Forest Boy

[11] Sorrel

Parked at the kitchen island eagerly watching as my mum made sorrel, I allowed the familiar smells of ginger, cinnamon and hibiscus to waft around me through the cool morning air. She usually made it about halfway through our holiday to the cabin as a treat for lasting this long. In her favourite burgundy kaftan, mum laboriously added ingredient after ingredient to pot, largely not acknowledging my presence behind her.

"How long until it's done?" I asked, unable to hold it in any longer.

Mum scoffed at my impatience, also because it wasn't the first I'd asked her that morning. "I've just put it on to boil, Sophia. It won't properly be finished until tonight."

I sighed, sometimes I'd hoped she'd make a batch and let us have a glass of it early. I wouldn't complain about the flavour. But as she asserted every year, only she could sample it until it was finished.

"Then... can I take some with me tomorrow?" I continued.

The question took me a little by surprise, almost like it wasn't me who asked it. It was strange for Rhyse to randomly pop up in my head when spending time with my family. I didn't have to, yet I couldn't help it.

"Of course. There'll be plenty." As my mum busied herself washing the dishes, she briefly smiled up at me as though she had a thought playing on her mind. "You know, I'm glad you are out doing things while we're holidaying here for a change. I know you find it tedious after a while, but this will likely be one of the last few times you join us out here for the summer as you'll be going to university next year."

So that's what she was thinking. Had my mood changed so noticeably since hanging out with Rhyse? She wasn't wrong, though. Having a way to occupy myself during the long summer days was an improvement on wandering aimlessly in the forest and fishing with my dad. I would also have a cool story to tell my friends when I got home for a change.

On one hand, I did hate coming to the cabin all summer, but on the other hand, it was one of the only times I got to regularly see either of my parents, let alone seeing them together. They were so occupied with work, and I was often just as busy with school, so having time to spend with them was nice. That was most of the reason I put up with it.

"This is true."

"It is a bit unconventional though isn't it? Raising a kid out here in the middle of nowhere," she said out of the blue, scrunching her face up. "The Amstells seem to be doing a good enough job. Better than I probably would."

I nodded in agreement. Usually, by the end of our stint in the forest, we were going bat shit crazy and everyone was stepping on each other's toes. The thought of living out here permanently made me shudder. God forbid I didn't have a sibling to relate to in the slightest; I'd probably end up just like Rhyse.

On cue, as the water began boiling more aggressively, Andrew waddled sluggishly into the kitchen with his iPad tucked under his arm as if it were the morning newspaper. "Morning mum. Are you making sorrel?"

"I am. Did you sleep alright? How comes you're up so late?"

"I was writing the D&D campaign and didn't realise it had gotten so late." He took his seat and swivelled in my direction. "Are you going out again today?"

"Not today, nope."

His tired face lit up, "good! Can you look over my writing?"

"I can. But I don't understand half of what you write."

"That's alright. I just want the grammar to be perfect; you're good at it."

I slid the iPad from in front of him and began going over the text. He'd written copious amounts since the last time he'd asked me to give it a once over. Andrew was only 13 but he'd developed a strong passion for writing, especially in the summer when he had nothing else to do. We didn't always get along, but it made me feel warm inside that he would still come to me to ask for help. At his age, I would've rather burned my whole notebook than ask for anyone to read it.

I didn't understand the whole dungeons and dragons thing, probably in the same way he didn't understand my need to have my knife on me when I left the cabin.

He sighed as he took his seat beside me again after making himself some cereal. "I wish Rhyse had a younger brother I could play with, then I'd have more to do as well. You can ask him if he can bring his dog over once again, right?"

I pried my eyes from the tablet for a brief second to agree when I saw my dad emerging from his office, his glasses resting on top of his head. "Morning everyone. It's barbeque night tonight. I need the island free to prepare everything, so you guys can take your iPad and your cereal into the living room. Thank you."

Dad's familiar scent of cologne wafted past as he went around giving each of us a kiss on the forehead. I didn't know if he had gotten up early to work or if he'd fallen asleep in there, but he had the usual explosion of energy he had when it was barbecue night.

"Got plenty of fish I caught yesterday to marinate. Tabitha will be over later on with some fresh goods and you guys need to help carry it in," he continued while grabbing the seasoning from the cupboard and lining them up in a neat line.

Tabitha was our chef and she usually came over once or twice to replenish our stock of fresh food. She was good with getting seasonal foods and ones that won't just rot after a few days in the fridge.

We needed a chef at home since my parents were hardly there enough to cook. To be honest, as much as I loved my parents and their cooking, neither of them came close to what Tabitha could conjure up in the kitchen.

Outside later that same evening, I was sitting basking in the warmth of the fire besides my mum. It was less humid in the evening, so we could get away with having a fire for marshmallows in the middle of summer without sweating out of our skin.

The lingering smell of fish from the barbeque still swam around the air while I waited for my marshmallow to roast. Although I hated fishing, dad was a pro at it and knew exactly how to catch the fish that tasted the best. He always said the best fish were the ones you caught yourself and he proved it right every time.

"We have so much food!" My mum exclaimed as she went up for a second plate. "Maybe I should bring some to the Amstell's tomorrow? Or perhaps invite them over for another barbecue. It'll be a good way to get to know them better."

Andrew perked up across the table, "we should invite them! Can we?"

"I'll definitely try."

Inviting the Amstell's to our barbecue didn't even cross my mind once. To be honest, Rhyse's mom was quite unsettling and Rhyse himself would probably be his usual strange self. My parents hadn't seen much of him, but with some of the things he said and did, they maybe wouldn't want to. Despite that, it would be a different dynamic to our usual one for a change.

I did wonder whether he and his family had barbecues, it was just one of many questions I had saved up to ask him.

We spent the rest of the night joking and reminiscing about fond memories from previous times at the cabin. Focusing mostly on Andrew's habit of somehow injuring himself in the forest, hence why he didn't go out much anymore. He'd been injury-free so far, but I believed we'd jinxed it.