Until The Very End

CHAPTER 12: The Camp

            “How about this,” Rodolfo had an idea in mind. “I’ll build your tent, and you make the campfire.”

            “What?” asked Matt in disbelief. “No. I wanted to set up my tent on my own.”

            “We don’t have much time. Sunset is coming. We won’t be able to see anything later,” replied Rodolfo, kneeling up.

            “I brought lamps,” responded Matt confidently.

            “Yeah, I saw it on the storage box, but did you bring any match? I have seen no match from the storage box,” Rodolfo widened his arms, looking at Matt’s eyes.

            “I – uhmm,” Matt started to reply but wasn’t sure what to reply. After minutes, he got to his feet and walked nearer to where his woods for campfire were, leaving words to Rodolfo, “Make sure you build the tent good like yours.”

            Rodolfo chuckled and replied, “Of course, I’ll do my best.”

            Matt stared at the tinder, kindling woods and firewoods he took from the woods. He thought it wasn’t enough, but he doesn’t want to go back to the woods because he wanted to guard his camping backpack where he had hid his sketchbook. Moments later after staring at his campfire materials. He swept the dead leaves on the ground using his hand. Then he went to the lake. He came back carrying an American football ball-sized rocks in his arms. He went again to the lake and grabbed some more. He brought more, and more.

            When thinking that the rocks were enough, he formed a circle on the ground out of the rocks he just collected. Then at the centre of the circle, he made a small upside-down cone using the kindlings, leaving an opening for the tinder. Next, he added the firewoods to the small cone of kindling. The tinder he got from the woods was dry and dead long grasses. He twisted the grasses, forming a pocket or more like a nest.

            From the kindlings and firewoods he has, he picked one very dry stick that was long as from the tip of his middle finger to his elbow. He took one of his firewood and the axe. He chopped the firewood very carefully in an attempt to have a wood board. But on his first try, he gets a wood board as thin as cardboard. He tried again. And again. And once more. After few many passes, he got an exact thick of wood board for making fire. He turned and spoke to Rodolfo, who was nearly done with the tent.

            “Hey, Rod! Can I have your multi-tool you had bought this morning for a moment?”

            “Catch!” Rodolfo shouted as he throws in the air his 21 in 1 multi-tool. It landed a few centimetres in front of Matt.

            He immediately gets it and created a hole on the wood board. From the thin wood board, he made a wood chip which he placed under the hole of the wood board. After making a hole, he got up, one knee on the ground, insert the first end of the stick into the hole, and using his both palms, he began to spin the stick from the top end to the bottom. He put back his palms at the top end of the stick and started to spin the stick to the bottom. The process continued until smokes began to appear at the hole of the board. He spun the stick few more minutes to have a better and more ember.

            After a moment he slowly separates the ember from the hole using twigs, lifts the wood chip, where the embers were, and dropped the ember to the nest he made earlier. With both hands, he gently squeezed the nest and gently blew on it. Smokes became thicker the more blows he did. Flames appeared on the nest after few more blows. He directly placed the burning tinder inside the small upside-down cone. He blew on it until it became a fire. Once it became a fire, he fuelled it with more with dry dead grasses. Two minutes later, the fire grew bigger.

            Out of air and exhausted because of making the campfire, Matt sighted Rodolfo watching him. Rodolfo was sitting on the camping rug. Matt walked and sat beside him, asking;

            “How long you’ve been watching me?”

            “About ten minutes or so,” answered Rodolfo He turned his head to the lake.

            “Yet you don’t have the gut to help me with that campfire?” questioned Matt, half-irritated.

            “Hey,” Rodolfo faced Matt. He was teasing Matt when he said, “We agreed that I’ll do your tent and you make the campfire. Where’s the ‘I’ll help you with the campfire after setting up your tent’ there?”

            “I never agreed,” replied Matt.

            “Oh, but you let me do it.”

            “’cause I have no choice,” said Matt, looking at his hands.

            “Therefore, you agreed,” teased Rodolfo.

            “Whatever,” Matt stood up and walked in the direction of the lake. “I’ll go wash myself. You better stay there, you obnoxious little prat.”

            “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?” Rodolfo shouted to Matt, who was walking fast.

            “Whatever!”

            Before dusk, the campfire and their tents were finished. Their tent stood beside each other, facing the lake, and the camping rug was in front of it. Their own backpacks were inside of their own tent, and the two storage boxes left outside, arranged. After Matt had finished washing himself, they had eaten their first dinner at the camp. Matt didn’t eat much.

