Underwater, I had swallowed some water, because I wasn't prepared to be thrown about. Panic mode set in. ‘Think' I said to myself. ‘What did Dave say....oh yeah kick your legs.' I did that and within seconds I surfaced coughing, except I wasn't facing the shore but the middle of the lake. ‘Now what. Dave never taught me to turn. I could swim out to the rope, grab it turn around and swim back...no that's too far and I'm not a strong swimmer. Maybe I could use my arms to turn me around.' I thought to myself while swimming out to sea. I decided to try a doggy paddle to turn me around. It worked! I was able to do my not so good front crawl back toward the beach. Throughout the whole thing my heard was racing. I swam until my had touched the ground in the shallow area. Yes! I went farther then I needed to but I was concentrating so hard, I didn't notice anyone around me. I stood up and raised my arms in triumph! Dave was running towards me. When he got to where I was he picked me up and twirled me around, saying excitedly, "you did it, you did it!!!"
"Thanks, but don't you ever do that to me again, unless I say," I scolded him.
"Don't worry."
The rest of the people came to congratulate me on me on my effort. "So Karin you knew about this right? I saw you talking to Dave earlier!"
"Okay, okay I was in on it too," answered Karin.
After the spotlight faded, Bob decided to get back to his mission of being able to talk to Karin alone for a minute. That boy doesn't give up. "Hey Karin, how about we go back to the campsite early and play some Moffatt music?"
He knew he could get a smile out of that one, because Karin loves playing their music on guitar, "sure I'd like too, but to play Moffatt music don't you think we need more that one Moffatt, like say one who can play a whole song on the guitar without screwing up?"
Bob who was smiling at the beginning frowned. Well at least she said yes to something. She was pretty good at turning him down. "I guess."
"Okay Scott come on."
The rest of us decided to go with them, since there was only half of us left.
"Karin, I'll race you back to the campsite, and the first one out sitting on the lawn chairs around the fire pit with a guitar in their hands strumming the first notes of misery in the winner."
"Another challenge eh? All right your on!"
And with that they were off and Dave and I were shaking our heads at them.
Once we returned to the campsite we found Karin with her guitar, and Bob trying to keep her away from reaching the fire pit and Max (Karin's dog), biting at Bob's shoes thinking Bob was attacking Karin. "Melissa Help," she yelled.
I decided to help her out, and I grabbed Bob's wrists. "Hey," he complained.
"I win," yelled Karin as she quickly ran to a lawn chair and began playing misery.
"Where's your guitar?" I asked Bob.
"Oh, our parents mus have gone out and the trailer is locked. Well Karin's was too, but she knew how to break into hers, so I was trying to prevent her from winning, and her dumb dog attacked me."
"Good boy Max," encouraged Karin.
The rest of the night Bob left Karin alone. He figured he at least progressed a step with her.
The next morning, it hadn't started to rain yet so Dave and I decided to go for a bike ride, but it wasn't just any normal bike, it was a tandem bike. Dave's family had borrowed it and Dave and I finally got a chance to ride it. It was the sweetest bike ever, even though it was an old hunk of metal. When riding it, you felt like you were on top of the world because everyone we passed had a different reaction. "Look there's a tandem." "You'd better watch it man she's following a little too close behind you." and we were probably the only people in the campground with that kind of bike, so I felt special.
What I noticed from the whole week was not too many people recognized the Moffatts. I mean they never got asked too often for autographs. There was the odd time though. It could have had something to do with it being the middle of the week. Oh well.
Once returning to the campground we found Karin and Bob in the middle of one of their arguments, well more likely the beginning. Dave and I stopped the bike off to the side of the roadway and decided to watch from a distance.
"When Dave and Melissa get back, do you want to go for a bike ride on the tandem?" asked Bob.
"Naw, it'll probably start to rain when we re out there, and I don't feel like getting soaked," she answered looking at the ground.
"Can I ask you a question? Why have you been ignoring me all week?"
"Ignoring you, I've done lots of things with you guys," she said a little hurt.
"You've done a few things, but I've been asking you to do things with me the entire week, like go for walks, a bike ride, a boat ride, and you've turned me down every single time."
"Because I didn't want to do any of those things."
