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I smile as memories of my years growing up in the Philippines come back to me. My adoptive parents opening their home to the neighborhood kids. The off-key Christmas carols they sang using handmade musical instruments. Metal bottle caps flattened with a hole drilled in the center and strung on a wire serving as a tambourine. Hollowed out tin cans with plastic stretched over one end transformed into drums.
“I miss looking at paróls hanging from windows,” I say. “They’re ornamental lanterns made of bamboo and Japanese paper.”
“Paról?” Claudia thinks for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “That sounds likefarol, a lantern in Spanish. Orfarolitosas we call them in Northern New Mexico, although we also call them luminarias. They’re paper bags filled with sand at the base to weigh them down and we put a votive candle in each one.”
“Same exact thing,” I say, chuckling, “except that paról are usually shaped like stars.”
“You should check out New Mexico during the holidays,” she says.
I squeeze her hand. “I will.”
“You can even show my family how you make your green chile stew,” she says as I shake my head, laughing.
“Let’s say we did but didn’t,” I say. “Best leave that to the experts.”
Half an hour later, we arrive at First Landing State Park. Armed with a trail guide and slathered in sunscreen and bug spray, we decide to take Bald Cypress Trail which goes through cypress swampland and forest-covered dunes. It’s an easy one-and-a-half-mile trail with boardwalks and observation platforms.
“I’ve never been to a swampland before, so this is a first for me,” Claudia says as she shows off the items in her backpack before zipping it up. To say we came prepared is an understatement. Claudia certainly did. Along with sunscreen, she packed a picnic lunch of salad and sandwiches, two bottles of water, and snacks in her backpack, just in case we find a picnic area somewhere along the way.
“This trail only runs over a mile,” I say, laughing. “We’ll be done in less than an hour.”
“So? I intend to explore everything I can before it rains.” She pulls out a pair of binoculars from her backpack, hanging the strap around her neck.
“Rain’s not supposed to happen until later tonight,” I say. “So what are we looking for?”
“Raptors, frogs, dragonflies... anything,” she replies. “I want to take pictures and send them to my nephews and nieces. That way, they won’t think all I do is work in the rehab center five days a week, ten hours a day sometimes.”
“Then it’s my job to make sure you don’t. Although I have to admit, I came totally unprepared today.”
A group of people walks past us and Claudia steps toward me to make room for them. “You handle the drive here and back. I handle what’s in the park.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Claudia can be bossy and I like it. It’s also why I had a wonderful time with her when we first met. Sassy when she wants to be, she knows when to take charge and she’s not ashamed of it. But she also knows when to give up control and I liked that just as much, if not more. “Since you’re handling what’s in the park, is there anything else I need to know before we begin our hike?”
She thinks for a few moments. “Surprise me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And stop calling me ma’am.”
“Yes—” I chuckle when she glares at me before squaring her backpack over her shoulders and walking ahead of me. Even when she’s wearing khaki hiking pants, nothing can hide her curves and I have to remind myself to focus on the trail and not trip.
“You coming, big boy?” Claudia asks. She’s standing a few yards ahead of me with her hands on her hips as she waits until I catch up.
“I thought we were supposed to be admiring the view instead of hurrying,” I say as she sighs in exasperation.
“I don’t know what view you’re talking about, but you were too busy looking at my ass, mister.” She fake punches me in the arm and I pretend that it hurt.
“Hey! But one could argue that it’s a great view,” I say as she rolls her eyes. “Five stars. Definitely recommend.”
Halfway through the Bald Cypress Trail, we cut through to the Osmanthus Trail. It extends our hike by another two miles but I don’t mind. I just have to be careful with my footing on the sand after we stop at a beachside picnic area and enjoy the sandwiches she brought with her.
Along the hike, Claudia takes pictures of everything from trees to moss to little animals she comes across worth documenting. We see pine trees, white oak trees, Spanish moss hanging from the branches, and numerous standing dead trees called snags and fallen trees, some covered in shelf fungi.
She spots a red-bellied water snake coiled over a fallen tree above the dark-colored water and later, a Northern cricket frog. I love how enthusiastic Claudia is to discover this part of Virginia Beach and I’m glad to be partly responsible for it.
“New Mexico is beautiful, too, but we don’t have swamplands like this,” she says hours later as we lean against the railing of the observation deck overlooking bald cypress trees and their “knees,” which look like stumps sticking out of the water. Overhead, the clouds gather and already, most of the other hikers have the same idea of heading to their cars.
The moment it starts to rain, I know I need to be careful as we hurry toward the truck. I’ve walked on hard and rocky ground since my accident and I’ve never once cared how I looked. But now? Hell, all I care about is that I don’t slip on the muddy ground and fall on my ass in front of her.
