French Fries and Maple Syrup
Sitting at the table with nothing to do but listen to the adults share scientific ideas with my brother, I picked up my fork and, holding it between my thumb and my pointer finger, I began tapping it against the table, trying to pass the time. I was at a nearby hotel eating dinner with my brother, Adam, my mom, two of my moms cousins, and their kids. From the way my second cousins were staring off into the distance, as if they could see something no one else could, I could tell they wanted to leave just as much as I did.
“Do you wanna see if we can go outside?” Whispered Anna, one of my second cousins. Anna was about my age, though we looked nothing alike. She had brown eyes, and dark brown hair pulled up in several ponytails scattering her head, making her look as if she was from an anime.
“Outside?" I asked, confused. We may both be bored out of our minds, but outside? There's nothing to do.
"It's better then staying here." She had already turned to her mom.
"Can we go out front?"
"Can we go out front?"
"If it's okay with Cie." We all turned to look at my mom, who was still talking with my brother.
"Mom?" I asked, trying to get her attention.
"Huh?" She spun around to see the three of us staring at her.
"Can we go outside?" Anna asked, trying to keep her annoyance from showing in her voice.
“Don't see why not." My mom looked back at my brother. "What were you saying? She asked.
"Let's go." I pushed out my seat and began to walk to the door, with Anna close behind. When we got out, she ran ahead, climbing up onto the taupe bricks that lined the off-white pathway.
"Let's go." I pushed out my seat and began to walk to the door, with Anna close behind. When we got out, she ran ahead, climbing up onto the taupe bricks that lined the off-white pathway.
"Come on!" She yelled, and I stormed off after her. We raced down the swirling path, occasionally jumping off into the grass to pass one another. She reached the bottom first, and, placing her right hand down, swung her legs around her, making the four foot leap look as easy as if she was jumping over a soda can. Despite my anger that I lost, I couldn’t help but smile, as I knelt down to hop off.
"What do you wanna do?" She asked.
"What do you wanna do?" She asked.
"I don't care." I walked past her, wondering why I didn't use my usual, 'I don't know'.
"Well we gotta do something. We can't just stand here all day." She had barely finished speaking when a voice sounded from the doors of the resort, "Hey! Wait for us!"
I spun around to see Dyl and Jay, Anna's cousins, rushing down to meet us. "What's up? Dyl asked.
"I don't know," I don't know what's up? Right, Vona. That makes perfect sense.
"How do you not know?" He asked, seeming to read my mind.
"Are we going to do something, or are we just gonna stand here all day?" Jay interrupted.
Anna spoke up. "Nothing better to do," She told him.
"Might as well sit down then. No use in standing, is there?" Dyl was already walking over to the patio tables, sitting down with his back facing the lake. Jay followed him, and, after exchanging glances, Anna and I did too.
Anna sat down in the closest seat to the resort, the one across from Dyl, leaving me to sit down in between them. I listened in silence as they started gossiping about actors from TV shows I've never watched, and singers I've never listened to.
Losing interest, I let my mind wander as I stared out into the lake, the waves slowly lapping at the shore. Without me realizing it, the shores began to fade, leaving only water and sky, on this cloudless day. I watched the waves moving silently across the water, to a point where I almost forgot where I was.
It's so quiet, I thought. So peaceful.
Without warning, I felt something jab me in the shoulder, pulling me away from tranquility, the rest of the world coming back to me. As I turned to see what had stabbed me, I felt dizzy, as if I had just watched at a busy street after staring at a blank wall, with nothing on it but your shadow. When my eyes focused, I saw Dyl and Anna staring at me, with Jay nowhere to be seen.
“You awake?” Dyl asked.
“No,” I answered dryly. “I just decided to keep my eyes open when I was sleeping. Just for the fun of it.”
“Don't suppose you keep your ears open too, did you?”
“I'm not that awesome," I joked. "Anyway, what did you say?”
“He asked you what this is,” Anna told her, pointing at the hole in the middle of the table were an umbrella would usually go. Covering it was a small, yellow rubber object, that looked somewhat like the plastic covers for the wire holes I've seen at Target. But on it, was what what Dyl was talking about.
“Looks like some dried, shiny thing,” I analyzed.
“Well we don't know that already,” Dyl grumbled.
“I said it smells like maple syrup,” Anna told me.
“Which it doesn't,” Dyl interrupted.
I smelled the air. “No. She's right. That's maple syrup.”
“You still have your fries from dinner, you know, Dyl. You could dip them in and see for your self if it is maple syrup, if you don’t believe us,” Anna dared.
Dyl reached for his to go container, narrowing his eyes. “You realize that could've been out for days, right?” He ignored me and dipped his fry into they syrup. I watched as he took a bite and swallowed, while I was trying to hold back my laughter.
“Yeah,” He said finally. “That's maple syrup.” He laughed, soon joined by me and Anna. “What some?” He offered
“Sorry,” Anna laughed. “I think I'll be fine for now. Maybe latter.”
“Hey, it's actually pretty good.” Dyl reached for another fry.
“You're not doing that again, are you?” Anna looked as if she were about to throw up.
I smiled. Before today, I thought, I had no idea who Anna or Dyl were, and now look at us! Eating food that's been out since who knows when. Making each other want to vomit! I never could get along with my actual cousins, but, somehow, it looks like I may of just found the next best thing.
Cool story. Not what I was looking fir in my search but I still read the whole thing lol
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