Aug 8, 2017
when you forget to put sunscreen on and spend 5 hours out in the ocean...
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when you forget to put sunscreen on and spend 5 hours out in the ocean...
August Long Weekend pt 2
Take this, I am tired of looking at it. Blergh.
Continuation of this.
XXXX
Waking up early had not been on the agenda for Étienne, but apparently that had been the plan for Saturday since the get go. He was being shaken awake, and he swatted whoever it was.
“Ten more hours.” He mumbled into his pillow.
“If you don’t get up now Mac is gonna eat all your food and you will have to float down the river only being sustained by cold chardonnay and potato chips,” Edward’s voice teased.
Slowly Étienne opened his eyes, and slowly turned his head toward Edward’s voice. “River? Potato chips?”
“Mmm, it’s only French toast this morning, due to laziness, but I think Mac is going to be coming inside soon and devouring it,” Edward was continuing.
Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Étienne frowned, French toast still took time to make, “Wait, what time did you get up?”
“Oh uhhm,” Edward glanced at the clock, “Six?”
Étienne frowned and looked towards the clock and squinted, “It’s eight.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you up so early?” Étienne asked as he reached for his glasses.
“Chickens? Making breakfast for everyone? Getting the bags and lunches packed?” Edward shrugged, “If I don’t get up early no one else does and we’ll be running late.”
“No one else helps you? I wouldn’t mind helping you.”
“Eh, they do when they can, but they had their own tasks like getting the truck ready.” Edward was smiling, “I like it, being useful, y’know? Why are you so concerned about me making everyone’s lunches, Étienne?”
“You are like everyone’s mom,” Étienne yawned. “What about a truck ready?”
Giving a snort, Edward said, “Hardly, I just like being on time and making sure everyone is well fed. Mac and Calvin are outside making sure everything is packed so we can roll out after breakfast, Caroline is getting the rest of the food ready and I am here waking up Sleeping Beauty.”
“Isn’t she awoken by a kiss?” Étienne wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, “By her mom friend?”
“I am not sure how to feel that I have been downgraded to mom friend,” Edward said as he rolled his eyes and leant in giving Étienne a small peck on the forehead without hesitation, “There, will Sleeping Beauty grace us with her presence now?”
“Mom friend is a good thing,” Étienne added, pleasantly surprised that Edward hadn’t even thought twice about giving him a kiss, perhaps they were getting the hang of being friends? “Mmm yeah I guess I could be convinced to get out of this comfortable bed.”
“You make it sound as if you intend to move in,” Edward teased as he straightened up, his hands already working to smooth the duvet cover.
“With how much you feed me I might not be able to take flight,” Étienne said as he swung his leg over the side of the bed, stopping as he remembered he was naked under the sheet, he clutched the duvet cover around his waist looking over at Edward feeling self-conscious suddenly. Last time they were in this situation it hadn’t ended so well. “Calvin’s already teased me about this.”
“Has he?” Edward sounded surprised.
“Mmm… for all I know you’re about to adopt me…” Étienne paused awkwardly, realizing that Edward was too busy staring at him to even notice his dilemma, “Do you mind leaving me to get dressed?”
For a moment Edward stared at him blankly, trying to process, his eyes roving up Étienne’s bare chest, down to the waist with the duvet puddled around it modestly; it was confusion and then comprehension. “Right, Sleeping Beauty must keep her modesty… after breakfast it will be easier if you just put on your swim trunks since we’ll be going into the river right away…”
“Yes mom,” Étienne said with a slight whine, earning a light slap from Edward who quickly moved out of Étienne’s reach.
“See you in five,” Edward said as he closed the door behind him.
Rubbing his hair, Étienne let out a sigh, thinking there was no point to putting underwear on if he was going to be wearing swim trunks anyway. Settling on the idea of swim trunks and his pink t-shirt, he quickly dressed, hoping to be on time for food.
His phone buzzed, and with some annoyance at the delay, he checked it. Rolling his eyes, he read the message from his sister, it was one of her habits to check up on him, and as he replied the text “still in Edmonton” over a disgruntled looking selfie, he set the phone down onto the dresser. She had been badgering him a little about when he would return, and honestly he wasn’t exactly keen on telling her any of his plans. Probably because he also did not know when he would return, for every time he thought he would book a flight something else seemed to occur to delay him.
As he entered the kitchen he noticed that the Formica table had been extended to accommodate them all. Of course Edward would have kept the extender sections, in perfect condition, he thought fondly. However it led to a conundrum that he was no longer sure as to where he could sit.
Caroline, who was setting the syrup in the middle said to him, “Sit anywhere, hun.”
“Can I help?” Étienne offered, not feeling comfortable being waited on hand and foot.
He received a smile from her, “You can set the orange juice onto the table if you like, the boys should be in soon.”
“Where’s Ed?”
“Here.” Edward said behind Étienne making him jump and let out a swear.
“No swearing in front of the ladies,” Caroline reprimanded, giving Edward a wink.
“Ladies?”
Edward sighed as he set the table, while Caroline explained, “Oh I tease him, he’s such the house wife, I say we’re the ladies, and the other two are our boys, always getting into trouble.”
“Oh? Edward was insisting he wasn’t the mom friend when he got me up this morning,” Étienne confided, getting a dirty look from the man.
Letting out a peal of laughter, Caroline took a moment to calm herself, before saying in a rather gossipy tone, “I have never heard Edward described so accurately; did you know, when Calvin was very small, Edward was the one who had to show him not to be afraid of dogs?”
“Caroline, Calvin won’t appreciate you spreading this story around,” Edward interjected in a pained voice.
His protest was met with a hand wave from her, as she leant in closer to Étienne, taking him into her confidence as she began to regale him with stories of Edward being the mom friend, only to be interrupted when Mac stomped in, closely followed by Calvin, announcing how hungry he was.
Edward looked visibly relieved at the appearance of the two other men, and as everyone settled into place, Étienne realized Edith was not there.
“Where’s Edith?”
“She’s coming after breakfast,” Edward replied as he began to dish the food out, “she had some errands to run.”
“This looks excellent, darlin’,” Calvin commented as he tucked into his French toast.
“Your coffee is wonderful, sweet pea,” Mac added giving Caroline who was sitting beside him a small kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush slightly and giggle.
Étienne turned his eyes to the food, feeling uncomfortable being the fifth wheel to these couples. Was he really going to be spending another full day with the dream team? His angst however was drowned in how delicious the French toast was, and closing his eyes in contentment he worked to ignore their casual conversation.
“Lookin’ forward to the day on the river?” Mac asked as he turned to Étienne, the toast at the end of his fork slowly dripping syrup onto his plate.
“Not sure if Calvin and I should be allowed on a river together again after what happened last time.” He said with a sly smile.
“Why’s that?” Mac asked with interest.
“Oh you see, last time we went on the white water rafting trip, back during the minor cities camp, and I ended up plunging into the river,” Étienne laughed, “Come to think of it our Australian tour guide was also named Mac, right Calvin?”
Glancing over to Calvin with some amusement, Étienne noted that the other man looked sort of like a deer in the headlights, and after following the small look flicked towards Edward, who had paused mid-bite to give Calvin a rather loaded Look, he wondered if perhaps he had somehow fucked something up.
