Page 21 of The Road Sometimes Taken

“Often enough that I’m not worried about it anymore, Manny. There’s something about the sound of the water falling and the birds chirping. The soft breeze that carries the trees and flowers’ scent. Nature below me and nature above me—that’s where I want to spend my days.”

He looks at me with wonder. I know it comes as a shock to him, especially growing up in the fast paced family he did, but I just don’t want that for myself. I want slow days under the sun. Coffee early in the morning outside while the world sleeps and nature awakens. I want to count stars and catch fireflies.

“Did you add that into your bucket list?” he asks and I look at him confused.Did I say that out loud?

Manny smirks. “Counting stars and catching fireflies, did you add that to your list?”I did, I did say it out loud.

“Ha, no, I do those things often. And in Baker, it’ll be even easier. Why?” I ask him.

He takes a deep breath and touches his forehead. Bringing his hand through his hair and back in front of him. “Can I add things to this road trip bucket list? Because I’ve never done any of those.”

I bring my legs down and into a butterfly pose, perk my chest up and say, “You’ve never counted stars, Manuel Zabana? Not even when you were trying to woo girls into dating you in high school?” I wiggle my eyebrows at him and he smirks. Before he speaks, I know the snarky remark is coming. I can feel it.

“When you’re trying to build an empire, there’s no time for stargazing. And I didn’t have to woo anyone with stars, Carita. Iamthe star.” He looks up when he says that, throwing his fist in the air like he won something.

I roll my eyes at that and laughing softly, I say, “Alright, hotshot, let’s clean this mess up.”

We pack up our stuff in silence and start hiking back toward the van. I can’t believe he’s never stopped for one second to look for stars or to catch bugs. To appreciate what’s around him. Now, I’m adding to my list to make sure Manny writes his own too. I just need to get him to let me.

I had it in my plans to head toward Ohio today so we can explore for a few days but there’s a cool place nearby that I would love to take him. Perfect place for stargazing and getting lost with nature. I pull out my phone, and call to see if there’s availability, and when they tell me they have one spot left I take it.

“Where to next?” Manny asks as we put our bags in the back of the van.

“Camp Aramoni, please.” I climb onto the front seat and we head out in that direction.

9

FLORA & FAUNA

BLOWIN’ SMOKE, TEDDY SWIMS

Manny

Stop 2:Camp Aramoni

We pullup to a property with lush trees all around and some sort of bungalows in the distance. Cara slides her sunglasses onto her head and gives me her big smile. She claps her hands and starts kicking her feet in the front seat. I’ve never seen an adult so excited about anything before; but every time I see Cara surrounded by something she’s passionate about, this is exactly how she acts.Every time.

There’s a big wooden sign that says Camp Aramoni followed by a gate. Cara gives me the gate code, and we follow the gravel path toward the main house which looks like a barn. The place is surrounded by nature; from tall, slender trees forming natural archways, to wildflowers andferns marking paths. There are ruins near the entrance showing what once was here, and on the far end, you can see little houses on something resembling stilts. Once I park and open the door, I can hear nothing but the encompassing sounds of nature. There are no vehicles or people chatting but natureisspeaking. I can hear water from a stream or river and I feel immediately calm. Like the symphony of the forest is connecting with my senses and telling them to relax.

Cara stands by the door, with her hands on her hips and a cross body bag around her chest. She looks up at the sky and smiles at me. “Come on, hotshot, let’s see what they’ve got for us.”

I’m in between confused and amazed but I follow her inside anyway. Stepping in here is like opening a book. The space screams rustic but with a touch of modern. It’s not luxury, obviously, but it has high ceilings adorned with strings of soft twinkling lights. Warm sunlight filters through the large windows, casting a glow over the wooden floor and the furniture. The walls are full of trinkets and artifacts that I’m guessing have stories to tell and a fireplace I’m sure keeps everyone warm in the cold months. There’s a small shop to the right as well, with clothes, sunscreen, snacks and bug spray.

We walk up to the registration desk and are welcomed by a tall guy wearing casual summer clothing and a friendly smile. “Welcome to Camp Aramoni, how can I help you?” he greets.

“Hi! I’m so happy to be back. I called and someone said that you have room for one more reservation?” Cara asks.

“Sure, let me look it up real quick.” Julian—that’s what his name tag says—types on the computer for a minute before returning his attention to us.

“We do have Flora and Fauna left. We had a last minute cancellation so it’s open today. It’s the last tent in our lineup, does that sound good?” he asks and Cara nods, grabbing her bagpresumably to get her wallet out. I beat her to it and put my credit card on top of the counter.

“Manny, I got this,” she snaps.

“No, I do. Here, Julian, put it on my card, will you?” I also hand him my ID. He emails us the packet with information—since this is a green spot and they don’t waste paper to print unnecessary things—and he proceeds to let us know that our ride to the tent will arrive in five minutes.

As we’re walking out to grab our bags, Cara turns to me and says, “You know, I can pay for things too. You didn’t let me pay yesterday at the store or gas station, or anything for that matter. I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“I know you can, but again, it doesn’t mean you should. Think of this as a bonus for teaching the children. My treat,” I insist. The truth is, my sister was a teacher for a long time. I know how underpaid they are. It’s not fair that I can make in a month—hell, sometimes in a week—what they make in a whole year. And on top of that, judging by the one interaction I saw from Cara and that little boy, it looks like she’s a good one. Allie always mentions how Cara was meant to teach, that it comes naturally to her. The least I can do is help ease some of her financial worries with this trip.

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