.
"What later on! I mean next week. Next time you see him!"
"Whoa, Brie, we're getting head of ourselves. He and I are already pretty far along for a couple that hasn't actually been on one real date. But yeah, I've thought about it. Now, your turn. You and Randi."
"What do you mean you and Randi'. I just met her. Do you assume just cuz I think I like girls that I want to crawl in the tent with every butch girl I see? Hell, she may not even be gay. She may be completely straight but just looks butch'."
"Yeah, but I could tell you liked her, and she certainly seemed to reciprocate. You want Maddy and I to share a tent so you can get closer?"
"No, you rancid minded bitch."
But I could tell she was thinking about it.
The next morning at breakfast, Brie and Randi ended up sitting across the table from one another, and it was like the two of them went into their own little world. Maddy sat across from me, and I could tell this was way beyond her emotional capacity, so I started talking with her. "How did you and Randi do last night?"
Maddy said, "Oh, great. That's her tent, by the way. She's a real natural at this outdoors stuff. She showed me a lot about how to pitch a tent and how to stay warm in the winter. She's from Alaska, and says they camped out a lot up there when she was growing up. She got up early this morning, went for a run, and helped the parents build the fire in the fireplace. Turns out, she wants to join the marine corps when she grows up. Then Maddy leaned over the table and whispered, "She's wearing military green underwear."
Hmmm... military green underwear. And to think I'm the biological male at this table. Hmmmm...
After breakfast, there was some more free time, and then at 10am we all gathered for the first `team building' exercise. It was a simple confidence course, taken in pairs. Randi and Maddy started to pair up, and I said, "Maddy, you know, I could use a taller partner like you. Maybe Randi and Brie, who are about the same height, could pair better." Maddy thought that was a good idea, and I had fun watching Randi and Brie do a lot of hand-holding and confidence building. They seemed to click, and as well Brie was getting more and more comfortable with the outdoors.
The rest of the day went predictably. Lunch, and Brie and Randi were nearly inseparable. More team building in the afternoon, and more obviously flirting between the two of them. We did a ropes course late in the afternoon, and Brie was obviously having problems keeping her balance. Randi grabbed Brie around the waist to steady her, Brie looked her in the eyes, and no one could miss the electricity between them.
That night, we had a big after-action and sing-along in the cabana. We did some more team-building stuff, which required tentmate teams playing a game against another tentmate team. That paired Brie and I up against Maddy and Randi. Even sweet, innocent Maddy could tell that something was going on. After some half-hearted singing around the fire (everyone was dead tired by then), we retreated to our tents. Brie and I crawled in, stripped down to our undies again, and commented on how badly we smelled.
I couldn't help myself, and said, "Randi seems to like you."
Brie just nodded, and finally said, "Was it obvious?"
"Yeah. Really obvious. Maddy and I were wondering when you two were going to start kissing."
"Oh my God. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"Oh shit, girl, nothing to be sorry about. I'm just worried about you keeping it on the down-low, you know?"
"Yeah. Fuck. This is my first time, you know, and she is REALLY my type. Holy shit. If I was in the tent with her right now, we'd be making out."
"I'm wondering what she's saying to Maddy."
"Oh fuck. Maddy."
"Maddy's your friend. She can keep a secret, but she might need it explained to her very carefully. She's a little slow on the uptake, ya know?"
"I'll pick her brain in the morning. Look, it'll be fine. Anyway, we're here for team building, right?"
"Yeah..." And we both started giggling. I started the yawn first, and she followed, and before I knew it, we were both asleep.
The next morning was more of the same, but with less physical exercise and more mental stuff. There was an after action meeting at lunch, and after lunch we packed everything away and got ready to leave.
I pulled Maddy aside and asked, "Did Randi say anything about..."
She finished my sentence. "Brie? Yeah, it was all she could talk about. I told you that Randi was kinda `butch'. Well, it turns out she's full tilt hot for Brie. Does Brie know?"
I thought about that a lot, and then said, "Let's keep it all to ourselves for now, OK? Let's just let this play out. Anyway, it's not any of our business, but Brie is our friend, and now Randi is our friend, too. I think they both need friends right now. Good friends."
Maddy seemed to understand.
Mom and I hadn't said much during the weekend. After Brie and I packed up, Randi and Maddy walked with us to the parking lot. Brie kept it cool, but I could tell from her body language that she was really happy - almost girlishly happy - to be around Randi. Mom greeted us at the car and we all exhaustedly climbed in, Brie, the Emmas, and me. Mom asked, "Did you girls have a good time? Learn anything? Build any teams?"
I think we all were too tired to respond quickly. I finally said, "Yes, Mom, we made some new friends this weekend, and I think we built some great teams. Brie in particular made a new friend."
Brie just smiled.
We dropped everyone off at their houses, and I couldn't wait to get in the shower and get on some clean bedclothes. I thought about Carlos a little bit, but was too tired to do anything about that. Monday was going to come all too quickly.