“Right,” Calvin said in a somewhat forced jolly tone, before his voice took on more natural animation, “hell you were terrible the entire camp – drinking way too much.”
Quirking an eyebrow at that direct shot, Étienne said, “The only way one can get through that nonsense is by not remembering it.”
“That is so rude, camp is for bonding and better city relations,” Calvin exclaimed.
“Come to think of it,” Étienne said, brushing off Calvin, “Mac, why haven’t you shown up to these meets?”
Mac shrugged, “Since I am technically not a city, Emma doesn’t invite me… plus… we don’t exactly get along. Not for a long while.”
Sensing that the tension in the room seemed to be increasing at this, Étienne was relieved when Caroline piped up, “Tell us more about the camp, Calvin’s been keeping pretty mum on that year.”
“I wasn’t keeping mum,” Calvin complained, “I just didn’t think it was that important to explain every detail. We went to camp, we did the activities, Étienne fell down a cliff and then later into the rapids, and we made pie… and uh… wait Étienne helped win the archery contest. The end, done.”
“You won an archery contest?” Caroline exclaimed, “I didn’t think you’d be good at that!”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Étienne countered, “I have managed to hunt off the land since a child; do you think it’s all fun and games living isolated on an island where no one can get to you?”
“I just meant, sometimes some skills fade,” Caroline fumbled, before taking a calming sip of her juice.
“I think I’m still better at archery though,” Edward added slyly, taking the heat off of Caroline.
“You wanna bet, punk?” Étienne teased, “I’m fairly certain with all your chicken tending, you may have forgot to feather an arrow.”
“Please, the arrows feathered with Esther’s dropped feathers are mean like her,” Edward sniped back.
“Who’s shooting Esther?” Edith’s voice interrupted. She had arrived earlier than expected, causing them to shuffle around to let her have a seat at the table. With no apologies she began to help herself to the food.
“No, using her feathers for bows,” Edward explained.
“Mmm,” Edith responded her mouth full of food, she swallowed, and then turned to Étienne, engaging him in conversation, mentioning how she had gone to the farmers market, her smile widening as she said she had managed to nab some fricking delightful doughnuts.
“I really love that farmers market,” Étienne remarked, “It always has delicious food.”
“Yup, and the artisan work is always interesting, to see what people make. I get some of my best clothing pieces there.”
“Is the dress you’re wearing from a local artisan?” he referenced her vintage looking yellow polka dot dress.
“No, it’s from a store on Whyte though, I like their vintage aesthetics; plus this dress is great for going swimming, because it slips on and off so I can wear my bathing suit comfortably underneath.”
“Smart-”
Their conversation was cut short when their driver arrived. Étienne had not known that they needed a driver, but when a rather bashful looking man entered the kitchen, Étienne tried to place where he had seen him before. There was something familiar, but he could not quite figure it out. He was a rather waifish looking man, with his long red hair pulled up into a bun. His long tapered fingers were clutching at a file folder, and he seemed to shoot a nervous glance towards Calvin, who was busy helping Edward clean the dishes.
“Jericho!” Mac’s greeting was loud and unexpected, causing Étienne to jump slightly in his seat; realizing that Étienne did not know the situation, Mac brightly explained, “Jericho is gonna drive with us down to the river, and pick us up after, since obviously we won’t be in the same place after driftin’ down for six hours.”
“S-six hours?” Étienne said weakly.
“Hell we got no place to be,” Mac said in a reassuring tone, somehow Étienne was not reassured. “Gives Jericho here some time off in the Big E. Jericho, this is Chuck’s friend Etsy –errr Étienne, he’s a big wheeler from Montreal. Jericho’s our assistant cum service man.”
“A pleasure to finally meet you… after listening to Calvin yell at you all week… Did you drive up here just to ferry these louts around the North Saskatchewan?” Étienne asked curiously.
“No, got family here,” Jericho piped in, “I was here anyway, plus there’s some stuff I need to do for business, so this is technically a working day.”
“On the long weekend?” Étienne cast a reproachful look towards Calvin.
“Jeezus you makes it sound like we’re slave driving, he volunteered,” Mac laughed, “Otherwise we’d be with someone else driving.”
Feeling somewhat reassured that this anemic looking man was not being abused, Étienne took another look at him. He was rather good looking, either in his late twenties, or early thirties. As he turned to discuss something with Calvin, Étienne was surprised that the man had an open, firm posture, as if ready for whatever may be tossed towards him. Where he expected an air of a kicked cat, he was surprised to see Jericho trade a sarcastic jibe with Calvin, and as he continued to observe he realized that instead of a beleaguered underling, Jericho was a trusted associate.
Finishing his food, Étienne found himself out of the loop of conversations, but not really minding, enjoying hearing Caroline butt into the conversation with Jericho, clearly demonstrating that the person in charge of their business was her.
“You done with that?” Ed’s voice cut in to Étienne’s observations, and he realized his plate was empty. “I’m gonna clean up now.”
“Yes, I can help.”
“You don’t need to.”
Étienne gave Edward an exasperated look that stopped further protests.
“So we’re going to be on the river for six hours?”
“More or less, depends on the current and such,” Edward said as they cleaned up. Caroline, Mac, Calvin and Jericho had left the kitchen presumably towards Calvin’s office to discuss business. Edith was busy texting on her phone, apparently not even pretending to care about cleaning up.
“Oh… so are we canoeing?”
“Mmnno.” Edward handed Étienne a dish to dry, and glanced out the window towards the chickens, who were pecking happily in the yard, “They’re not gonna be happy being locked up in the pen again.”
“Why?”
“Because there are predators… never know when a lynx might stop by and desire some chicken dinner.” Edward explained, looking back to Étienne, “Though I suppose their fate has already been sealed as dinner.”
Shock expressed itself over Étienne’s face, “You’re planning on eating them!?”
Giving him a soft smile, Edward shrugged, “Oh well, if they die of natural causes, it’s a waste of good range run chicken to bury it, eh?”
“You can’t be serious!” Étienne protested, “How can you think about serving Esther on a plate?”
“Perhaps with some basil and thyme from the garden?” Edward responded with a rather wicked smile.
“Wicked, you are wicked!” Étienne hissed, giving Edward a light punch on the arm.
“Hey now, I bet you won’t complain when she’s on the plate,” Edward continued to tease as he handed Étienne the last dish.
“I have sworn off chicken forever,” Étienne solemnly vowed.
“Uh huh,” came the skeptical grunt, as Edward looked towards Edith, and then around the kitchen to make sure he had got everything cleaned up. “Edith, who are you texting so fervently?”
Looking up from her phone, she gave a shrug, “No one.”
“That no one seems to respond a lot… is this the mysterious lover?” Edward asked as he walked towards her, making a gesture as if he wanted to look at her phone.
Quickly exiting out of the chat, and turning the phone face down, Edith stuck her tongue out at him, “Never telling!”
“Rude,” Edward looked back towards Étienne, “Isn’t she being the worst?”
“No,” Étienne frowned at Edward, “You are for proposing eating your hens.”