            Later on, after their dinner, they sat beside each other on the camping rug, facing the campfire. They watched the evening twilight. And then, night came. They had no idea what to do that night before hitting the tent. They were staring at the campfire while they listen to the crackling sound that the wood creates as it continues to burn.  

            “What job do you want after you graduate college?” Rodolfo suddenly asked Matt. Matt wanted to answer the question when Rodolfo said out of the moment, “Oh, right! No, no, don’t answer. I remember you already have everything.”

            Matt felt annoyed after hearing Rodolfo said ‘you already had everything’. But he kept him to himself and asked instead, “What about you?”

            “Undecided,” Rodolfo replied shortly.

            “Why?”

            “Just look at my family. We barely have everything although my sisters have jobs. We don’t even have enough money for Bonnie’s heart operation. How poor we are, really,” explained Rodolfo.

            Matt had forgotten to call Rodolfo’s father and check how was Bonnie. And he felt stupid letting his friend worried about his younger sister. He looked at Rodolfo, whose eyes were fixed on the fire, and questioned, “How about your dreams? I mean, you wouldn’t achieve them without completing college.”

            “Hopeless,” Rodolfo said. Matt could tell that Rodolfo was sobbing. “No money, no tuition. No tuition, therefore, no college. I don’t understand why my father wouldn’t let me work to support myself. I feel like the youngest member of the family.”

            “You have me,” Matt wrapped his one arm to Rodolfo’s nape. “As long as we breathe, I’ll be with you and with your family.”

            “Thanks,” Rodolfo rest his head on Matt’s shoulder. Matt didn’t expect it. “But we can’t always accept your money.”

            “Why not?” Matt tried to reach the nearest firewood and place it on the fire. “As long as you needed it, why dare to reject?”

            “Because my family can’t always rely on you, Matt. It’s a bad habit,” responded Rodolfo.

            Matt stood up to get Rodolfo’s head off his shoulder. He felt uncomfortable with it. To have a reason for standing up, he went to the storage boxes, and get the marshmallows and the two twigs he set aside for this moment, saying, “Alright, alright. But no one said “no” to roasting marshmallows on the campfire.”

            He gave the other twig to Rodolfo and opened the bag of marshmallows. They both took one, pricked it at the end of the twig, and started roasting it by placing the marshmallows above the campfire.

            “Why would you said that I already have everything?” Matt couldn’t help himself but remember what Rodolfo had said earlier. It really makes him upset a bit.

            “Come on, it is obvious,” chuckled Rodolfo. He thought was joking. “You’re rich!”

            “You had no idea what it’s like to be me,” said Matt, sounding serious.

            Rodolfo looked at him. Matt was watching his marshmallows get roasted on the fire. Then, Rodolfo asked, “What do you mean?”

            “I missed my family. I mean, my real family,” He looked at Rodolfo’s marshmallow and said. “Please, don’t look at me for that long. Your marshmallow is already burning.”

            Rodolfo gasped when he saw his marshmallow on fire. He waved it to the air so the fire will die out. He removed his burnt marshmallow and took another one from the bag. Matt went on to what he was saying;

            “If you think I have everything and that I was happy with the life I have now, please stop. Aside from not having my real family with me, there’s one more thing on this earth that I’m sure I couldn’t have. It costs nothing, but it is so hard to get.”

            “What is it?” questioned Rodolfo, perplexed.

            Matt shooked his head sidely, barely able to speak.

            “Come on. What is it?”

            Matt didn’t respond to his friend.

            “Is it diamonds?”

            “Diamonds costs billions.”

            “Okay. Hmm, a life partner?”

            Matt looked at him for a moment, and lied, “No.”

            “Ha!” exclaimed Rodolfo. “I know that look! It is a life partner! Well, it’s not that hard from my perspective. First, confess to your crush. Second, date her. Get to know more about her. And when the time comes that you think you are ready, propose your love by marrying her.”

            “Sounds like easy to you,” Matt took another marshmallow after eating the roasted one.

            “Actually, it’s pretty hard for me too,” Rodolfo admitted. “I mean, I couldn’t even ask a girl to go out sometimes.”

            “Why tho?”

            “I don’t know. Guess I’m really bad at this stuff.”

            “Wait, who was this girl?” Matt asked excitedly.

            “No one,” Rodolfo answered briefly.

            Matt thinks of something to know who that girl was. One minute later, he asked Rodolfo, “Do you have any crushes before?”

            “No,” lied Rodolfo.

            “Impossible. I mean, all teenagers have crushes before.”

            “Well, I had a huge crush on Hailey when we were in middle school,” confessed Rodolfo. “Please, don’t tell her. No one knew about it except you.”