"Yeah, and pigs fly, I don't believe that, you and me used to do a lot of things together, and now all the sudden it's changed. What's bothering you?"
"Nothing, so why don't you leave me alone!" she said starting to get mad.
"There's something the matter, and I want to help you as a friend, I don't want to get into another argument."
"It's too late you already started one."
"Well sorry, I didn't mean to, all I wanted to know is why I haven't been given a fair chance?" he said sternly raising his voice.
"A fair chance?" she questioned.
"Yes, a fair chance, you know how we used to get along, tell each other everything, and have conversations with each other to the wee hours in the morning. We haven't even talked about what has happened since we last saw each other."
"Think about it, what was one of the first questions I asked you...How was your last tour, and you shrugged it off like it was nothing."
"That's because Melissa was there," he said getting upset. That one hurt. "I barely even knew her then, and if I told you some inside stories and stuff, she wouldn't have a clue what was going on and she would be left out, but now it seems I can talk to her easier than I can talk to you. Why?" I felt better after that.
Then Karin totally lost it, "you want to no why?... Because I'm scared!" she screamed, and before Bob could protest she turned and ran crying to the tent.
Dave and I were shocked, we never expected anything like that to happen, we silently wheeled the bike into the site, just as it started to rain. You know how there seems to always be bad weather in book and movies when something sad occurs. I could then totally relate to that. It made everything more depressing. I looked over at Bob, who was sitting in a chair mumbling to himself. "What did I do?" over and over again.
"Poor guy," I said to Dave.
"Yeah, I guess," he answered, "well we'd better put everything away before it gets all soaked."
So we put everything away. When we were done Bob was still sitting there. I put my hand on his shoulder, " come inside, before you freeze."
He didn't say anything, but followed us into Karin's trailer.
Once inside, Karin's brother, Scott, and Clint had already started playing Life, since it is a tradition to play board games, and card games when it rains, although I have heard card games usually end up as a game of 52 pick up. Dave and I chose to join, but Bob decided not to.
"Hey man, what's up? I thought you liked the game of life?" asked Clint right away noticing there was a problem.
"I do, I just don't feel like playing today," he answered. I could sense a double meaning in that.
Clint looked at me quizzically. "Bob and Karin had a fight," I said.
"But don't they usually make up after?" asked Scott.
"That's what I thought, but they didn't."
"So, um, why don't you go talk to her?"
"Come on you guys, I thought you knew Karin for almost all you life, and you've never seen her upset? She gets to the point where she is so frustrated that she doesn't speak to anyone. I'm going to give her some time to cool down before I talk to her."
"Okay, okay, quit discussing me and Karin, I don't want to hear about it," whined Bob.
"Man someone is going through PMS," said Scott.
"Shall I kick you butt now or later," said Bob calmly.
"I'd like to see you," he answered sarcastically.
"Now is what you want?... okay Clint, Tim, Dave, Melissa, grab him and stand him up with is back facing me, and don't let him get away."
We had a bit of a struggle, but 4 can easily overpower one. Then Bob stepped back a bit, and with a karate kick, kicked him in the butt and that was it.
"You call that kicking my butt?"
"Well I do believe that is what I did." answered Bob.
We let go of Scott and he was shaking his head at Bob, which lightened the mood.
I decided then to pay a visit to Karin. When I found her, I found she had cried herself to sleep. Seeing her sleeping, I decided to take a nap too. When I awoke, I saw her reading her Bible, she was sobbing a bit. I went over to comfort her. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know, I just realized what a horrible person I've been to Bob. He probably hates me."
"No he doesn't. He thinks it's all his fault that he made you upset.
"Really?"
"Yeah, but really what's come into you that you're acting so different now?"
"Because you told them I like Bob the best..."
"Do you?"
"I don't' know," she whined, "It's just what you told me he said afterwards, about charming me with his looks."
"Karin, he was joking, from what I saw, he directed that line more to Scott, who can be full of himself sometimes. Now I feel that it is my fault."
"No it's not. If it's anyone's fault it's mine, for not letting Bob say whatever it was he was trying to ask me," and she began sobbing again.
"So what time do you think it is?" I asked trying to get her mind off whatever was making her unhappy.
"I don't know, you're the one who always wears a watch."