“God, one might think you didn’t grow up in the 1800s with how prudish you’re being.” Edward sighed.
“Tell him Edith, it’s scandalous!” Étienne gestured toward Edward.
Edith looked between the two men, and narrowed her eyes, and then she looked back to Étienne, “They’re gonna die somehow, and I think it’s great to honour them roasted with a side of potatoes.”
“It’s like eating family!” Étienne protested, and Edward noticed that he was in fact genuinely distressed.
“Look, Etsy,” Edward sighed, “If it makes you feel better, you don’t have to be here for the celebration-of-life chicken dinner, ok?”
“I – what makes you think I’d still be here with you chicken murderers?”
“Ohh,” Edward smirked, as he poked Étienne in the stomach, “As you said, the more you eat the less you can fly outta here. Is that some pudge I feel?”
Slapping at his hand, Étienne tried to get away, only to make a soft strangled sound as Edward began to tickle his stomach, and he found himself trapped against the kitchen counter. “/Stop stop. Oh my god, Eddie/” he gasped out, trying to suppress his laughter, he had forgotten that one of the unfortunate aspects of Edward knowing his body so well meant he knew exactly where to attack at these moments… but that meant he also knew how to attack.
Calvin poked his head into the kitchen, and looked towards the two men having a tickle fight, and then to Edith, who was staring at them with mild disgust on her face, before cutting in “Alright you two stop flirting, we should probably start getting ready to go.”
Edward jumped about a foot, giving Calvin a rather guilty look as he instinctively pulled his hands away from Étienne, who was leaning against the counter trying to catch his breath.
“Right,” Edward clapped his hands, “I should get the sandwiches and stuff out of the fridge and into the cooler.”
“Uh huh,” Calvin shook his head, as if trying to get rid of a thought, and then was cut off when Caroline appeared.
“Are you guys slow or something? What’s the hold up? Everything’s secure on the truck, Calvin’s even put the chickens safely away.”
Stuffing some more ice into the cooler, Ed looked up, “We’re nearly ready here too. Also, did you all make sure to go to the bathroom? It’s gonna be a while before we will have such amenities.”
“Yes mom,” Caroline tittered, earning a tired look from Edward. Calvin wisely did not respond, only casting a long-suffering look towards Étienne a look that seemed to say ‘he does this all the time’. Étienne simply smiled, remembering his comment of before of Edward momming everyone.
Finally, once everyone had gone to the bathroom, Étienne helped Edward carry the cooler out to the garage, while Calvin walked ahead with the picnic basket. Much to his consternation, they gravitated towards the largest truck, the one with the four smoke stacks. With a heave they slid the cooler into the back, as it conveniently slid under the wooden raft strapped into place. There were other sealed containers, the contents of which Étienne did not know. Along the left side of the truck bed, a blanket was laid out.
Patches was enthusiastically sitting in the front passenger seat of the van, head popping out the window, and gave an excited bark. It took Étienne a moment to realize that Caroline was also in that seat with the large dog sitting on her. He wondered how the heck she was surviving, but she didn’t seem bothered.
Étienne looked at the people milling around, confused that Mac was driving – why was Jericho there if Mac was driving? How were they all supposed to fit into the truck? There was at least two extra people.
“Alright Étienne, you get to sit in the back,” Edward instructed.
“Ok… why is Mac driving?”
“Uh? Because it’s his truck?”
“But… Jericho?”
“Oh right, Jericho is here to drive the truck down to pick us up, plus Mac isn’t going to be sober by the end of the river run, so gotta be responsible here.” Edward smiled, “Anyways, you get to sit in the back with Edith and Jericho.”
“Ok… but where are you and Calvin going?” Étienne frowned, still confused.
Gesturing toward the blanket, Edward winked, “We lay down in the back and enjoy the ride.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
In response Edward raised his eyebrows, “Are you going to be lecturing me about law now, Bouclés?”
“Maybe I have reformed?” Étienne snapped back.
“Don’t believe that for a second,” Edward responded in a deadpan tone.
“The lack of faith of me pains me,” Étienne mock clutched his heart.
“Are you two gonna yap all day, or can I get into the back?” Calvin interrupted.
“Right darlin’,” Edward said, “If you can help me up into this behemoth?”
“Sort of reassuring that you are still short enough to need my help,” Calvin said as he braced himself, placing his hands on Edward’s hips, while Edward placed his hands on his shoulders. “One… two…three.”
On the number three, Edward did a hop, and with the help of Calvin, got his ass onto the truck bed.
Finding this display irritating, for reasons Étienne did not want to think about, he gravitated towards the passenger door to take his seat.
Calvin banged on the back window to let Mac know that they were ready to go, and the truck started up. The conversation in the cab did not fully start up until they were well on the way. Edith was busy looking out the window, while Jericho was leaning back in the middle, head resting against the back of the chair with his eyes closed.
“You ever been on the river, Etsy?” Mac asked, breaking the conversational silence, which had been filled by the soft strains of country radio.
“Yes, of course,” Étienne responded, “But many years ago, by canoe.”
“Canoe, eh? How long ago was that?”
Casting a side glance towards Jericho, not sure how much he exactly knew, Étienne simply said, “When I was young and wanted to be a fur trader.”
Jericho’s eyes popped open, “That’s an odd hobby for a kid.”
Étienne shrugged and smoothly lied, “My parents humoured me? I think they were happy to get me tired out with canoeing.”
“Must have been a handful huh? I can see why you hang out with these guys,” Jericho said, closing his eyes again with a slight smile.
“You could say that,” Étienne murmured, as he glanced out the window, watching the buildings pass by - if he guessed right they were nearly at the city limits - remembering how different everything had been when he had first visited. He had run away from boring farming to become a voyageur, the repetitive responsibilities grating on him even at a young age. He had enjoyed the freedom and comradery of the other voyageurs, the excitement to meet others like him, discover their different histories, and build connections with people whom he might not have met otherwise. Back then it was inconceivable that travel would have sped up so much, where one could enter a metal tube and fly across the country in a mere eight hours to see someone. The only concept of speed was in a train, and back then a train was only a story to him. Rivers were the way of life, the most efficient way of traversing difficult territory, when the country had still been mainly wilderness.
He remembered his first vision of Fort Des Prairies, for that is what he had known Fort Edmonton as, a place of trade. The wooden palisade that protected the two rival companies rose up into the sky, the smoke from the fires filling the air, mud everywhere. It was on a small grassy rise up from the river, the area around cleared out for fire wood and building materials. He had wondered if this fort had someone like him, or if it was too young. Forts came and went so fast that there was not even time for the thought of permanence to conjure one of them. He had also heard rumours that there were places where the persons like him were left for dead, the community not understanding their existence. Even now he was not sure how they came into existence, probably a roulette of fate.
