Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Cody – We've Only Just Begun
First day of trip
Squee… I ran over to Joey and gave him a big huggy-hug. “This is going to be so fun.” I bounced up and down, and since I was still wrapped around my bestie, Joey bounced with me.
“You’re squeezing…ugh. Too tight. Cody. Let go.”
“Sorry, Joey. I’m so ‘cited.” I let my friend go but kept right on bouncing.
Daddy helped Daddy Vince drag stuff out to the driveway of their house. “Boys, come help load the car.”
“Okay, Daddy.” We loaded Joey and Vince’s stuff into the big trunk.
Joey pulled a big box over. “This is the paddleboard my daddy bought for us. I can’t wait to use it. I’ve never been before.”
“If you share one, it’s better. You don’t have to do much but sit there and if you get too wiggly, you can jump in the water.”
Joey rolled his eyes and puckered his lips in a thinky-face. “Yep. That sounds like fun.”
I giggled and covered my mouth. “It is.” I helped him shove the paddleboard into the back.
“I have my own board, but sharing with daddy is always fun, and since we have extra stuff to load, we’re only bringing one, too.
Daddy will do all the work, paddling around.
I can’t wait to get in the water. That’s the best part of camping. ”
Daddy Vince helped pack the rest of the stuff, reorganizing as needed. Then we climbed in the car with Daddy in the driver's seat, Daddy Vince in the front passenger seat, and Joey and me in back.
We buckled in, ready to go. I gave Daddy a thumbs-up, and he backed the car down the drive.
“Look at the fun stuffs I have for the trip.” I couldn’t wait to play everything with Joey.
I had a few games like magnetic checkers, a quiz book, and color books for later if we wanted them, but they weren’t the greatest in the car.
“We can also play the other games that you just play, like license plate tag.”
“What’s that one again?”
“Whoever goes first picks a license plate they can see and says what state it’s from, then the next one has to find another one from that state, then pick one for their go.”
“That could take a long time unless you pick Florida every time.”
“It’s better when you’re on the big highways. But alphabet sign is fun too. That’s when you start with A and find a sign that has a word on it that starts with A, then B, etc. You can’t use the same sign as the other player. First to find Z wins.”
“I bet we never find a Z unless there is a zoo nearby.”
“Well, then we both win.”
We giggled over that, but I always liked games where everyone could win, or at least when there were no losers. After I showed him all the snacks I had, we played the sign game while munching on chips and sipping some juice boxes.
The first stop for the night was the Long Pine Key campground, and it took like five hours to get there, which was a long-long drive, and we only stopped once to potty.
“Are we here? Are we here?” I squealed as we pulled into the campground.
“We are here. Settle down while I get our site.” Daddy got out of the car and stood near a lot of other people from our group who had started gathering around the check-in point.
I shifted back and forth to get a better look and saw Drew raise his hand to get everyone’s attention.
He was the bossman, so he probably was giving out the assignments.
“Don’t worry, Joey. I’m sure they’ll put us on the same site or right next to each other.”
“I not worried.”
“Okay. Me either.” That was as close as I’d get to admitting I really was.
I wanted my friend close because I suspected I was going to need a diversion.
The weight of this issue was building inside, and as much as I tried to forget about it, I needed to figure my shit out.
I’d ignored the whole moving-in issue, pushing it to the back burner, and it was causing cracks in our relationship.
I hated that, so I gave myself a deadline for the end of this trip to decide what to do, and now the pressure was building like water boiling in a tea kettle.
Daddy jogged back to the car and handed Daddy Vince the paperwork. “Okay, let’s get over and set up camp. There’s a nature hike tomorrow, so we should make sure we get some rest tonight.”
“Yay! Hiking is fun.” I was ready for some Mother Nature.
We all pitched in to set up the tents. Daddy Vince and Joey were camping on our site, and thankfully, it was big enough for both tents and a picnic table area.
If we were staying longer, that would be our food and water station.
But since it was a short time, everything was cut back.
Daddy did set up a cooler with water, because that was essential.
On the first night, Drew provided us with a central area with folding tables outside one of the big RVs we brought, and they put out all the fixings for sandwiches and chips.
Normally, I loved that, but I was kind of chipped out from snacking all day.
