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“From the sounds of it, two packs of wieners might not even be enough for the two of you tonight,” he said.
“Right. Mickie,” I said as I turned to her, “we should probably get whatever food goes with hot dogs and check out our campsite. Building the tents should be as exciting as dealing with this place.”
“You’ll be surprised at finding shit you don’t need in this store, as opposed to what you think you need,” the old man said. Somehow, I think he was trying to throw in some wisdom.
“I’m sorry?” I said nicely, wanting to understand what he was trying to say.
He turned and smiled at me, his snowy white beard igniting his powdery blue irises, “I see you’re a frustrated young man. You’re up from the city, yes?”
“Correct,” I said as Mickie took off down the aisle to avoid what I believed would be scolding from this man for being a dick.
“It’s usually how it always is with new folk up in these parts,” he smiled at me. “Listen, all I’m trying to say is you seem frustrated that you’re not finding what you want here?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Well, don’t be. Life isn’t always about getting what we want. Instead, it’s about getting what we need.”
“Huh?”
“I think you know what I mean. True happiness only comes from having what you need. Not what you think you want.”
“I just wanted some steak on a fire tonight,” I chuckled.
“But did you need that?”
“No,” I laughed again. “I guess not.”
“Then, just be happy with what you have. The rest always works itself out.”
The man might’ve been a bit senile, but he sprinkled in some sound wisdom. He was right. I needed to stop expecting everything to go my way. I had everything I needed right in front of me: Matthew and his wieners, Huckleberry Joe and his wisdom, and a beautiful woman who just watched me make a fool out of myself in front of both.
Chapter Sixteen
Mickie
I’d love to say that John and I looked like a couple of dumbasses while putting up the tents, but it was quite the opposite. I mean, what did I expect? The guy had a method to his madness with everything he acquired for this overnight camping trip. So, naturally, I should’ve expected it when he whipped out a tent that could be thrown out like a damn Frisbee, and the thing just set itself up.
I couldn’t believe all the other neat odds and ends I was fortunate to have the luxury of camping with on this trip. He’d bought a solar-powered generator with an inverter that helped us blow up the mattresses, and that’s where we plugged in the small refrigerator unit that was nestled in between the station where John had his propane camping grill and coffee maker.
“I thought we would cook the hot dogs over the campfire?” I questioned.
Ever since we started on this trip, I was getting more tiny glimpses of John’s personality and mannerisms, which made giving him a hard time even more fun than before.
John glanced over his shoulder at me from where he stood in front of the grill, ass looking tight and right in his jeans.
“Nah,” he waved his hand in the air. “You just relax in your comfy camping chair and let me take care of you.”
“What’s the point of the fire, then?” I decided to tease just so I could hear what he had to say.
“To keep warm, of course,” he said.
“So, what happened to me cooking steaks on a skillet?”
“Ask wiener-boy Matt from the store,” he said with a laugh.
“Well,” I laughed, “I’ve never had a pan-fried hot dog before, so this should be promising.”
“It will be promising, gorgeous. It will be great because I’m cooking it,” he teased.