Following his travel companions into the fort to check out the furs, Étienne had curiously looked around, wondering if he could recognize without being told the person who would be like him in the same way. The tensions between the North-West Company, which his group were employees of, and the Hudson’s Bay Company had them remaining on opposite sides. There was intense competition between the two companies to be as profitable as possible. Étienne always found the Hudson’s Bay company to be annoying, copycat-like in their business practices. Where they had been perfectly fine to remain outside of the interior of the land, making the aboriginals come to them, the French Canadians had been impatient to explore, starting up their own fur trade company in Montreal. A very successful company, that Hudson’s Bay always seemed to be one step behind, stealing the ideas and outposts, until this ridiculous and tense truce was found at the confluence of this location, ideal as a crossing point where peoples had naturally met to trade.
The first day he was disappointed, he did not see the person like him, but he did hear some promising rumours about a strange child of the fort who had been adopted by a Métis trapper. He had gone to bed dreaming what this child looked like, and when he had awoke with hope he was disappointed once more. The trapper had not returned yet, and when asked about the schedule, there was some vague response, but dates here were never set in stone. The fort ran on the seasons, not the days. Dogs were literally everywhere throughout the fort, and there were warnings that he should not be out after dark because they got vicious then.
A half week had passed, and he had been squatting on a log by the river when he heard a great ruckus nearby, followed by a child’s laugh.
<You are so bad!> the words were in some strange backcountry French mixed with Cree. Standing up to investigate, he followed the sound, and discovered a magpie sitting triumphantly out of reach as a small child was jumping trying to regain something it was holding. <This is not for you!>
The magpie squawked and hopped to a lower branch, obviously teasing the child, and Étienne realized that in fact they were playing. He shifted and the magpie seemed to notice his presence. It let out a loud squawk, as it dropped the item onto the kid’s head and then flew up onto a tree right above Étienne giving more squawks to pointedly direct the child’s attention to the stranger.
<Where are you going?> the child asked, before turning around and letting out a small scream when he noticed Étienne standing there watching. His first impression was that he was arrested by the child’s hazel eyes, with mossy depths and shades of the trees, where if he wanted to he could step inside the other’s mind and see the entire history of the place.
“We should be there in about twenty minutes,” Mac’s voice broke into the reverie, snapping Étienne back to the current time. Shifting slightly in his seat, feeling guilty at zoning out, he tried to pay attention to the conversation between Edith and Caroline, which seemed to be about some food fair they were planning to attend.
XXXXX
The sun was hot as Étienne finally opened the passenger door to exit the truck. He stretched his leg out, and positioned himself to hop down. They had picked a perfect day to enter the water, and as he stretched, he could hear the back gate of the truck open. He had been amused that the boat launch was in Voyageur Park, almost fitting for his memories. Curious, he looked, and couldn’t help but smile, as he watched Edward pause before hopping down into a crouch from the high truck bed. It was so well practised it was obvious that this was probably a part of his everyday life.
“You gonna help unload, Etsy, or just stand there gapin’?” Mac’s voice cut on, and Étienne lifted his hands.
“What do I need to do?” he followed Mac towards the back of the truck, where Edward and Calvin had already unpacked the food and other containers to the side.
“We need ya to helps haul the raft out, it’s a sturdy little fucker, better with everyone helping out.”
With some effort and instruction, the raft made it out of the back of the truck, onto the ground.
“Can’t put her into the river yet, she’d just floats away,” Mac explained as they opened up a container and took out deflated water crafts. Just as Étienne was worried about manually blowing up each of the various crafts, an air pump appeared. Not one, but two. One was a foot pump and the other was a hand pump.
Edith immediately began inflating the giant doughnut innertube, which Étienne assumed she was laying claim to. Caroline was using the hand pump to inflate a long plastic mattress type flotation device, which no doubt she planned to lazily lay upon. He turned to see what the others were doing, and saw Edward rubbing a very thick layer of sunscreen onto Calvin. Calvin was laughing as Edward affectionately rubbed a smudge of it upon his nose, their faces leaning in closer conspiratorially, obviously continuing a conversation started from laying in the back of the van together. Looking away, he took his top off, deciding if he was going to be on the water he would prefer to tan more.
“Geezus Etsy, your tattoo artist has done and fucked up!” Mac announced loudly as he stared at the man standing there topless. “He stuck a wild rose slap dab on your chest! That flower ain’t matchin’ the other roses there. I’d be real mad if I were you.”
“Que—I…” Étienne stood there ears burning, he cast a quick glance to Edward who was still applying sunscreen to Calvin, and said in a low voice, “It wasn’t a mistake.”
“Whaaaaaat?” Mac leaned in and inspected the tattoo with a frown, “That was intentional? How come?”
Gathering what bravado he had left, and glad that Edward apparently did not hear the loud exclamation, too busy in a heated conversation with his boyfriend, he said with a shrug, “Simply a memento, the other flowers are on my city flag…” he went on to describe them. “What about yours?”
“Uh well obviously shoulder tattoo is wild rose and oil…” Mac said, “To be honest, probably not very original. As he turned to answer Caroline’s call for him to help her apply sunscreen, Étienne took in a sharp breath, as he noticed the dark burn scar on his back; it was deep, almost as if were he to touch he could still feel the fire.
“Choose a floaty before they’re snapped up,” Edith’s voice cut into his musing, as she held her large tube.
“Uh… I can pick any one?” Étienne peered into the container, trying to figure out which one he would like.
“Technically yes…”
“Technically?” he raised his eyebrow. “So you can probably tell me which one to not choose?”
“The irritating red one with flames is obviously Calvin’s.”
“Obviously.”
“So you are left with the large navy innertube.”
“What about the other one?”
“Are you really going to fight Mac over his floaty rubber duck ring?”
“I---” Étienne was at a loss for words that Mac would be the one to want to float upon a giant rubber duck innertube. Somehow the idea was delightful. “No. What does Ed ride?”
“Hmm the navy one.”
“But if I’m on it?”
Edith shrugged, “I don’t know, I didn’t pack this shit.”
“You are certainly a helpful person to have around,” Étienne said lightly.
She smiled at him and winked, “I do my best.”
“Best what?” Calvin’s voice interrupted as he grabbed his inner tube.
“Oh, she was trying to help me pick a flotation device…” Étienne explained.
“Well you get the giant purple tube under the blue one there obviously,” Calvin explained seriously, as he pulled it out and handed it to Étienne. “It even has a nice pillow and a bottom so your ass isn’t dragging in the water the entire time.”
“Great!” Étienne exclaimed while simultaneously looking at Edith silently asking if she had known about this extra one all along. In response she simply smiled and walked away. Opening the box, he caught a whiff of the brand new smell. “Did you buy this for me?”
Calvin shrugged, “Well you seem to keep staying around, and we can’t just have you sadly sitting on the raft with all the beer while we float around you.”
“When did you even have time to?” Étienne asked puzzled.
“Oh geez, Ed texted me when I was down in Calgary and I picked it up there before coming back up,” Calvin’s response was a little weak as he was ambitiously blowing up his tube with the hand pump.
Taking the foot pump, Étienne unfolded the tube and began to inflate it, not sure what to say. He realized he didn’t have to, as Calvin finished inflating his tube, and then without even being asked, worked upon Edward’s. The silence was companionable; the only sounds the effect of air entering the tubes. Finishing, Étienne tucked the packaging back into the container.
“Hey before you head down, did you put sunscreen on? You should probably also wear a hat,” Calvin brought up.