            “Aha!” shouted Matt. He finally figured out who the girl was. “So it was Hailey! Now I see why you couldn’t ask her. She really spends her whole day with her friends and study.”

            “I hate you,” giggled Rodolfo. He suddenly made a secret smile. “I didn’t know it was a trick. Let’s hear yours. Any sexy hot women at your company?”

            “You’re kidding, right?” Matt laughed hysterically. “I haven’t seen any employee at our company having the same age as mine. And I bet there’s none.”

            “Okay, okay. I got it,” said Rodolfo while taking short nods. “But what about when you started college?”

            “None,” Matt answered shortly. He hesitated at first. “I came to college for our company.”

            Rodolfo’s smile fades away. He hid his face from the fire and said, “Could you give me a bottle of water?”

            “Sure. Wait,” said Matt in a normal manner.

            Something memorable came when Matt had gotten to his feet to get a bottle of water that that was on the storage box, which was few feet away from them. Thousands of fireflies that were flying in the woods appeared in his sight. Due to fireflies’ bioluminescent light, which attracts anyone attentions, Matt stood silently while his friend continued on roasting marshmallows.

            “Matt? I’m waiting for the water,” Rodolfo spoke after a moment of his friend’s absence.

            “Come look at this,” replied Matt hushedly.

            “Look at what?” asked Rodolfo who was not paying attention to his friend.

            Matt didn’t answer. Seconds had pass and Rodolfo repeated his question, “Look at what?”

            Once again, Matt didn’t answer. Like a tall strong tree, his body was fixed to the ground. Rodolfo moved his head and saw Matt standing silently. Out of confusion, Rodolfo finally stood up, walked beside Matt, and dropped his jaw after he saw what Matt was seeing. The fireflies flew nearer to them until they were surrounded by them. Their eyes were shining as the fireflies light up.

            “Magical,” whispered Rodolfo.

            “Indeed,” Matt whispered back.

            “I used to see sceneries like this online, but now I’m here. Standing with my favourite person while being surrounded by them,” said Rodolfo. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

            “This is a dream, isn’t it?” questioned Matt while he turned around to face the lake. “Do you reckon this is a dream?”

            “I don’t think so,” responded Rodolfo, who slowly lifts his head to the sky. “I can feel my skin turning slowly into ice.”

            The water of the lake was sparkling, not because of the moonlight, but because of the fireflies that were scattered above it. Some fireflies create a jet of bioluminescent light after flapping their wings faster and gliding carelessly through the air than other normal fireflies.

            “Turn around,” Matt told Rodolfo, who was staring at him.

            Rodolfo turned around. He couldn’t take that moment seeing the fireflies above the waters. It was too much for him to remember. He wanted to hug Matt and said thank you for bringing him to that place, but he couldn't do it. He thought it was inappropriate, and Matt might not like hugs. He even practised how to tap a friend’s shoulder in his mind, but ended up not doing it.

            Five minutes later, Matt suddenly lied down and watched the fireflies flew into the air. Rodolfo followed him after. The starry skies make it even more exceptional. They were busy fantasizing while watching the fireflies flew to the evening sky. Until, without realizing it, they had fallen asleep at the camping rug. The cold air does nothing to their skin. That moment they had was too extreme to be expressed in words.

            Three hours later, Matt felt himself comfortable on his sleeping bag inside his tent. He was confused to see himself there, then he came to the conclusion that Rodolfo probably carried him. He instantly looked for his phone in his camping backpack. He took a look at the time. It was 10:52 p.m. One more hour before midnight. He watched the stars through the window of his tent, thinking how Rodolfo carried him to his tent.

            The stars were beautiful. That made him smile. He wondered if Rodolfo was doing the same thing – staring at the night sky. Not a lot moment after, he heard a splash of water coming from the lake. He rushed out to his tent and saw Rodolfo’s tent open. He nervously ran back to his tent, grabbed his phone, and turned the flashlight on. Walking slowly to Rodolfo’s tent, he called his friends name.

            “Rodolfo?”

            Rodolfo wasn’t inside of his tent, but the last clothes that Rodolfo had worn were neatly folded at the corner of the tent. Matt stood straightly up, just then, his phone died out. It was already out of battery. He ran to the storage boxes, get one lantern and sat on the campfire. The campfire was unlit already, but there was still burning charcoals. He collected the burning charcoals at the centre of the circled rocks and added kindlings on top. He gently blew on the burning charcoals that immediately produce fire. He added some firewoods and blew again until the fire was strong.