"Oh, oops," I looked at my watch, "yikes it's 4 o'clock. No wonder I'm getting hungry. Do you want to come with me and get something to snack on?"
"No, I don't really have an appetite."
"Karin not have an appetite. This is serious. Well do you want to come out and stretch your legs."
"Actually I kind of want to be left alone if that's okay. You can go join the others. Dave's probably thinking I did something to you."
"I'm guessing Bob's more worried about you."
"Will you do me a favour and tell Bob I'm sorry."
"As much as I would like to, I'm gonna have to leave that up to you."
A look of fear came upon her face. "Please Mel!" she begged.
"I'm sorry I can't, but I have faith in you that you can do it. You guys are due for a talk." I gave her a reassuring hug, and then unzipped the door to the tent and peered outside, "hey it's stopped raining!" I exclaimed. The sun was trying to break through the clouds.
A minute later I was greeted by Bob. "Hey, so how is she?"
"Coping, I think she'll be okay, although she kinda wants to be left alone. I found her sleeping, so I decided to take a nap too."
"She's not mad at me is she?"
"No, she thinks your mad at her, but maybe you can talk to her tonight.
The rest of the guys came by. "You two wanna play tackle football?" asked Scott.
"Um, let me think. No! Since it just finished raining," I answered.
"Good point," answered Dave who sounded as if he were forced to play.
"But it will be more fun when the grass is wet." added Scott.
"Yeah more fun, that is until someone breaks their ankle."
"Okay, okay, we'll just play pass."
"How about a game of jackpot, to make it more interesting, that is after I grab a quick snack I'm starved," I said.
"Bring me something too," shouted Dave.
I came back with a bag of chips and we all left for the field. When we got there we played jackpot for a while and then Scott got bored. "Come on how about 2 hand touch football?"
I objected but Scott was persistent. "If anyone gets hurt, I'll carry them back." I bet he was really hoping Tim wouldn't get hurt, him being 6 foot 7.
I finally agreed to play, about 15 minutes later, I had the ball and was running, when Dave, who wasn't on my team, came from behind and tagged me but tagged a little too hard and I slipped and fell over.
"Ow," I yelled.
Dave immediately came to see if I was alright. "I'm alright, but play along with me and pretend my ankle is sprained. I want to teach Scott a lesson," I whispered to Dave.
"All right," he replied, "which ankle hurts," he said a little louder, "can you move it."
"It's the right. It really hurts!" I cried.
"By then everyone was crowded around.
"Have fun carrying her back," teased Clint.
Scott a little worried about my condition was defeated, and I was doing a silent dance of victory in my mind. Knowing that it would be no use playing anymore, Scott picked me up gently, and started walking back. "I'm sorry I made you play football," he apologized sincerely.
"It's okay, it was my choice to play," I tried to state as cooly as possible because Dave was trying his hardest to look concerned and he looked so funny I wanted to laugh.
We got back to the camp ground and Scott set me down on a chair and I got up and walked into the trailer, got out a bag of cookies and started eating them, when Scott noticed I was up and about, "I thought you sprained you ankle."
"Oops sorry I lied," I said innocently.
"You're in for it now!"
"Eeeeeep," I screamed and ran away from him and searched for cover behind Dave when, "supper!" yelled Sheila. Saved!
Karin didn't want to come out and eat. That girl was really bothering me, it's not too hard to step out of a tent for 20 minutes eat something, and go back into hiding, but I guess she still couldn't face Bob. Me being the nice person I am, secretly saved some food for her, after all she invited me camping. It's not like Karin to not eat. The rest of us decided to go for a walk. Before we left, I stopped by the tent to talk some sense into her. "Yo Karin, I saved you some food."
"Hey thanks," she replied.
"Look I'm going to be frank with you. We're going for a walk now, and when we come back I want to see you out of here, or I'm going to send Bob in here and make him say to you whatever he has been wanting to talk to you about, even if it's against his will," and then I left. I could hear her let out a sigh of frustration, but someone would have to get her out.
When we left I told Bob to stay behind incase she wanted to talk to him alone. On our way Scott and Clint met up with some people who were looking for people to have a soccer game with. Me and Dave decided not to play.