Étienne sighed, “I don’t want to wear a hat, and I tan.”
“Sun safety is no joke!” Calvin said, as he gave a few more vigorous pumps to the tube, before sealing it. “Let me put the sunscreen on.” Realizing he had no choice, Étienne stood there, and let Calvin approach him with the sunscreen. The cream was warm, and he held his arms out, not minding the rhythmic manner in which Calvin spread the sunscreen across his back.
“Are you this diligent with Edward?” Étienne asked.
“No, I try to, but he usually doesn’t need it, because he tans so well.” Calvin said as he moved around, and began to rub the cream into his skin, “Geez, Mac was right, your tattoo did get fucked.”
Étienne sighed, “You talking about the wild rose?”
“Mmm,” thoughtfully Calvin’s finger brushed against it, as his eyes flicked up to meet Étienne’s gaze, “That was a nice save back there with Mac. Memento huh?”
Looking away with a slight flush, Étienne grumbled, “I wasn’t lying, and I have no idea what you are trying to imply… I think I can finish putting the sunscreen on.”
“Heck I’m nearly done, no need to get all pissy,” Calvin said, as he rubbed his hand against Étienne’s stomach, adding more quietly, “I’m not gonna tell.”
Moving away, Étienne shook his head, “Look Calvin, you’re reading too much into nothing. Thanks for applying the sunscreen.” Saying that, he headed down the silty path, wearing the cheap canvas shoes Edward had tossed at him in the morning.
Ahead he could see Caroline wrestling with Patches, strapping the dog into a specially made doggy life jacket. Seeing his look, she smiled, “He’s too bouncy to ride only on the raft, this helps him float. When he’s tired he lays on the raft.” She indicated the wooden raft, sitting partially in the water, the cooler locked into place, while Mac standing beside it in deep conversation with Jericho, obviously giving him instructions of some sort. Setting his feet into the water, Étienne shivered at the chill. Jericho confirmed the plans to Mac, and then, obviously no longer needed, walked away back to the truck, putting away the containers and air pumps.
“Aight Etsy, if you could put your tube on the beach while we carry this baby out?” Mac asked.
Doing as instructed, Étienne grabbed one of the convenient hand holds and helped float it out into the river. It took a little scrambling but soon everyone was floating down the river, preferred drink in hand, around the raft in the middle.
The banks may have changed shape but he remembered them, and he found once more his mind drifting to long forgotten memories. Meeting a human who knew more explanations for what they were, hidden in the recesses of Fort Des Prairies.
His mind however had other thoughts, the memories once brought up surging strong, the world of the far past coming back in strong waves as if to drag him back to the undertow when the world held promise and adventure. Étienne had simply stared at the child, somehow sensing that they were alike. The child seemed to have this sense as well, as his head tilted, brow furrowing, <Are you one of the earth spirits? Like me?>
<Yes.> he answered, before remembering perhaps he should introduce himself, his name, <You can call me Étienne.>
<You’re named after a person, not a landmark?> the child inquired.
<No, that’s my name, separate from my town… don’t you have one?>
The child had shrugged, and then as if remembering, bent down and picked up the object the magpie had been taunting him with, and Étienne saw that it was a shiny brass button with something embossed on it. Polishing it, the child finally said, <I don’t know, my name changes with the people who come.>
<That’s why you need to choose your own name, something to go by,> Étienne explained as he moved forward, his curiosity getting the better of him. <What is that?>
<Something Nohtawi gave me,> trustingly the child held it out, and Étienne noticed it had some sort of crest upon it.
<Your papa?>
<That’s what I call him anyway, hey! You should meet him! I think he would be excited to meet you, c’mon.>
Étienne found his hand being grabbed as he was literally being dragged in a direction entirely opposite of the fort. The memories of this man, whom Ed referred to as his father, Nohtawi in Cree, sometimes were crisp and clear, and other times faded like an underdeveloped photograph. Closing his eyes, he could see him crisp and clear, the heavily weathered face, the hooked nose, the small scar on his cheek, knobbly fingers, his age indeterminate enough to be an age of both a father and an elder.
<Nohtawi, Nohtawi, I found another earth spirit!> the relationship was clearly defined, and Étienne wondered how long this man had been looking after the child, and whether the child would understand the loss of such a person when the time came.
<Another one?> The man had sounded surprised, as he studied Étienne, <Whose tribe do you belong to?>
<France…> he paused, <Iroquois. I … it changes.>
The man nodded, <Yes, I have noticed. I am lucky, it is rare to meet one earth spirit, but three… when I was very young, I saw one of my tribe, a woman. To see her was good luck, or so the elders said. Her wisdom was respected by even the greatest chief.> he looked away in thought, <I have not heard of her visit for some time now, the younger ones, they forget… so when amiskwaciwâskahikan appeared they thought him a demon. The newcomers do not understand the spirits of the land.>
“I can’t believe that you would really think that, Calvin-” Edward’s upraised voice drifted up the river, snapping Étienne out of the memory. Ahead of him Edward and Calvin in a heated debate. He could only catch snippets of the conversation when they forgot to lower their voices, but as he glanced towards Edith who was floating next to him with a beer in hand, he had the feeling that this may be a serious fight.
“Are-are they alright?”
“Mm?” Edith grunted looking over at him. Étienne made a gesture towards the two men ahead of them. “Mmnnn yeah. They’ll be making up in about an hour or a day, hard to tell.”
“You mean… this type of fighting is normal?” Étienne asked with a frown. He was under the impression that Love’s Young Dream communicated clearly on all levels, including alien hieroglyphics.
“Mmyeah, it’s creepy isn’t it? How well they get along.” Edith shuddered, “Brrrr.”
“This is them getting along?” Étienne frowned, he could tell that Edward was extremely agitated. To be fair, he and Edward had shared a few heated arguments over the years. Such as the fact that Edward had kept stealing his paintings – ‘preservation’ he had called it. Once he had discovered Étienne simply painted over them because he was too cheap to buy a new canvas, Étienne had his paintings start mysteriously missing only to be replaced by new canvas. He had been extremely angry over this, hell he might have thrown a few punches over the matter… but now as he looked back upon it, he found the entire situation annoying but endearing. Whatever happened to his missing paintings? Kept in some dark storage somewhere, maybe the attic? Perhaps he should raid the attic when he got back, recover some of his old canvases…
“Mmhmm,” Edith took a sip of beer, and lowered her shades over her eyes, “They’ve been fighting since their existence.”
“True,” Étienne frowned, memories of previous fights, or mentions coming back to him. Edward complaining about Calvin all throughout, whether Calvin had made a bad deal, or was being very annoying over a sports bet… as he looked at the two men, however, he wondered what they could be fighting about today.
Edward seemed to say something that made Calvin look rather hurt, before, rather deliberately, using his legs to push against Calvin’s flotation device, propelling him further down the river, clearly indicating that whatever they had been discussing was over for now. Curious, Étienne however was distracted when Patches appeared beside him barking for a head pat.
“Hello there,” he said warmly, petting the dog. He had the sense of security that if something happened to him, this dog would not hesitate to protect him. Even though wearing the safety jacket, Patches was vigorously paddling.