            He lit the lantern using the fire from the newly lit campfire. The air was so cold, but he doesn’t mind. He wanted to look for his friend. He raised high the lantern as he approached the lake. The lake was calm and still. He walked carefully to the rocky shoreline. He was too worried. He climbed at the same boulder where he watched Rodolfo did his first skipping stones. Then he yelled, still raising the lantern up.

            “Rod!”

            No Rodolfo answered from the lake or anywhere near the lake. He sat on top of the boulder, placed the lantern in front of him and folded his arms while he rubs himself. He waited. His eyes wandered the whole lake, in a hope that Rodolfo would show up. He turned his head back to their tents. He remembered the fireflies. He stood again on top of the boulder while raising the lantern higher. He shouted again to the top of his lungs;

            “Rod! Where are you?”

            To his surprise, a voice answered back. It was tiny and sounded like a female’s. The tone was in need of help. Matt’s eyes grew bigger. He doesn’t know where to follow the voice because it echoed the who lake.

            “Matt!”

            Matt jumped from the boulder. The lantern almost loses its flame as he did so. Matt wished for another voice to come, but there wasn’t. Matt could hear his heart beating loudly.

            “Rod! Tell me where you are!”

            A moment later, the same tiny voice of a female came, but the word was incomplete.

            “Waterfa - !”

            Waterfall. Matt knew that it was a waterfall. They were before, so it’s the only place that Rodolfo would go. Matt immediately ran to the waterfall. It wasn’t far from the lake. Matt was stumbling on his way to the waterfall because of the rocky shoreline.

            When he arrived at the waterfalls, there was a bubbling sound. Rodolfo was drowning. No more excuses, he dropped the lantern and rushed to the cold water. When the water reached his chest level, he swam. It was hard for him to swim because of the clothes he was wearing. And when he was inches to Rodolfo, Rodolfo shouted. His voice was gurgling;

            “Matt! Hurry!”

            Matt grabbed Rodolfo’s waist and swam up. Matt heard Rodolfo breathed deeply above the water and, to his confusion, Rodolfo pushed himself down the water, hugged Matt and raised him from the water. Matt took a deep breath, and look at his friend in the eyes that were shining because of the moonlight. They were so close to each other. Matt’s brows met in the centre, asking;

            “Wait, what?”

            “What is what?” asked Rodolfo back, still hugging Matt.

            “Are we…” Matt felt the cold water in his body, but he could also felt Rodolfo’s heat. “…floating?”

            “No,” Rodolfo answered, who was standing on the rock. “I’ll slowly put you down and step your feet on the rock below. And be careful, it’s kind of mossy.”

            Matt stepped on the rock and releases his arms from Rodolfo’s waist. He looked around and said, “Wait! You aren’t drowning! You lured me to come here, don’t you?”

            “Lured?” laughed Rodolfo. “That’s not how you called a trick.”

            “A trick?” Matt repeated in confusion.

            “Yeah. Just like how you trick me before by asking questions to know who’s that girl that I couldn’t ask on a date,” replied Rodolfo, splashing the water.

            “But this is serious, you i***t!” slightly pushed Rodolfo away from the rock. He almost lost his balance while Rodolfo was fixed to the rock.

            “Careful. The rock is slippery,” he warned again Matt.

            “How did you swim from the lake to here?” Matt asked again out of confusion.

            “I didn’t.”

            “What? I swear, I heard the water splashed after you jumped at the lake.”

            “It wasn’t me. I throw a big rock on the lake to wake you up,” said Rodolfo, smiling.

            “Do you think it’s funny?” Matt was irritated. “I’m actually awake when I heard it. And I’m going back to warm myself.”

            “But, hey!” Rodolfo shouted when Matt started to swam away. “You’re already here! Let’s go night swimming!”

            “Go swim alone!” Matt shouted angrily as he reached the shore.

            “Come on, Matt! It was just a joke!” Rodolfo replied.

            “Well,” Matt started and went on. “technically, jokes are supposed to be funny!”

            “I’m sorry!” yelled Rodolfo, but Matt didn’t reply. He walked away, pretending Rodolfo doesn’t exist.

            Matt aggressively removed his clothes and squeezed them. The cold air run through his wet skin. He took his towel from his camping backpack, covered himself in it and sits in front of the campfire. He added two firewoods and stared at the fire. Minutes later, he sensed Rodolfo coming. He glimpsed at Rodolfo, who was wearing underpants. Rodolfo halted on the opposite side of Matt, facing the campfire. His hands were on his hips. Rodolfo watched his friend, who was watching the fire dance. Moments later, Rodolfo began;

            “Matt, your underpants. The camping rug is already wet.”

            Matt didn’t respond to Rodolfo.

            “Hey, buddy. I’m sorry,” said Rodolfo later on, sitting down.