We got to the campsite and Karin was sitting on top of the picnic table with her back against us. I was about to congratulate her but Bob came from around the corner of his trailer and shook his head and put his finger to his lips so we would be quiet. We got the picture and left down a little path from our campsite that led to nowhere. Dave took off his sweater and placed it on the ground underneath a tree so we could sit down. We could see Karin and Bob, but couldn't hear them. I tried my best not to spy on them, so I fixed my attention on Dave.
*Karin's point of view*
‘I'm out of the tent now. I hope you're happy Melissa,' I said to myself not wanting to have come out.
"Is this seat taken," I heard a timid voice ask. It was Bob.
‘Lord give me strength,' I said silently.
"Well, my imaginary friend Bob is sitting beside me now but your welcome to take his spot in human form," I told him, which is something I used to always say to him.
He smiled, sat down next to me and gave me a friendly one armed hug. "It's nice to see you back to your normal self again, but seriously I want to apologize for getting mad at you this morning. It's my fault."
"Come on it's my fault and you know it, I'm the one who never gave you a chance," I argued.
"Is not," he said.
"Is too."
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Is not." We stopped our argument and looked each other in the eyes. His were sparkling. Then we gave each other a really meaningful hug. It was hard to let go, now that we were pretty much back to the good friends we used to be.
When we let go I told him I would be back in a second, and I went into my tent and got out my Bible. I sat down and he put his arm around me. "I've had a lot of time to think, and pray, and read my Bible, and while I was reading, I came across this passage," I opened my Bible and read aloud, "First Corinthians 13, verses 4, 5, and 7. Okay? Are you following?" He nodded. "Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. Never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly ever notice when others are wrong. If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always stand your ground in defending him. You see Bob, in the Bible it says we are to love everyone, even our enemies as friends, and I want to do what it says, but it's hard. I try to love everyone but it's worse when you show less love to those you love more than a friend," I said choking back tears, "that person being you. I'm sorry." I couldn't keep my eyes dry anymore and the tears came.
He gave me his shoulder to cry on, and we shared a long hug.
When we parted, he wiped the tears from my eyes and said, "It's okay. I forgive you." Which really made me feel good after all I put him through that week.
"So, um, Bob, you've been wanting to ask me something all week?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence that had taken over for 30 seconds.
He nodded. "I don't know how you're going to take this. And I'm very nervous asking you this, but I have to say this, it's been killing me..." he stopped.
"Go on," I encouraged.
"It's just that....um....how should I say this? You're the person I've had the most beautiful friendship with, and I'm willing to take our friendship up a step, to a higher level. If you know what I mean. I guess what I'm asking is, if you'd be my girlfriend."
I was speechless. I mean I could sense that he was going to ask me that. "Bob, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," I said to him, "I've been dreading that all week, because I can't find anywhere in me to say no to you, except to tell you I'm scared. You've gone out with other people, but you're my first boyfriend. I'm scared that one day we might break up, and end up hating each other, which is the last thing on earth I'd want to happen. But as they say the only way to get rid of your fears is to face them, so I'm going to do that, and hope I made the right choice, which right now deep down in my heart, I believe it's right......Sorry for rambling on like that, and thanks for listening. I feel a lot better now so if you have something you want to say, I'll listen," I said my acceptance speech.
To make things a little more clearer Bob asked me. "So it's a yes?"
"Yes," I replied and smiled.
"Thank you. I have to admit, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this too. I promise I will protect you from our fans and media. This will be hard for us leading two different lifestyles, but we survived as best friends before, and I believe we can survive now, if we don't do anything wrong or stupid. I think....I mean I believe this will last."
*Narrorator Melissa*
"Well, what a week it's been. I'm glad I got to know you, and I was wondering...."said Dave before I cut him off.
"You know what, I think I'm ready to take you up on your offer."
"What offer? You mean the one where you take over playing keyboards for me and I find a new instrument to play?"
"No silly," I said patting his head, "you never even asked me about that, besides, I was being serious."
"Oh, sorry."
"Anyways, I'm ready to take your offer on being your girlfriend. I've gotten past the point where you're a Moffatt, and you're just like a really good friend now, and I'm not lying."
"Really?" he asked excitedly, "I was just going to ask you what your answer was, but you cut me off."
"Hee, hee, I beat you to it," I teased. Ever since Dave cracked his little joke, I had lost my seriousness.