“Do you wanna play catch with him?” Mac’s voice asked, closer than Étienne expected the man to be, nearly causing him to flip out of his purple tube.
“S-sure,” Étienne automatically responded. Immediately, Mac produced a rather grungy looking tennis ball, his look serious, in a way a mismatch to the rather comical sight of the rather burly man lazily floating in a rubber duck floaty.
“This is his favourite ball, if you lose it, I will personally kill ya.” Mac threatened.
“Rethinking playing catch right about now,” Étienne quipped.
Smirking, Mac said, “Jeezus, just kiddin’ around on ya, here, I get these in those discount tubes cuz Patches eats them up like confetti.” Saying this, he hucked the ball out into the river, and immediately Patches swam after it, barking in glee. “The trick is to throw it up river, otherwise the ball gets more easily lost. Hell once I thought I might have lost him down river doing that…”
“Oh?” Étienne responded, watching as Patches enthusiastically paddled back to them, plopping the ball into Mac’s lap.
“Mmm, here you try.”
Taking the wet ball, Étienne tossed it, and it fell with a small sad splish not exactly a stone’s throw away.
“I think you need some more practice, ever think of taking up baseball?” Mac teased.
“Please,” Étienne sighed, “That’s still a sore subject with me.”
“Huh? Is it?”
Giving him a rather pained look, Étienne said, “The Expos?”
“Ohh right, professional baseball still exists, hell I stopped following once the Trappers left,” Mac shrugged.
Their conversation drifted, punctuated with them taking turns to toss the ball for Patches, who didn’t seem to be tiring out.
“How is it having a dog?” Étienne found himself asking. He used to keep pets, before things got really fucked up, but after a while their deaths were too often. Their smaller lifespans hurt more than humans, where the trusting love taken away left you with the empty indent of where the animal used to sleep.
“Good,” Mac said, pausing, as if considering his next words, “Better than I thought it would be, I mean, Patches helps me keep clean. Can’t be too fucked up when taking care of a dog, right?”
“Fucked up?” Étienne asked genuinely curious, taking a sidelong glance to the strained and stubbled face of the other man.
“Mm, y’know the usual crap one gets into with too much money, and not enough sense,” Mac shrugged, “Isolated? Check. Hell of a lot of money? Check. Lack of common sense? Check. Bring on the coke, eh?” he laughed at the last part, “Geezus, that stuff I still crave.”
Letting out a long breath, Étienne nodded, “I can relate.”
“And here I thought those in the centre of the universe didn’t have such problems,” Mac said, “But perhaps we ain’t so different.”
“Centre of the universe?” Étienne laughed, “Sometimes it feels like everyone forgets I’m an island.”
“C’mon, no man is an island,” Mac gently teased, giving Étienne a brief smile, “The bridges exist. Hell pretty sure someone could just float on over.”
Snorting at the idea of Samuel floating on over on Mac’s giant duck, Étienne shrugged, “I suppose. What made you change?”
“Change?”
“Y’know…” Étienne waved towards Patches who was paddling back to them furiously.
“Ah. Long and complicated, or short and sweet?”
“We have six hours.”
“Probably more on five…” Mac corrected, and as he took the natural pause to once more toss the ball, he seemed to gather his thoughts. “Sometimes you just crash on down, and nearly lose everything, and sometimes the parts you think have been the best days where everything flows, when yer in the rubble looking at everything crumbled around you, there comes the realization that perhaps what you were doin’ was not so good.”
Étienne wanted him to explain further, but kept quiet, letting him speak, the river flowing around and between them acting temporarily as the connecting bridge between two opposite poles.
“Cigarette?”
“Yes,” Étienne breathed in relief, and took the lit offering, placing it between his lips, sucking in the nicotine like an old lover.
“Make sure not to puncture your flotation device,” Mac teased, as he lit his own, and gave it a puff, “Aaah, a life without vice is one not worth livin’.” Above them a hawk soared, its form blackened by the sun above as it hunted. “My existence is a roller coaster, with very good highs, and very bad lows,” finally came the continuation, “Work hard, party hard. Sometimes being the villain gets ye down, when all ye does is the work they wants from ya and rob ye blind. So it’s easier to… forget. Ended up accidentally quitting cold turkey back in sixteen.” Giving a small smile, Mac laughed heartily at the memory, “Found myself hurtin’ real bad and somehow on Ed’s couch, y’know how he is. No hard drugs at his house, and when I wanted more, found m’self strapped to the bed to shake it out.” Shaking his head, he sighed, “That man is the worst and best friend one could ever ask for.”
“I know,” Étienne said quietly, he hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it felt like certain things were clicking into place. Times where Edward suddenly had to disappear to deal with a situation at home, his face closed off with anxiety. Apparently he wasn’t the only one being pulled out of the worst situations. He was not sure how to feel about this revelation, and as he looked down the river at Ed, who had floated a little closer to their flotilla, he wondered how it could be that he entirely understood when Mac said he was the best and the worst.
“Say you never did tell me how you two became such good friends,” came the forced change of conversation, and Étienne wondered how much he should even tell.
“What’s this?” Edward had paddled up to them, or more accurately, he had paddled up to the raft in order to reach over and pull a drink and a small sandwich from the cooler.
“Mac wants to know how we became good friends.” Étienne explained.
Popping the entire sandwich into his mouth, Edward chewed, swallowed, and simply said, “Fur trade.” He then took a swig of his lemonade.
“That’s pretty simplistic,” Mac whined, “You traded with a lot of people, but I don’t see you being all snuggly with Vernon.”
“Who exactly is snuggly with Vernon?” Edward asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well Calvin is pretty snuggly…” Mac shrugged, “Well… as snuggly as Vernon gets.”
“Exactly.” Edward smiled, “Well, we traded, became friends, got into trouble together, usual shit that creates friendships.”
“I want stories,” Mac complained, as he paddled up to the raft, and grabbed another beer (carefully placing the empty into designated container).
“Stories on what?” Caroline’s voice drifted over, she had apparently finished her engaging conversation with Edith.
“I wanna hear the dirt on their friendship,” Mac explained.
“Dirt?” Calvin’s voice cut in, “Hmmm which dirt do I tell?”
Blanching, and shooting Calvin a don’t you dare look, Edward said, “Well there was one time we partied so hard at Expo 67 Samuel had to send the police to look for us.”
“You’re bullshitting,” Edith burst out.
“No it’s true,” Étienne confirmed, “We ended up getting lost.”
“How on earth did you get lost in your own city?” Caroline asked curiously.
“We got caught up with a group of young Irish men, who were very generous with their drinks and wanted a personal tour of the city,” Étienne added, “Somehow we ended up outside the city and the Expo at… Joliette.”
“How on earth-“
“Étienne is very bad at giving directions while very drunk,” Edward explained with amusement.
“That’s nothing compared to Calvin,” Caroline tittered, “He ended up in Saskatchewan once trying to find a Dairy Queen.”
“You swore never to tell!” Calvin whined, gently splashing his sister in revenge.
“Please tell me more,” Edward encouraged, Caroline was glad to do so.
