A BOY AND GIRL AT THEIR FIRST BASE CAMP IN SPAIN IN 1970
Miriam got off the coach when it stopped at Sans Sebastian and Benedict
got off just behind her it had been a long coach run through France
almost non stop except for the occasional watering hole or at the odd
roadside cafe for a meal or two she stretched out her arms to unwind the
stiffness and looked around the base camp and took in a large
restaurant and field upon field of tents and a block or two of showers
and toilets it looks ok the sky is darkening possible rain then the
guide said right here we are at the first base camp I have a list of
names of who is with whom and of course except for married couples or
couples who have asked to be together the rest will be same sex
partnering there was a few sighs but otherwise all was silent awaiting
the names to be called Miriam stood next to Benedict hoping hed not be
too far off in a tent and wondering whom she would be paired off with in
a tent the guide called out names and paired them off and the couple of
the same sex would find each other and stand there and wait to be shown
where their tent was and after a reading of names the guide said follow
me and Ill show you were your tents are so they all followed him and he
looked at the list and directed couples to the selected tents and they
wandered off across a given field to the tents Miriam was paired with a
plump girl aged about twenty two who nodded but said little else and as
she walked off with the plump dame she gave Benedict a smile and he
smiled back see you around she said to him sure Ill look out for you he
said Benedict was paired off with a military looking guy who stood
erect and tall and straight faced they walked across a field and it
began to rain on them and Benedict sighed and the other guy began to run
with his bags towards the tent and Benedict ran after him cursing the
heavy falling rain thats our tent Military called pointing ahead his
bags swinging around him once they got there Military unzipped the tent
and bundled his bags and Benedicts inside then they both clambered in as
fast as they could meanwhile Miriam and the plump girl had managed to
get in their tent just as the rain came down and they zipped up as quick
as they could and looked around the tent not much room to move Miriam
said the plump girl looked at her bag and began unpacking what she
needed but left the rest inside best get out only what we need I guess
she said Miriam sorted out her sleeping bag and laid it out on her side
of the tent and lay down gazing at the top of the slanting tent and the
rain beating down hard on the canvas the plump girl who said her name
was Cindy unpacked her sleeping bag and lay down too and began to talk
about herself in a long almost unstopping discourse Miriam thought of
Benedict and wished it was he in her tent and not Cindy that it was he
she had to get undressed in front of instead of Cindy and God knows what
shes like underneath her clothes Miriam mused trying not to think about
it trying not to listen too intently to Cindys discourse meanwhile
Benedict watched from his sleeping bag as the military looking guy who
said his name was Charles took off his wet shirt and jeans and rubbed
off with a towel and talked to Benedict about his recent days in the
army Benedict had already taken off his wet clothes and had dried
himself with a towel hed brought he lay on his sleeping bag in his
underwear gazing at Charles torso unhappily wishing it was Miriam there
striping off how about you Benny I can call you Benny cant I? I mean
Benedict is big mouthful isnt it? sure call me Benny Benedict said not
caring what he was called although he preferred not to be called Ben as
some people did Benedict talked of his life and what he did and why hed
come on a camping trip to Morocco and so on and so on meanwhile Miriam
listened as Cindy continued on with her discourse and some parts were
sad and some were funny in a weird sense but when she began to talk of
her sex life with a boy called Seamus and how he liked to do things in a
certain way and then she went into the details and Miriam hoped it
would end soon before she fell asleep and her stomach was beginning to
rumble with hunger and she needed to pee and the rain falling still and
hitting the tent top and she pressed her hands between her thighs hoping
that would ward off the pee needing feeling meanwhile Benedict and
Charles had dressed and began to make their way out of the tent and then
walked across the damp field towards the restaurant Charles ahead like
some army scout carrying a torch and over the way Benedict spotted
Miriam and the plump girl coming across the field in a slow uncertain
movement Miriam in front sour faced and the plump girl moving through
the wet grass like a young cow moving towards the milking sheds Benedict
waved to Miriam and she waved back her sour face brightening to a smile
see you later Cindy Miriam said running ahead to meet Benedict leaving
Cindy to watch her run off despairingly and Charles looked on with
disapproval as Benedict and Miriam paired off together across the grass
towards the restaurant and toilets Cindy stared at Charles and half
smiled and he shrugged his shoulders and said come with me as he watched
the two disappearing as if they were over top soldiers.
Terry Collett has been writing since 1971 and published on and off since 1972. He has written poems, plays, and short stories. He is married with eight children and eight grandchildren. on January 27t.. more..