"So miss high and mighty, can I give you a kiss?" he asked, jokingly.
I pointed to my cheek. As soon as his lips touched my cheek, I turned and gave him a kiss on the lips, which really surprised him, because he didn't kiss me back, but it only lasted for about two seconds.
"Hey, no fair, you cheated," complained Dave.
"Sorry, I just always wanted to do that to my boyfriend.
"Don't worry, you're forgiven, I was just teasing you." He was obviously disappointed that he still never gave me a kiss, "so can I still give you a kiss?"
"I don't know, can you kiss?" I teased.
"Oh, so now you think I can't kiss," he said playfully, "I'll show you."
"Really?"
Before I could do anything else, he picked me up and set me down on his lap, and kissed me. It was a long tender kiss that sent tingles through my body. When we parted, I told him, "okay, you've proven yourself."
"You did too, I must add, I was kind of sceptical about you."
I gave him a punch in the arm.
"So should we go back and tell the others the good news?" I asked.
"You mean about me being a good kisser?" he teased.
"Um, no, why would they care. I was thinking more along the lines of, THAT WE'RE GOING OUT!" I said raising my voice to make a point.
"Okay then, lets go," he said and held out his hand for me to hold.
On the short walk back into the campsite, we met up with Scott and Clint.
"So the two love birds decided to come out of the closet," teased Scott.
"Just cut it out now will ya," whined Dave, who couldn't really protest this time then to say that we were humans not birds.
Bob and Karin who had their backs to us turned around then whispered something to each other, then Bob took off his sweater and stuck it over both of their heads and then they kind of started mocking Dave and I. Bob pretended to be a girl and Karin a guy.
"Oh Bob kiss me," said Bob in a high voice.
"I love you Karin," said Karin in a deep voice.
Then they made their little kissing sound effects.
"Okay guys, quit grossing us out," said Clint who began walking over to them, and they silenced. He grabbed the sweater and yanked it off, only to find a surprise, Karin and Bob were sharing their first kiss.
When they found out their cover was blown they pulled apart immediately and turned bright red from embarrassment. We all cheered, which made them turn even redder.
"Oh no Clint, help me, we have two sets of love birds now!" said Scott.
"Yeah, you're just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend," said Karin, she was all in her glory. I hadn't seen her happier all week and I was glad she and Bob had patched things up without me forcing them.
~*~*~
The next day travelling back to Karin's house, me and Karin rode back with Bob and Dave in their truck, because they had a cd player and Karin wanted to listen to a cd. Scott and Clint took our places in the other vehicle, and the four of us somehow managed to squish into the back. We didn't mind the closeness one bit. Karin had to have her favorite song Underdog, by Audio Adrenaline blasted and she was having a good time singing it.
"Been beat up,
been broken down.
Nowhere but up,
when your face down on the ground.
I'm in last place,
if I place at all,
but there's hope for this underdog," she sang.
When the song was over she added, "hey you guys should cover this song!"
"It's not bad, but I have a better idea," answered Bob.
"Really what?" she asked excitedly.
"I'll tell you, but first you have to calm down, you're too hyper."
"Okay, okay, I'll calm down."
"You know, one of the best moves I've ever made was asking you out. Look at you, I haven't seen you this full of energy in ages!"
"Tell me your brilliant idea already."
"Okay, here's my plan. On our next tour, we'll have a contest, and you'll be staged to win, and the winner goes on stage, and we sing a song to you, like, umm, girl of my dreams. After we're done, you shake hands with Scott and Clint and them Scott will give you a guitar pick, and you'll say ‘cool, this is the exact same kind of guitar pick I use,' and then Scott would say, ‘cool do you want to play a song for us?' and then you say, ‘sure,' and then you say you're going to play Underdog by Audio Adrenaline, and then I'll say, ‘cool we know that song too,' and then we play it, the crowd loves it and then you come on tour with us, and we play back up for you while you open for us," said Bob excitedly with his feeble attempt to get Karin to come on tour with him.
"Um, Bob, you're not getting a little too excited now are you?" I asked.
"No," he answered.
"Whatever you say, whatever you say," I said laughing.
The end.
If you want my other ending line here it is:
What a great week it had been. lol