The river twined lazily as the stories began to be related, each one getting more and more insane, the focus shifting off of just Edward and Étienne, as each person tried to outdo the others in craziness.
It was with surprise that the city skyline appeared before them, the time having passed so pleasantly that Étienne was almost sorry to have this lazy river float end. Almost.
As they pulled up to the boat launch, canvas shoes hitting the rocky bottom, he could feel himself wobble from the amount of alcohol he had drank. He had not intended to drink so much, but Mac kept everyone well supplied whenever a beer appeared empty.
Frowning, he looked over to Edward, “There was no chardonnay or potato chips.”
“What – oh I... I was just teasing,” Edward shrugged, “beer and home made snacks is all you got. Sorry.”
As he stepped forward, dragging his tube, Étienne stumbled, his hand flailing out, and steadying upon Edward’s shoulder. Shit, he was far drunker than he had intended to get. “S’fine. This was good.”
Jericho was waiting for them, helping them deflate the floats, and carry the raft onto the truck, and with little ado, drove them back to the house, and herded them inside.
Mac announced loudly that after they showered and changed, that everyone had to play pool. Calvin had already thundered up the stairs ahead of them, the announcement clearly pleasing him. Edith had sighed, and mumbled something about using the guest bathroom, as she grabbed her duffle bag and disappeared into it. Étienne, feeling a little at a loss of what to do or where to go, since his usual bathroom was occupied, felt relieved when Edward pulled him aside. Étienne was feeling pleasantly buzzed, and was interested when Edward approached him and asked him to follow him.
As they went up the stairs, it took all of Étienne’s brain power to not simply stumble up them. Ed led him into a room he had not yet explored, Étienne’s eyes widened in surprise as he found some of his old paintings hanging upon the walls of what he could only determine to be Edward’s office. It was an eclectic but neat layout, a desk, books, computer… along with a sewing machine upon a table, and carefully stored sewing knickknacks.
“Ahh so that’s where you put my art?” he accused.
“Hmm?” Edward looked to where Étienne was pointing, as if remembering that the pieces existed, “Oh yeah, well no point in keeping them in the dark, but… if you don’t like me having them up I can take them down.”
Leaning against the table in order to hide his lack of balance, Étienne shrugged, “I don’t mind, I had been wondering what your plans were, with how many you stole.”
“Preserved.”
“Hmmnuh.” He was looking around some more, admiring the light pastel purple wall, the floral edging. The Oilers paraphernalia around the room. “Why are we here?”
“Oh,” Edward had pulled something out of a drawer, and he began to unroll it revealing it to be a measuring tape. “I need to get your measurements for your romper.”
“You don’t have to make me one,” Étienne protested awkwardly, regretting leaning on the table, as Edward trapped him against it to take some measurements. “
“I have this perfect material for you, I bought it on a whim at a fabric sale… had no use ‘til you, so you’re stuck… stand up straight.”
“Aren’t you too drunk to take accurate measurements?” Étienne asked, if he was feeling tipsy after six hours of pretty much binge drinking and snacking, what was Edward feeling? Mac had not been stingy when it came to the strong beer.
“You may not have noticed, due to not actually looking into the cooler, and simply lazily taking the food or drink offered you, but I did pack non alcoholic lemonade.” Edward said amused, “I had like maybe two beers max.”
“How come? Couldn’t you be the designated driver if you were going to play sober?” Étienne asked curiously; he held his arms out and stood as still as possible, as Edward measured him. His heart was thumping at the proximity of the other man, Edward was close enough so that Étienne could feel his breath upon his arm as he took the measurements. He moved the tape across the chest, lightly touching him, fingers brushing against his collar bone.
“Oh hmmm I didn’t want to cause a scene with Calvin, usually when I get drunk I tend to lose sight of the people around us… when we fight…” Edward muttered as he squatted down, and then leant in as he took the measurement of Étienne’s inner thigh. His fingers lightly brushed against Étienne ’s calf as the measuring tape took in the length of his leg. “How long do you want your shorts to be?”
“Mid thigh.”
“Hmmm.” Came the disapproving sound.
“What is wrong with mid thigh?”
“Summer stick,” Edward said, and then as if feeling the other man’s confusion, “Y’know when you sit down, and the sweat melds your skin into the seat… and when you stand up, the tearing sensation.”
“Ah, I can survive summer stick for fashion, you forget who you are talking to, who needs function over fashion?”
“Right, irrational insanity, I remember,” Edward teased, standing up and writing down the measurements.
“Can I ask… why?”
“Hmm? Why you’re insane? Hell if I know.”
“Why you and Calvin were fighting…” Étienne tentatively floated out. Probably shouldn’t be asking, but he was curious as to what could disturb Love’s Young Dream.
It seemed as if Edward was taking a little too long to write down the measurements, and as he put the pencil away, and set the note on his paper pile, he finally looked over to Étienne. “I don’t feel like lying to you, so I will simply say, it’s something that is extremely irritating, and that I don’t want to discuss with you.”
“Fair enough,” Étienne said the next words slipping out before he even had time to process their existence, “Do you lie to me often then?”
Giving Étienne a soft punch on the shoulder, Ed said, “Really, this again?” Then added in a teasing tone, “But… when I do its white lies usually.”
“Not sure how to feel about this,” Étienne complained as he grabbed Edward before the other man could get away, he pulled him close and wrapped his arms around Edward’s waist, warning bells buzzing in the back of his inebriated mind that this was probably a bad idea. He slid his left hand up, tilting Edward’s face to look up at him instead of away, getting direct eye contact, he asked quietly <So what have you lied about? Is there something I should know?>
There was a hesitation, as if Edward was about to tell him something, his gaze flicked down to Étienne’s mouth, back up to his eyes, as if struggling with something. “You’re drunk, Étienne,” he finally said, working to pull away from Étienne’s surprisingly firm grip. “You’re getting a little too flirty here, please let me go.”
<What if I don’t want to?> Étienne teased, he was enjoying the feel of the other man pressed up against him too much to let him go, the alarm bells in the back of his mind seemed to grow louder, <Flirty, hmm? You call this flirting? Has Calvin been ignoring you if simple touch is flirtation?> as he said this, he ran his finger along Edward’s jawline, in a decidedly flirtatious manner. Tilting his head near Edward’s, brushing noses, Étienne added, <Is this too flirtatious for our friendship? How many rules am I breaking, Edward?>
Edward’s breathing had rapidly increased, his pupils dilating, whispering, <All of them.>
Mere millimetres, Étienne thought, as he lowered his mouth, capturing Edward’s in a soft meaningful kiss, any rational thoughts lost in too much sun and alcohol. The words were forming in his mind, dangerous words, he knew he shouldn’t say. Edward had hesitated as their lips touched, a momentary lapse as if enjoying the kiss, before rather forcefully he pushed himself away from Étienne, breaking the other man’s grip.
Bright red, he shook his head, left hand convulsively clutching his right arm, looking anywhere but at him “Étienne you’re drunk, you don’t mean these actions, um maybe you should go lie down or something, sleep it off.”