            And again, Matt didn’t speak.

            Rodolfo stands up, began to walk, and sat beside Matt. Rodolfo looked at Matt and to the campfire and back again to Matt. Rodolfo stood up again and went to his tent. He came back with his towel, but he didn’t put them on. Instead, he wrapped it around Matt, talking;

            “There. This will help you.”

            Matt removed it from him and threw it on Rodolfo’s face, saying, “Go dry yourself up! I don’t need it!”

            “Hey, I’m sorry. What I did was truly unacceptable,” Rodolfo bowed his head. His voice was sincere. While covering himself with his towel, he added. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

            “The lantern?” Matt asked in his small voice.

            “Is broken,” Rodolfo answered, remembering that he left the lantern.

            “You left it, didn’t you?” Matt asked again.

            Rodolfo was confused. “Well, actually, I can’t see anything there, and I thought it might be best if I wait ‘till morning.”

            Matt said nothing. He added another firewood on the campfire while Rodolfo watched Matt’s actions. He asked Matt later on;

            “Why? Is it special to you?”

            “Yes! Yes, it is!” Matt burst out in anger, standing up. “You see, every time I got panic at something I love, I didn’t know what I am doing! I didn’t know my actions! I didn’t know what is the right thing to do without hurting anybody or anyone! I couldn’t control myself! I don’t care if I already hurt someone or broke something just to get rid of panic! And, of course, you wouldn’t understand that because you are not me!”

            Rodolfo just sat there in silence. His eyes started watering while Matt was screaming at him.

            “Those two pulchritudinous lanterns were my uncle’s family heirloom! And for the love of God, I, who don’t really deserve that to be on my possessions for I am not a true member of his family, was the one who broke it! Don’t you know what this meant? A disgrace!” Matt cried out. For a moment, he stopped, then throw a disgusted look at his friend. “I still don’t see where your joke is.”

            Matt stormed to his tent. He closed his tent and sat there, not minding that his wet underpants. While crying over the broken lantern, he could hear Rodolfo snuffling and sobbing. Five minutes later, Rodolfo came in front of his tent. He pretended to be not crying when he said;

            “Matt, I’m really, really sorry. I am so stupid, and I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again.”

            Matt heard Rodolfo walked away. He laid down inside of his tent – not on his camping bed – and stared at the stars through the window. Then he remembered something. He remembered how did he end up inside his tent when the last time he was awake, he was lying on the camping rug while admiring the fireflies. He wanted to know how and why, and the only thing that will answer his questions was to talk to Rodolfo. But he was furious with his friend.

            In the following minutes, he spent his time breathing in and out. He relaxed himself while he practised how to tell his uncle about the lantern. Few more minutes, he went outside and started to look for his friend. He began on Rodolfo’s tent, but Rodolfo wasn’t there. Next, he went to the lake. There, he saw Rodolfo back floating. Rodolfo heard Matt’s steps while Matt was on his way to the lake.

            “Hey,” said Rodolfo, his eyes were closed.

            “Look, I’m sorry too,” Matt started. Rodolfo opened his eyes. “Uhmm- I shouldn’t have shouted at you earlier. I was angry and stupid. I should learn how to control my temper. And you shouldn’t have seen that side of me. I was harsh.”

            Rodolfo swam to the shore and came nearer to Matt, saying, “I understand. We all come to this point where we explain one thing in an unusual way.”

            Matt smiled a bit and replied teasingly, “Next time, if you want to invite me for a night swimming, you can just wake me up, you old fool.”

            “But you can’t,” Rodolfo said briefly.

            “What?” Matt asked in bewilderment. “What do you mean I can’t?”

            “It was drizzling thirty minutes after we fell asleep outside. I am waking you up, but you’re in your deep sleep. Since I didn’t want to leave you outside, I carried and settled you in your bed. I’m sorry, I had no choice,” explained Rodolfo, restraining himself to laugh.

            “That explains it,” whispered Matt, then ran immediately to the lake. “Let’s go swimming!”

            “Matt, wait!” Rodolfo tried to reach Matt’s shoulder but was unsuccessful.

            When Matt has finally soaked again in water, he replied, “Yes?”

            “What about the lantern?”

            “We’ll get it tomorrow.”

            “Wouldn’t your uncle be mad at you?”

            “I’m not sure. I’ll figure it out later.”

            “Let me help you explain it to him then. After all, it was actually my fault.”

            “Just get back to the water. We came here to have fun.”

            “Wait, you aren’t angry at me anymore, are you?”

            “No.”

            “So, you forgave me then?”

            “Yes.”

            And they went again swimming. They were happy.