The Best Deceptions

We sat outside around the fire built in the fire pit. My mom bought it after dad nearly set the woods on fire. Gas held a stick in his hand, a fluffy white marshmallow was attached to the end, he watched it intently until he decided it was a perfect black scorched mess, he then blew the fire out and stuck the marshmallow in his mouth, pulling it straight off of the stick. He had done this about ten times.

Linde was sitting on the floor wrapped in a sleeping bag and a bottle of wine sitting between his legs. Manna was zipped in her own sleeping bag, her head was rested on Linde’s shoulder.

Bam was sitting in one of the wicker chairs, Lilah was sitting in his lap engulfed in blankets. Every so often he would get excited and move, her head would slip off of his shoulder and she would give him an annoyed look.

Burton sat next to Gas, he quietly at marshmallows and drank his beer, I couldn‘t imagine how he was standing the taste.

Mige…Mige was wasted, that’s all that’s to be said for him. I was wrong, his wife didn‘t know what his plan was. She went back home.

I sat up cross legged and pulled the guitar from behind Ville and strummed it quietly.

“Sing-a-long!” Mige shouted, his words were so slurred I could barely make out a word he said.

Ville shook his head, “There will be no sing-a-longs at Camp Valo.”

I smiled and decided the guitar may have been a bad idea. I sat it down beside me and picked my beer back up.

“Why did you put it down?” Ville asked.

“I’m not what I used to be.” I smiled half-heartedly.

“We’re all friends here, no one’s gonna make fun of you.” He smiled that star-crossed smile and took the guitar from me. He began playing a song he knew I would know.

-----

I watched Sarah’s eyes light up at the sound of the song we used to sing all the time. She went to open her mouth then closed it. I nodded in encouragement. Her cheeks turned pink, she took a deep breath and began singing.

“Dressed in black he walks alone, a shadow in the night. Each time he walks by my window can't hold the tears from my eyes. We're so much in love. Why can't they realize? That every time he looks at me
I long to feel his lips on mine. I live on just the memory of him caressing me. So soft, so warm. So soft, so warm. They said he was much to wild for me. They said I didn't know what I was getting myself into. They said a whole lot of things but there are some things they could never understand. That a girl can tell by the way a boy holds her hand or maybe they thought we were too young to be in love this way. Well, I don't care what people say. This girl's love is getting stronger with each passing day.” She sang the words from memory, that song meant a hell of a lot more than either of us let on.

Her voice was simple, it was smooth and could be sultry when she wanted to be. She stopped singing right before the end of the song.

Gas’s eyes were wide open, his mouth gaping, “Why did I not know that you could do that?” He asked as he blinked slowly. I smiled, watching her blush and try to hide her face.

“She’s embarrassed about it.” Bam spoke up, Lilah smacked his chest lightly.

“We have news, I’ll have to tell Mige twice, there’s no way he’ll remember this in the morning…but uh…” I glanced down at Sarah nervously. She adjusted herself on the lawn chair and pulled the blanket tighter around her.

All eyes were on us, I didn’t exactly know how to put it. How do you say, “I just found out I have a kid halfway around the world, just thought you should know.”

But thankfully Sarah spoke up, “I have a child.”

The look on their faces were priceless, Gas stopped paying attention to his impaled marshmallow. It burnt, melted and fell into the fire all while his mouth was gaping wide. Linde raised an eyebrow and took a drink of his wine. Burton, typically the man of few words looked like he was about to speak up then thought better of it.

“Who’d you fuck in America?” Mige asked drunkenly, I knew Sarah knew how to ignore him and she would.

“It wasn’t in America dumbass.” She retorted, Mige acted like a child, he held his beer close to him and I knew if he wasn’t already sitting he would have fallen straight on his ass.

“Who was it then?” Gas asked, he still held his marshmallow-less stick over the fire.

“That would be me.” I said sheepishly.

“Oh shit!” Linde said then clamped his hand over his mouth like those words weren‘t meant to be said.

“Her name is Ada and she’ll be seven this year.” Sarah said like the proud mother she was. I found her more attractive after I found out she was a mother. I’m not sure if it was on the inside or on the outside but she was simply irresistible.

“Aww, that’s so sweet! Congratulations.” Manna said, she climbed out of her sleeping bag and hugged Sarah and I.

“Linde I’m going to bed.” She said then walked inside the house. Lilah reached over and grabbed the empty sleeping bag and covered herself with it, she clearly had never been to Finland.