<Why are you brushing me off Edward? When are you going to-- stop avoiding me?> the words he had tried to suppress began to slip out, fast enough so that he had to quickly twist them to hide what he truly wanted to say. Avoiding? Hell, he wanted to ask when Edward would come back to him… an impossible question to answer.
Edward snapped his gaze to Étienne, startled, confused, and slightly angry, as he sarcastically replied. “Well you’re literally visiting me, not sure how this is avoiding? Are you imlying the future? With my job and what with your school schedule, logically Christmas would make the most sense. Hardly count that as avoiding.”
<That’s not what I meant,> Étienne fumbled the words, slurring them, hating himself as he dug himself further into this hole.
“If I had known you were this fucking drunk I wouldn’t have measured you, geez you always get like this when you’re totalled,” Edward huffed, as he made sure to keep out of Étienne’s reach, “Fucking handsy and saying shit you don’t remember the next day.”
“Eddy—” Étienne’s voice had risen slightly into a drunken whine as he stepped forward and stumbled up against the desk.
Stiffly Edward turned away, and left the room, leaving Étienne alone, surrounded by his stolen paintings, and the abandoned sewing projects of Edward.
However, he did not disappear for long, for a half dressed, damp Calvin appeared.
“He’s drunk as fuck, y’know, handsy, and I think he might have gotten too much sun, due to not wearing a hat,” Edward was explaining, “I don’t think he can make it down the stairs so he’s gotta crash on our bed.”
“Ahh right,” Calvin said, probably with a little too much understanding as to what Edward was saying. “C’mere cowpoke, let’s get you to bed.”
Étienne tried to shy away from Calvin, not pleased at his appearance.
“Bouclés,” Ed sighed as he stepped closer to his friend, taking his hand, “C’mon to bed.”
Hesitating, he looked towards Calvin as if trying to see what he thought of this; Calvin simply grabbed his other hand.
Sighing, knowing when he was beat, as well as not having enough brain power to resist, he let the two men lead them to their bedroom and towards the bed, where he ended up splaying face down and closing his eyes in relief.
“His glasses,” Edward muttered, and Étienne felt his head gently lift, and the glasses be removed.
Breathing evening, he could feel himself begin to fade.
“Ed, can we talk?” Calvin’s voice was low, as if not wanting to wake Étienne.
“Now?”
“Please, I just… gotta get this cleared up. I didn’t tell you because I was… afraid at the time, everything was such a mess and I didn’t want to y’know bring him up because…” Calvin’s voice got a little choked sounding as he struggled to find the words, “Because I thought I was about to lose you for good… and... when I got back home and you were there… well, I didn’t see the point. And then time passed and… it seemed less relevant. If I knew it was going to really hurt you, I wouldn’t have kept silent.”
Edward let out a long breath, “I’m still pretty irritated about this, but if you give me some time I’ll calm down… I mean, you’re not entirely wrong about nearly losing me then.”
There was a sound, as if they kissed, and Étienne listened as they left the room, presumably to play pool, and knowing that he was not supposed to have heard that conversation.
Plan a perfect trip to Goa for the August long weekend. Discover pristine beaches, vibrant nightlife and rich cultural heritage. Experience thrilling water sports, enjoy delicious Goan cuisine and relax in luxurious resorts. It is the perfect place to have a memorable vacation with friends or family. Plan your perfect trip to Goa this August!
3 Beautiful Lakes To Visit On The Sunshine Coast, B.C.
This August Long weekend is going to be a hot one! Time to start planning your trip to the lake to keep cool. Grab your friends and family and check out one of these awesome spots on the Sunshine Coast.
Holiday patio day
AUGUST LONG WEEKEND Canada, Our Canada is a song written and composed by Jean Kay about being proud to be Canadian. Sheet music available for choirs of all ages. Listen to it
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New Post has been published on http://www.torontonicity.com/2017/07/16/civic-weekend-toronto-2017/
What to Do on the Civic Holiday Weekend in Toronto 2017
By Lori Bosworth
It’s hard to believe that the August long weekend will be soon upon us. Where has the summer gone? Fortunately, there are a lot of Toronto events taking place on the August long weekend. If you’re wondering what to do on the Civic Holiday weekend in Toronto in 2017, read further.
Angelique Kerber, photo by si.robi – Kerber BM16 (37), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49582948
Rogers Cup Toronto 2017
The Rogers Cup Toronto begins on the August long weekend. Many of the top Women’s Tennis Association players will be competing at the Rogers Cup Toronto 2017 at the Aviva Centre in York University from August 5-13, 2017. Players that have been confirmed include Genie Bouchard, Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber, Venus Williams, Simona Halep, Jelena Ostapenko, Caroline Wozniacki, Karolina Puskova and Elina Svitolina. The Rogers Cup is always an exciting Toronto August long weekend event to attend. Purchase tickets for the Rogers Cup online before they sell out.
OVO Fest 2017
Toronto homeboy Drake brings his popular OVO Fest 2017 back to the Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place on the Civic Holiday weekend on Mon., Aug. 7, 2017 at 7 p.m. Guests announced so far include Partynextdoor, Majid Jordan, DVSN and Roy Woods, but Drake usually has a few surprises up his sleeve. Purchase tickets for OVO Fest 2017 online.
Grande Parade at Toronto Caribbean Festival
Toronto Caribbean Carnival Grande Parade
If you’re wondering what to do on the civic holiday weekend in Toronto, the Grande Parade of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival takes place on Sat., Aug. 5, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Exhibition Place. The star attraction of the carnival, the Grande Parade is a huge August long weekend event for the city, attracting attendees from across Canada and the U.S. Indulge in Caribbean culture while enjoying the Mas bands and the steel pan performances. To enter Exhibition Place, you’ll have to purchase tickets for the Grande Parade, which are Adults $20, Seniors (65+) $10 and 12 and under $10. VIP tickets allow you to view the parade up close from a VIP Cabana and include complimentary Caribbean food and non-alcoholic beverages. VIP tickets are Adults $100, Seniors (65+) $90 and Children $50. If you don’t want to enter Exhibition Place, you can view the Grande Parade from Lake Shore Blvd. W. for free.
Electric Island
Electric Island takes place on Hanlan’s Point on August 7, 2017 from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. This Toronto August long weekend event features house and techno artists on two stages. Artists scheduled to perform include Nina Kraviz, Kink, Mano Le Tough, Jackmaster, Deetron, Dam-Funk, Greg Gow, Addy and Jeremy Stott. General Admission to Electric Island is $49.99; VIP tickets are $69.99 and include access at VIP Entrance Gate, side stage washrooms, side stage bar and side stage seating. Tickets to do not include ferry admission. This is a 19+ event. Purchase tickets online.
If you have other ideas about what to do on the August long weekend in Toronto 2017, please let us know in the comments.
Come August, Come Long-Weekends!
Come August, Come Long-Weekends!
There are way too many reasons to love August! Be it the pleasing weather or the month-long festivities or the LONG Weekends! After a dry spell of almost 4 months, finally we have a holiday month that brings along 3 national holidays on Monday 15th August – Independence Day, Thursday 18th August – Raksha Bandhan and Thursday 25th August – Janmashtmi. If you are a smart soul, you already have your…
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