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Campfire cuisine

The proposal is food ficition.

Sara goes camping with Kyle, as they have done before. This time she will receive an unexpected proposal over campfire cuisine.

The proposal

The beach was lonely for Sara that night. Birds called out to her, squawking their discontent over her lack of sharing her exquisite dinner. She didn’t feel much like sharing anything, with any one at that moment. Kyle had stood over the open campfire, working hard to make this meal come out just right. It was suppose to be the perfect evening for the two. Sara gulped down a bit more of the Oriental Baby Back Ribs, attempting to quiet the slight sobs that were racking her chest.

The night could have been perfect. The sounds of the small waves rushing the shore line, the gulls calling out to anything that would listen, the clear black sky with the thousands of stars patiently waiting for them to kiss so that they might sparkle with their own joy. The only thing she would have changed was being in land locked State. But the smell of another camper cooking a Dublin Lawyer helped create a slight reminiscent smell of the ocean. The smell of the lobster and Irish whiskey clung to the air around her. A good stiff drink would have done wonders for her mood, if only she had the courage to ask the other campers if they had any whiskey left. As it was, all she had was a Welsh Posset Cup, made with a stout rather than a whiskey. It would have been the perfect drink for her and Kyle to cozy with, while the chill of the lake engulfed them.

Camping had been one of the many things that they shared an interest in. They liked to rough it, as their mutual friends would say. No RV with all the luxuries for them. They preferred to sleep in a tent, or out in the open next to a small fire, if the skies were clear and the insect count was down. The only thing Kyle ever insisted on was that they would never cook traditional camping fare. Instead, they would enjoy what seemed to Sara as lavish, and to Kyle simple but adventurous meals. Sara had to admit that she had never tried cooking on a campfire as he had, and thought that one day he would show her how he made meals like the Mediterranean Grilled Chicken and Vegetables that they had eaten on several outings. She told him once that she was frightened that she would blow it. He told her that it was easy, any one could do it, if they were just not so frightened to move away from traditional.

Sara gulped down her last bit of potato, not noticing the slight smoky flavor that Kyle had worked to perfect. She knew the food was good, even if her focus wasn’t on it right then. He had cooked for her many times in their dating past. On their first date, he had brought her to a hole in the wall biker bar. Not the kind of place she would have ever been caught dead in before, and was astonished that Kyle would have set foot in the dirty building. She had never been certain if he had talked with the owner before the date, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t. He could smooth talk anyone into getting his way, and that night was no exception. He managed to take over the greasy grill in the rear of the building, had the cook take a break from burning his common burgers, and made the best Swordfish Oreganata she had ever tasted. That night that they had a heavier drink, Sloe Gin. She knew on that date, that they would be married.

"So, what happened?" she wondered. "Why on this most perfect of nights?" while he had been down on one knee, the campfire light dancing on his face, playing in and out of shadows. His dark brown eyes glistening with moisture from a pleasure he most sought out, had she turned him down? That wasn’t, she decided, going to be any easy question to answer,

The occupants of the lake all went quiet, she could still see a few dwindling campfires in the distance, but she assumed that everyone had crawled into their tents or RV’s for the remainder of the night. She had no idea when that had happened or how long she had been sitting there nursing her now cold drink. She had been so consumed with her own thoughts, that she lost track of the time. Kyle had been so angry. He did not yell, or cry. In fact he had not said a word. He left everything right were it was and left in the truck. Even if Sara had wanted to leave and follow him, she had no way of doing so; she was stranded. She didn’t even bother to reach for her cell phone. She had learned from past experience that the cell provider that boosted about everywhere coverage rarely had service in these out of the way lakes. She managed to smile to herself; it would be a great set up for some cheesy horror movie. The fair maiden left to fend for herself, no car, nor cell phone. . . Hadn’t she already seen a movie like that? Moreover, with impeccable timing, a coyote howled, the sound echoing through out the lake property.

Sara wasn’t sure when it happened, but before dawn she had fallen asleep were she had been sitting. The smell of a handful of different breakfast, mingle in the air, causing a hectic sensation of hunger and odd cravings for Sara. She wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, as she stood, her thoughts determined that she find a safe way back to the city. The smell of a New England Breakfast assaulted her face on as she turned from the lake. Kyle stood over a campfire and two small brook trout sizzled on a cast iron skillet, along with a few slices of bacon. She was afraid to speak to him, frightened of what he might say to her. She thanked him in her head for returning, she wouldn’t have known what to do without him that morning, nor the hot pot of coffee that was sitting on the picnic table.

Without a word between them, Sara perched herself at the table, and poured herself the coffee. Kyle came up behind and set a bowl of tiny wild strawberries with a slightly sweetened heavy cream on the table next to her. “I shouldn’t have left you.” He mumbled into her ear. Sara shivered, and wasn’t sure if was because f the chill in the air, or because he was still on speaking terms with her. “Thank you.” She managed to say it aloud this time. He shrugged, as though returning wasn’t a big deal, it was expected. Sara felt tears swell in her eyes. She had sat throughout the night trying to understand why she had told him no in the first place. They both wanted a couple of children, they both had good jobs, he loved cooking and she loved to eat it. She didn’t have a love interest on the side, and as far as she knew, neither did he. They were always enjoying life together, laughing and playing. Living for the moment rather than thinking in long terms. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe the fact that he wanted to plan out a future, that he was thinking in the long term and she was still stuck in that evening had thrown a stone into her smooth waters.

She quickly turned to Kyle. She realized what had happened, why she had said no to the proposal. “Kyle,” She lithely started, “could we start the night over?”