I plopped cold cuts and cheese on my plate, along with some grapes, but skipped the bread and chips.
“That’s all you’re eating?” Daddy asked, setting a juice box in front of me at the table and rubbing my back.
“Not that hungry.”
Joey pointed at me from across the table. “He ate the whole bag of Doritos.”
“Tattletale.” I stuck my tongue out at him, but Joey just laughed.
After dinner, we washed up and went to our tents to crash.
“No smores or even a fire. Boo.”
“We’ll have time for that tomorrow after the hike. Don’t worry.”
“Fine.” I snuggled under the blanket on our air mattress that Daddy had pumped up. They were fun because every time someone moved, the other person did too. Up and down. Up and down. I bobbed up when Daddy got on beside me and settled in. “Good thing I don’t get seasick.”
Everyone was tired from riding in the car all day though, so I crashed out fast.
Anhinga Trail was less than a mile long, but it took us more than an hour to get through it, because we stopped along the way a lot.
It was a drive to a nearby park and then from the main entrance to the trailhead, and all around us was sawgrass and marsh, trees dripping with Spanish moss, and the bluest skies that couldn’t have been more gorgeous if we’d ordered them.
Maybe Daddy did? I didn’t know, but the boardwalk along the trail overlooked water in a lot of places, so we saw alligators and all kinds of birds.
Joey bounced up next to me. “I love aminimals.”
“Even those?” I pointed out three decent-sized gators lazing along the banks farther down the waterway.
“Yep. They have big teef.” He made a funny face, trying to show off his own chompers.
I bumped my shoulder into his. “The better to eat you with, my dear.”
Joey giggled and snapped a few more pictures on his phone. There were a lot of different birds too, but the gators captured our imaginations, and Joey chatted with me about them all the way back to our camp.
It was lunch time when we got back, and I hoped we’d get something better than sammies and chips. “Daddy? What’s for lunch?” We piled out of the car, smelling the air.
“Barbeque sandwiches.”
The tangy sauce was calling to me. “Yum.”
We ate and then Joey and I were allowed to go to the pool for a while.
It was fun, but I liked Daddy’s pool better.
It was private and more comfortable, where I could be myself.
Here, there were tons of people around, including real kids from other campers outside of our community.
It honestly didn’t stop Joey much. He cannonballed into the deep end, splashing everyone and encouraging others to play around too, but I hung back, contemplating everything.
Joey was outlandish and stayed in his little headspace a lot more than I did, even in public.
It was ironic, since he had kind of a public persona with all his media work, and I certainly didn’t.
No one knew who I was, just a simple salesperson working hard but mostly anonymously.
Yet, he was the bold one who didn’t care.
I cared. Because I was constantly being judged, which made Daddy’s pool and his home more appealing.
If we were there, I would be playing a lot more.
Joey swam up next to me and squirted water out of his fist.
“I can do that too.” I squirted him back, making him laugh.
“Why are you hanging on to the edge like a lifesaver? Come swim and play.”
“Guess I’m tired from the hike. The sun can really suck the life out of you.”
Joey snorted. “Whatever.” Then he splashed me and swam away. That was definitely a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down. I could not let that stand. Pushing away from the wall and all my insecurities, I dove after him.
He was slippery and fast, but eventually, I caught his ankle and pulled him closer. Then we wrestled, trying to dunk each other. I had more fun after that. Joey’s philosophy was better than mine when it came to being yourself.
When we finally got tired for real, we rinsed off and headed back to our tents where our daddies were hanging out. Vince spread his arms wide. “You two look like drowned rats. Come here, Joey.” Of course, Joey went right into his arms. “Let’s go get a nap.”
My daddy raised an eyebrow and then glanced at me. “You want a nap too?”
“Yes. Will you come with me?”
“Of course. Let’s go.” He tossed my towel over the clothesline he’d set up while we were gone and took my hand, leading me inside the tent. I stripped out of my wet swim trunks, and he held his hand out for them. “I’ll hang them up, too.” He ducked out but returned only a few seconds later.
We cuddled together on the mattress, and I started drifting off until Daddy slid down and flicked his tongue over my nipple. “You really tired, baby?”
“Uh-huh…”
“How about I give you a little treat to help you get to sleep?”
“Not saying no to that, Daddy.”